Nai-Yuan Hu, violin
Gerard Schwarz, conductor
Seattle Symphony
Young Taiwanese star Nai-Yuan Hu makes his debut Delos recording in this appealing album, which is attracting nothing but raves from the press. Winner of the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Competition, Hu was a protege of the late Josef Gingold, to whom this recording is dedicated. Both Romantic concertos on this album are onetime popular favorites which have been heard rarely in recent years, either live or on recording. Therefore the music on this program, though in familiar romantic style, is very fresh-sounding to contemporary ears.
Press Commentary
BBC Music Magazine: Performance: *** Sound: *** Nai-Yuan Hu is an awesomely capable performer whose technical facility, musical intelligence and unfaltering verve place him among the higher echelons of today’s string virtuosi. That he has elected, moreover, to record two pitifully neglected Romantic masterworks distances him from a generation of violinistic super-clones, content to rehash perfunctory, off-the-shelf Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Paganini…. Bruch’s Second Violin Concerto receives a performance of sufficient charisma, accomplishment and passion to finally win the piece the attention it surely deserves. A triumphant CD debut for Nai-Yuan Hu – Bravo!
Washington Post: Though seldom heard in concert these days, [these] are fine examples of late Romantic style: melodious, technically demanding and rich in emotion. They are played with panache by the Taiwanese violinist Nai-Yuan Hu (winner of the prestigious Queen Elizabeth competition)…. And there’s a worthwhile innovation in the booklet that comes with this CD: Young People’s Notes, which are written without the pretentious jargon dear to music critics, printed in larger type and illustrated with pictures of the soloist as a child prodigy.
Stereo Review: Performance: Sumptuous Recording: Full-blooded
Classic CD: Performance: ** Sound: ** His is clearly a name to watch out for.
The Strad: Two concertos…on their way to a golden revival thanks to beautiful renditions by Nai-Yuan Hu…. Hu can spin long phrases with slight colouristic variations reminiscent of the late Josef Gingold… a musical partnership worth investing in
Karl Goldmark: Violin Concerto [35:48]
I. Allegro Moderato (15:04)
II. Air: Andante (6:18)
III. Moderato; Allegretto (14:26)
Max Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 2 [24:35]
I. Adagio ma non troppo (11:34)
II. Recitative: Allegro moderato; Allegro (3:46)
III. Finale: Allegro molto (9:15)
