Rosanne Philippens reviews
Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 1; Enescu: Octet for Strings in C
Vilde Frang; with Erik Schumann, Gabriel Le Magadure, Rosanne Philippens et al; Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France/Mikko Franck (Warner Classics)
A 'satisfying and unusual' recording of violin works by Prokofiev
Quite a double whammy, this. Not only is the programme as a whole both satisfying and unusual, but also Rosanne Philippens’s startling partnership with the excellent St Gallen Symphony Orchestra and Otto Tausk puts her Prokofiev Second Violin Concerto right at the top of the many recent recordings – her (Dutch) compatriot Janine Jansen’s included. This most natural of concerto recordings was made in St Gallen’s Tonhalle, which must be very fine on this evidence.