COMPOSERS: Stojowski,Wieniawski
LABELS: Hyperion
ALBUM TITLE: Stojowski * Wieniawski
WORKS: Violin Concerto; Romanze; Fantaisie brillante sur des motifs de l’opéra Faust de Gounod
PERFORMER: Bartłomiej Nizioł (violin); BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Lukasz Borowicz
CATALOGUE NO: CDA 68102
Composed around the turn of the 20th century, Stojowski’s Violin Concerto is beautifully written for the instrument and effectively orchestrated, if lacking in melodic distinction. Bruch, Saint-Saëns, Wieniawski and, as Nigel Simeone points out in his excellent booklet notes, even a pre-echo of Elgar all go into the melting pot. Yet in Bartłomiej Nizioł’s skilled hands it emerges as a thoroughly beguiling work.
Nizio possesses an ideal silvery sound for this late-Romantic work, enhanced by gently cushioned bow-strokes, ear-ringingly true intonation and a fast and narrow vibrato that gives his cantabile playing a captivating eloquence. Nizio’s fellow Polish compatriot ukasz Borowicz supports him all of the way and the BBC Scottish Symphony plays beautifully throughout. To finish, we get Wieniawski’s at times fiendishly difficult Faust blockbuster, whose left- and right-hand acrobatics Nizio negotiates with seemingly nonchalant ease.
Julian Haylock
