Paris (Chausson, Prokofiev, Rautavaara)

Hilary Hahn, Philharmonique de Radio France, Mikko Franck

Released on 2021-03-05 by Deutsche Grammophon (DG)
Main artists: Hilary Hahn Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France Mikko Franck
Genre: Classical
Distinctions: Gramophone: Recording of the Month

Digital booklet

Available in

24-Bit/48 kHz Stereo

Unlimited Streaming

Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps

Start my trial period and start listening to this album

Enjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription

Digital Download

Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.

No one would guess it from its flowery cover photo. But Hilary Hahn's opus 'Paris' takes us into the heart of three of the most extraordinarily moving moments written for the violin between the end of the 19th century and the early years of this century. Einojuhani Rautavaara's Two Serenades, were written in 2015 and 2016 for the American violinist. They are splendid, and exalt her origins, enhanced by memories of impressionist music and the mark of the inescapable Shostakovich – the latter from the first violin theme. The work is often reminiscent of Barber and Vaughan Williams, as if the Finnish composer had immersed himself in his patron's recordings of Barber's Concerto (Sony Classical) and the Briton's Lark Ascending (Deutsche Grammophon). In the first of the two pieces, Serenade to my Love, Rautavaara best captures the particularities of Hilary Hahn's sonority, more dark than radiant, warm in the mediums, never quite bright. A great connoisseur of his compatriot's music, Mikko Franck conducts these two pages with élan. In his hands the orchestral writing resembles shimmering garlands: there is often a hint of melancholy, a fully Finnish feeling, especially in its more dour aspects. Interiority rather than brilliance is also the hallmark of this performance of Prokofiev's First Concerto (1916-1917). From an equally luminous perspective, Lisa Batiashvili's violin, for example, (with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Deutsche Grammophon 2018) seemed more radiant, and varied in accentuation, at the risk of sounding slightly lurid at times. In 2009, for his first album, released by EMI Classics, Vilde Frang had proposed an exciting recording. It is magical, with a ghostly spirit and lunar poetry. Here, with the perhaps more unique tones of the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, Hilary Hahn offers a rather restrained expression. It is never distant, but rather melancholic! ... It is a pity, however, that this recording is only coming out just now. She has performed this work everywhere, and in a more luminous and superlative style (Lorin Maazel, with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra). Finally, Chausson's Poem remains more convincing. It is performance as prayer. © Pierre-Yves Lascar/Qobuz

More info

Paris (Chausson, Prokofiev, Rautavaara)

Hilary Hahn

You are currently listening to samples.

Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.

From CA$ 10.83/month

Poème for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 25

00:17:03

Ernest Chausson, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestra, MainArtist - Hilary Hahn, Violin, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Cyril Becue, Balance Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Andreas Meyer, Mixer, Editor, Balance Engineer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Philip Traugott, Producer - Mikko Franck, Conductor, MainArtist - Jennifer Nulsen, Editor, StudioPersonnel - Lucas Dérode, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Inès de Bruyn, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel

℗ 2021 Hilary Hahn

Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19 (Sergei Prokofiev)

I. Andantino. Andante assai