Hagai Shaham follows his disc of Bloch's Violin Sonatas with an equally splendid release of the composer's other violin music, crowned by his late Suites for solo violin, two works informed by the spirit of Bach with touches of serialism and Hebraic resonances. They're full of passion, virtuoso passages, and abrupt tempo shifts that can derail the performer. But Shaham sails through them with brilliance, capturing the rhapsodic opening of the first movement of Suite No. 1 along with its vigorous final movement, as well as the Second Suite's soaring, lyrical Andante and its virtuoso finale. Erez joins Shaham in Bloch's Baal Shem Suite and Suite hébraïque, played with colorful zest. The substantial fillers are works by Paul Ben-Haïm, a key figure in Israel's musical life. His Sonata in G minor for solo violin blends Bachian counterpart with impressionist gestures and folk song. Shaham lends an improvisatory feel to the rhythmically powerful first movement, recalls the lyricism of shepherd's pipes in the pastoral second, and revels in a stomping, virtuosic finale based on the Hora. A pair of attractive folk-based works close the recital, played by Shaham and Erez.with tonal beauty and idiomatic flair. An irresistible disc! -Dan Davis

Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez have been enthusiastically acclaimed for their dazzling duo performances. For their latest disc, they turn to two composers who were seminal figures of Eastern European music during the early twentieth century. Dohnányi composed a number of significant pieces for the violin, including two violin concertos. One of his most important chamber works is the Violin Sonata, Op.21, composed in 1912. The work shows his individual development of stylistic traits
of Brahms and Liszt. Also recorded here is Dohnányi s most overtly folk-influenced work, Ruralia hungarica, and a movement from his first Orchestral Suite arranged as a thoroughly idiomatic piece for violin and piano by Jascha Heifetz. In the first days of World War I, Dohnányi s native Hungary was invaded by the Russian army. This portentous event provided the creative spark for Leos Janácek s Violin Sonata (his only surviving violin sonata; two very early ones he composed in Dresden and Vienna in 1880 are lost). Other works by Janácek in this recital include early pieces from his student years and an arrangement of the delicate mood study A blown-away Leaf from his celebrated piano work, On the Overgrown Path.

Jenó Hubay was a virtuoso violinist, composer, and teacher whose works epitomize late Romantic music's melodic charms. That's certainly true of these pieces, which teem with hummable melodies and telling instrumental gestures. The First Concerto lives up to its subtitle of "Concerto dramatique," starting with a bold orchestral declaration that leads into a meltingly beautiful solo cadenza. The slow movement is a pastorale whose opening, with harp and flute, hints of impressionism, and the final Allegro con brio has all the fireworks you expect from a Romantic showpiece. The early Suite is in four melodically attractive movements; the third, an Intermezzo, is unforgettable in substance and performance. The Second Concerto is most notable for its Larghetto movement, a lyric poem of exceptional beauty, here spun with idiomatic phrasing and splendid legato by Hagai Shaham, whose dazzling playing throughout the disc makes him an outstanding advocate for a composer who deserves our attention. Shaham's partners are in fine form as well, Brabbins' stylish conducting and the orchestra adding to the disc's attractions. -- Dan Davis

In 1908 the Society for Jewish Folk Music was founded in St. Petersburg. It soon began to publish sheet music (including Kisselgoff’s collection of some 80 Jewish folk songs) and also organized concerts of Jewish music. The activities of the Society in St. Petersburg ceased in 1919, but other branches continued their musical activities for several more years. This CD features works by outstanding figures in the Society – Joel Engel, Solomon Rosowsky, Joseph Achron, Alexander Veprik, Mikhail Gnessin, Alexander Krein and Leo Zeitlin – several of which are based on folk songs from Kisselgoff’s collection.