Russian Violin Concertos Julia Fischer, Russian National Orchestra & Yakov Kreizberg

• Aram Khachaturian (1903 - 1978): Violin Concerto in D Minor:
• 1Khachaturian: Violin Concerto in D Minor: I. Allegro con fermezza14:56
• 2Khachaturian: Violin Concerto in D Minor: II. Andante sostenuto12:31
• 3Khachaturian: Violin Concerto in D Minor: III. Allegro vivace09:19
• Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19:
• 4Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19: I. Andantino - Andante assai10:08
• 5Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19: II. Moderato - Allegro moderato - Piu tranquillo03:39
• 6Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19: III. Moderato - Allegro moderato - Piu tranquillo08:18
• Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 82:
• 7Glazunov: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 82: I. Moderato04:19
• 8Glazunov: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 82: II. Andante10:29
• 9Glazunov: Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 82: III. Allegro05:40
• Total Runtime01:19:19

Info for Russian Violin Concertos

This remarkable album marks the recording debut of German violinist Julia Fischer as well as the beginning of her extraordinary partnership with Russian-born conductor Yakov Kreizberg, which would result in numerous PENTATONE releases before the conductor’s untimely death in 2011. Together they tackle three Russian violin concertos which have been tragically overlooked, shedding new light on these masterpieces.

Fischer recalls first becoming enthralled with Khachaturian’s violin concerto at the age of 11, stating “I noticed straight away how impressive this work could be, and since then I have striven to establish it as a part of the standard violin repertoire.” The addition of Yakov Kreizberg and the the Russian National Orchestra, one of the premier ensembles to rise from the ashes of the Soviet Union, provided the perfect opportunity to showcase Russian repertoire.

The best-known work on the album is Serge Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1, a tour de force which features Prokofiev’s satirical tendencies and lyrical talents in equal parts. Rounding out the selection is Alexander Glazunov’s Violin Concerto in A minor, a triumph of Russian Romanticism which Fischer clearly relishes in this performance, declaring that the work was “absolutely delightful and rewarding for the instrument.”

The maturity of the repertoire selection, superb audio quality and delightful interplay between soloist, conductor and orchestra all contribute to a truly stunning debut album. The violin concertos of Khachaturian, Prokofiev and Glazunov are preserved in timeless beauty, providing a testament to the masterful artistry of Yakov Kreizberg, the Russian National Orchestra and a very precocious Julia Fischer.

"As Julia Fischer explains in the booklet-notes to this, her first CD, she has an abiding love of the Khachaturian Concerto, a work she found impossible to sell to concert-promoters. The freshness of her way with the Khachaturian is immediately striking in the chattering figuration of the opening, and she brings a rare tenderness to the lyrical second subject. The orchestral sound is impressive, too. Though Itzhak Perlman and Lydia Mordkovitch produce a beefier sound, the refinement of Fischer's performance makes it equally compelling. This concerto has claims to be the composer's finest work, claims which the yearning tenderness of the slow movement support.

The clarity of Fischer's performance in the finale brings lightness and sparkle. In the Glazunov, too, it's the clarity and subtlety of Fischer's playing that marks out her reading. She finds the tenderness of the slow middle section of this one-movement work, and gives an easy swing to the bouncy rhythms of the final section. In the Prokofiev she takes a meditative view of the wistful melodies, the element, she says, that most attracts her, even if she does not quite reach the depths of Kyung-Wha Chung's version. A unique coupling, superbly recorded, that could hardly be more recommendable." (Gramophone Classical Music Guide)

"...could hardly be more recommendable, with warmly compelling performances from the brilliant young German virtuoso, superbly recorded in full, bright, clear sound...The clarity and freshness of her performance are what immediately strike home" (Penguin Guide)

Julia Fischer, violin
Russian National Orchestra
Yakov Kreizberg, conductor

Julia Fischer
One of the world’s leading violinists, Julia Fischer is a versatile musician also known for her extraordinary abilities as a concert pianist, a chamber musician and a violin teacher. Born in Munich to German-Slovakian parents, Julia received her first violin lessons at the age of 3 and her first piano lessons shortly after from her mother, Viera Fischer. At the age of 9 she started studying with the renowned violin professor Ana Chumachenco, later becoming her successor at the University of Munich. The first prize at the international Yehudi Menuhin Competition in 1995 was one of the milestones in her early career and she has since performed with top orchestras worldwide, frequently working with renowned conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Alan Gilbert, Jakub Hrůša, Vladimir Jurowski, Juanjo Mena, Riccardo Muti, Vasily Petrenko, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Thomas Søndergård, Yuri Temirkanov, Michael Tilson-Thomas, and Franz Welser-Möst.

During the 2022-23 season, Julia Fischer serves as Artist in Residence of the Staatskapelle Dresden, embarking on a tour under Christian Thielemann as well as performing a solo recital and chamber music with members of the orchestra. This season also sees her working twice with Riccardo Muti, firstly with the Orchestre National de France in October, then with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in February. She celebrates twenty years of collaborating with the cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, performing the Brahms Double Concerto with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Juanjo Mena, before returning to the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, also with Juanjo Mena, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana with Markus Poschner and the Warsaw Philharmonic led by Andrey Boreyko. Julia Fischer continues her collaboration with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and in the summer she returns to the Schubertiade to make chamber music and joins the EU Youth Orchestra and Antonio Pappano on a tour of Europe.

The 2021-22 season highlights included Julia Fischer as Artist in Residence with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, an extensive European tour with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields marking 20 years since their first tour together, and a recital tour of major European venues with pianist Yulianna Avdeeva as well as with the Julia Fischer Quartet.

Julia Fischer is an enthusiastic chamber musician. In 2010 she founded her own Quartet with Alexander Sitkovetsky, Nils Mönkemeyer and Benjamin Nyffenegger and continues to tour extensively in this formation. Her concert at the Alte Oper Frankfurt in 2010 marked her debut as a pianist: she performed the Grieg Piano Concerto in the second half of the concert, having played Saint-Saëns’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in the first half. The performance is available on a Decca-released DVD. Teaching is another integral part of her musical life as she continues to nurture and guide young talent including performances alongside her students. She regularly gives masterclasses at Musikferien at Lake Starnberg (Starnberger See). In 2019, Julia Fischer founded a children’s orchestra, the Kindersinfoniker, teaming up with Johannes X. Schachtner and pianist Henri Bonamy in her home town of Munich.

Julia Fischer holds numerous awards including the Federal Cross of Merit, Gramophone Award and the German Culture Prize. She plays a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (1742) as well as an instrument made by Philipp Augustin (2018).

Booklet for Russian Violin Concertos