Edward Grieg
Violin Sonatas
Edward Grieg
Violin Sonatas
Released: 1995
Label: Kontrapunkt
"Nikolay Madoyan, on the other hand, understands Grieg marvelously well and his efforts make for a salutary comparison. Here, the somewhat rudimentary early sonatas truly live and breathe. His direct delivery, sympathetic but by no means coy, and the lusty way he dispatches decorative and dramatic passages testify to a thorough grasp of the composer's exuberant simplicity so that the end result sounds both wholesome and organic.
Madoyan has the mellifluousness of tone and the well-honed cantabile quality to bring off youthful pleasantries and… does wonders with the Allegro con brio of Sonata no. 1. The Minuet is brisk but plaintive and in the rustic jollities of the middle section he exhibits just the right kind of earthiness, while there is a breezy sense of purpose about the Allegro molto vivace."
The opening bars of the G major Sonata constitute a definite high spot. Madoyan cuts decisively into the piano chords and then, in providing the sweetest of answers, succeeds in avoiding any hint of sickliness –this music has a faded, MacDowell-like quality if improperly handled. Later, the clarity of dotted rhythms and a delightfully caressing second subject prove especially noteworthy. Nevertheless, it is the Third Sonata which most comprehensively highlights his brilliance and which makes this disc a must. The opening movement pulsates with naked aggression; Madoyan even manages to sustain adrenalin in secondary material without sacrificing the requisite sense of repose. The veiled tone deployed in the Allegretto is hugely appropriate, and to cap proceedings, there is a finale during which energy, initially suppressed, is duly unleashed to establish an atmosphere of virtual abandon."
Jeffrey Joseph
The Strad
"Among the several new recordings, this one from Kontrapunkt is special. Armenian born violinist Nikolai Madojan tempers his accomplished Russian training with a sweetness of approach which harks back to the elegance of Kreisler and Elman. Madojan also has the advantage of the excellent Danish pianist Elisabeth Westenholz for a perfect partnership."
InTune
Label: Kontrapunkt
"Nikolay Madoyan, on the other hand, understands Grieg marvelously well and his efforts make for a salutary comparison. Here, the somewhat rudimentary early sonatas truly live and breathe. His direct delivery, sympathetic but by no means coy, and the lusty way he dispatches decorative and dramatic passages testify to a thorough grasp of the composer's exuberant simplicity so that the end result sounds both wholesome and organic.
Madoyan has the mellifluousness of tone and the well-honed cantabile quality to bring off youthful pleasantries and… does wonders with the Allegro con brio of Sonata no. 1. The Minuet is brisk but plaintive and in the rustic jollities of the middle section he exhibits just the right kind of earthiness, while there is a breezy sense of purpose about the Allegro molto vivace."
The opening bars of the G major Sonata constitute a definite high spot. Madoyan cuts decisively into the piano chords and then, in providing the sweetest of answers, succeeds in avoiding any hint of sickliness –this music has a faded, MacDowell-like quality if improperly handled. Later, the clarity of dotted rhythms and a delightfully caressing second subject prove especially noteworthy. Nevertheless, it is the Third Sonata which most comprehensively highlights his brilliance and which makes this disc a must. The opening movement pulsates with naked aggression; Madoyan even manages to sustain adrenalin in secondary material without sacrificing the requisite sense of repose. The veiled tone deployed in the Allegretto is hugely appropriate, and to cap proceedings, there is a finale during which energy, initially suppressed, is duly unleashed to establish an atmosphere of virtual abandon."
Jeffrey Joseph
The Strad
"Among the several new recordings, this one from Kontrapunkt is special. Armenian born violinist Nikolai Madojan tempers his accomplished Russian training with a sweetness of approach which harks back to the elegance of Kreisler and Elman. Madojan also has the advantage of the excellent Danish pianist Elisabeth Westenholz for a perfect partnership."
InTune
Released: 1995
Label: Kontrapunkt
"Nikolay Madoyan, on the other hand, understands Grieg marvelously well and his efforts make for a salutary comparison. Here, the somewhat rudimentary early sonatas truly live and breathe. His direct delivery, sympathetic but by no means coy, and the lusty way he dispatches decorative and dramatic passages testify to a thorough grasp of the composer's exuberant simplicity so that the end result sounds both wholesome and organic.
Madoyan has the mellifluousness of tone and the well-honed cantabile quality to bring off youthful pleasantries and… does wonders with the Allegro con brio of Sonata no. 1. The Minuet is brisk but plaintive and in the rustic jollities of the middle section he exhibits just the right kind of earthiness, while there is a breezy sense of purpose about the Allegro molto vivace."
The opening bars of the G major Sonata constitute a definite high spot. Madoyan cuts decisively into the piano chords and then, in providing the sweetest of answers, succeeds in avoiding any hint of sickliness –this music has a faded, MacDowell-like quality if improperly handled. Later, the clarity of dotted rhythms and a delightfully caressing second subject prove especially noteworthy. Nevertheless, it is the Third Sonata which most comprehensively highlights his brilliance and which makes this disc a must. The opening movement pulsates with naked aggression; Madoyan even manages to sustain adrenalin in secondary material without sacrificing the requisite sense of repose. The veiled tone deployed in the Allegretto is hugely appropriate, and to cap proceedings, there is a finale during which energy, initially suppressed, is duly unleashed to establish an atmosphere of virtual abandon."
Jeffrey Joseph
The Strad
"Among the several new recordings, this one from Kontrapunkt is special. Armenian born violinist Nikolai Madojan tempers his accomplished Russian training with a sweetness of approach which harks back to the elegance of Kreisler and Elman. Madojan also has the advantage of the excellent Danish pianist Elisabeth Westenholz for a perfect partnership."
InTune
Label: Kontrapunkt
"Nikolay Madoyan, on the other hand, understands Grieg marvelously well and his efforts make for a salutary comparison. Here, the somewhat rudimentary early sonatas truly live and breathe. His direct delivery, sympathetic but by no means coy, and the lusty way he dispatches decorative and dramatic passages testify to a thorough grasp of the composer's exuberant simplicity so that the end result sounds both wholesome and organic.
Madoyan has the mellifluousness of tone and the well-honed cantabile quality to bring off youthful pleasantries and… does wonders with the Allegro con brio of Sonata no. 1. The Minuet is brisk but plaintive and in the rustic jollities of the middle section he exhibits just the right kind of earthiness, while there is a breezy sense of purpose about the Allegro molto vivace."
The opening bars of the G major Sonata constitute a definite high spot. Madoyan cuts decisively into the piano chords and then, in providing the sweetest of answers, succeeds in avoiding any hint of sickliness –this music has a faded, MacDowell-like quality if improperly handled. Later, the clarity of dotted rhythms and a delightfully caressing second subject prove especially noteworthy. Nevertheless, it is the Third Sonata which most comprehensively highlights his brilliance and which makes this disc a must. The opening movement pulsates with naked aggression; Madoyan even manages to sustain adrenalin in secondary material without sacrificing the requisite sense of repose. The veiled tone deployed in the Allegretto is hugely appropriate, and to cap proceedings, there is a finale during which energy, initially suppressed, is duly unleashed to establish an atmosphere of virtual abandon."
Jeffrey Joseph
The Strad
"Among the several new recordings, this one from Kontrapunkt is special. Armenian born violinist Nikolai Madojan tempers his accomplished Russian training with a sweetness of approach which harks back to the elegance of Kreisler and Elman. Madojan also has the advantage of the excellent Danish pianist Elisabeth Westenholz for a perfect partnership."
InTune
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Sergey Prokofiev