Wieniawski - Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2; Faust Fantasy

 Henryk WIENIAWSKI (1835-1880) 

Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 

Faust Fantasy

Marat Bisengaliev (Violin)

National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Antoni Wit 

Henryk Wieniawski was born in Poland in 1835 and became one of the great prodigies making his concerto debut in St Petersburg at the age of thirteen. He subsequently lived in France before taking up the appointment as solo violinist to the Czar of Russia and teacher at the St Petersburg Conservatoire.

He was to write just two violin concertos, both of which are included in this stunning new recording with the virtuoso Kazakhstan violinist, Marat Bisengaliev, as soloist.

The disc is completed by one of the great showpieces for violin, the Fantaisie brillante on themes from Gounod's 'Faust', a work which only the very greatest virtuoso players would even begin to attempt. Here it is given a performance of the utmost brilliance and panache with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in fine form as his 'backing group'.

Penguin Guide, January 2009

Antoni Wit handles the long opening ritornello of the F sharp minor Concerto most impressively, and Marat Bisengaliev proves a natural, understanding soloist in both concertos, playing slow movements with warmly romantic feeling and sparkling with brilliance in the display passages and especially in the finales. The Faust Variations make a substantial (19 minute) and attractively tuneful bonus. Marat Bisengaliev has a fairly small, but sweet and beautifully focused tone; he is balanced naturally in relation to the orchestra, and both are very well recorded in the Polish Radio Concerto Hall, which has an attractively warm acoustic.