Sarasate: Music for Violin and Orchestra, Vol. 3 Tianwa Yang

• 1Concert Fantasy on Mozart's Die Zauberflote, Op. 5413:02
• 2Navarra, Op. 3306:26
• 3Muiniera, Op. 3209:54
• 4Nouvelle fantaisie sur Faust de Gounod, Op. 1312:00
• 5Barcarolle venitienne, Op. 46 (version for violin and orchestra)09:51
• 6Introduction et caprice-jota, Op. 4107:15
• Total Runtime58:28

Info for Sarasate: Music for Violin and Orchestra, Vol. 3

Acclaimed as ‘an uncommonly brilliant young violinist’ Tianwa Yang continues her highly praised survey of Pablo de Sarasate’s music for violin and orchestra. His Magic Flute Fantasy is a masterpiece of the genre à la Paganini, while the Gounod Fantasy (his second) is a miracle of lightness. The highly popular Navarra, the charming Muiñiera with its bagpipe effects, the bewitching Venetian Barcarolle and the Introduction et Caprice-Jota with its barcarolle-like beginning and dancing finale coming thrillingly to life on this album.

„It’s really a crime that you’ll almost never encounter this music at so-called “serious” symphonic concerts. If you put together the last three numbers on this recording—the “Faust” Fantasy, Barcarolle, and Caprice-Jota—you have a perfect, concerto-length triptych in fast, slow, fast form. It would be a spectacular, audience-pleasing showcase for the soloist, and I have no doubt that Ms Yang would enjoy taking it on tour. The problem today is that orchestras and (especially) conductors are so shy of learning “new” music, and concert promoters are so terrified of anything that’s not the same old stuff, that creative programming is practically impossible with major, well-established (meaning the best) orchestras.

Happily we can enjoy the music on disc. As in previous releases in this series, Tianwa Yang plays marvelously, fearlessly, and with great freshness and verve. Her technique is impeccable—note the immaculately-tuned harmonics in the Caprice-Jota, or her nicely grainy, “primal” drone-bass timbre at the start of Muiñeiras. She’s a joy to listen to, and Ernest Izquierdo’s accompaniments have all the poetry and shameless gusto that’s necessary to convince us that we’re listening to music of real quality, never mind the flash. Naxos’ sonics offer ideal balances, and flatter both soloist and orchestra. Few projects in recent days have proven themselves more lovable than this series.“ (David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com)

Tianwa Yang, violin
Navarre Symphony Orchestra
Ernest Martínez Izquierdo, conductor

Tianwa Yang
called “an unquestioned master of the violin” (American Record Guide) who “rises above her competition” (Fanfare), Tianwa Yang has quickly established herself as a leading international performer and recording artist. The young violinist, a resident of Germany and heralded by the Detroit News as “the most important violinist to come on the scene in many a year,” has debuted with such major orchestras as the Detroit, Seattle, Baltimore, Nashville, Kansas City and New Zealand Symphonies, in addition to the MDR-Sinfonieorchester-Leipzig, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Orchestre National d’Île de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, and the Hong Kong, Buffalo, BBC, Deutsche Radio, Warsaw and Royal Liverpool Philharmonics. Ms. Yang has performed under the baton of renowned conductors Marc Albrecht, Andreas Delfs, JoAnn Falletta, Giancarlo Guerrero , Günther Herbig, Yoel Levi, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Gerard Schwarz, Vassily Sinaisky amongst others. Other international engagements include those at the Ravinia Festival, Virginia’s Arts Festival, London’s Wigmore Hall, Paris’ Salle Pleyel and Leipzig’s Gewandhaus. Ms. Yang has also given live concert broadcasts from the Schwetzingen Festival, broadcast by the SWR Stuttgart, from the Berlin Philharmonic Hall, broadcast by Deutschlandradio, and from the Montpellier Festival, broadcast by Radio France.

As a critically acclaimed recording artist for Naxos, Ms. Yang will soon expand her discography with the release of the complete Solo Sonatas by Eugene Ysaye. Of her previously released recordings of Pablo de Sarasate’s complete works for violin, David Hurwitz of Classics Today calls Ms. Yang a “sensationally talented violinist,” while All Things Strings speaks of her “stunning effortless virtuosity” and “uncanny affinity for Spanish music.” Ms. Yang most recent releases are both Mendelssohn Violin Concertos and the works for violin and piano by Wolfgang Rihm. She has also has also recorded Piazzolla’s Las 4 Estaciones Porteñas with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and the Vivaldi/Piazzolla Eight Seasons performed with her own ensemble. The remaining two albums from the eight disc set of complete Sarasate works for violin are due for release during this season.

During the 2012-2013 season, Ms. Yang continues to build her growing reputation in concert halls across Europe, Australasia and North America. She has given debut performances in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and New York on tour with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and will debut with the Pacific and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras returning to many of the symphony and recital centers of the world.

Raised in the Chinese capital city, Ms. Yang began studying violin at the age of four. Demonstrating unquestionable ability, Ms. Yang won six competitions as a young child. At the age of ten she was accepted to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing as a student of Lin Yaoji. Within one year, Hong Kong media described the young artist as “A Pride of China.” Ms. Yang recorded the 24 Paganini Caprices at the age of thirteen, making her the youngest artist to release the works. In 2003 Ms. Yang was awarded a scholarship by the German Academic Exchange Service to study chamber music in Germany, marking the beginning of her European career.

Ms. Yang has won several awards during her career including the Volkswagen Foundation prize “Star of Tomorrow” by Seiji Ozawa and the 2006 “Prix Montblanc.” She holds a place on teaching faculty of the Music Academy of Kassel, Germany and is grateful to Lin Yaoji, Jörg-Wolfgang Jahn and Anner Bylsma for the musical insight and support they have offered throughout her career.

Booklet for Sarasate: Music for Violin and Orchestra, Vol. 3