Gypsy
Gypsy
Lara St. John often displays her anatomy on her CD covers, but she has more to offer than that. In this entertaining collection, she plays freely and on a very large scale, just what gypsy music requires. It may not take much intellect to play Waxman's Carmen Fantasy (I like Sarasate's better, anyway). But it does take intellect, and lots more, to play Bartók's Second Rhapsody as convincingly as she does here, with the very assertive collaboration of Ilan Rechtman. St. John doesn't make the difficulties of Ravel and Sarasate sound easy, but both musicians play with such flair it doesn't matter. Rechtman's gypsy arrangements are goofy and enjoyable. Wide-range sound. --Leslie Gerber
TRACK LISTING:
1. CARMEN FANTASY FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA(11:33)
2. VARIATIONS ON "DARK EYES" (OCCHI CHORNYE), FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO(6:58)
3. RHAPSODY FOR VIOLIN & PIANO NO. 2, SZ. 89, BB96A(11:46)
4. LA GITANA FOR VIOLIN & PIANO(AFTER AN 18TH CENTURY ARABO-SPANISH GYPSY SONG) (3:12)
5. ZIGEUNERWEISEN, FOR VIOLIN & PIANO(OR ORCHESTRA) ("GYPSY AIRS"), OP. 20 (8:18)
6. GYPSY NOCTURNE(5:10)
7. TZIGANE, RHAPSODIE DE CONCERT, FOR VIOLIN & PIANO(OR ORCHESTRA) (10:24)
8. CZARDAS CAPRICE(10:06)
"The selections on this CD are, for the most part, familiar classical compositions. On "Carmen" Fantasie (Franz Waxman), and Variations on Dark Eyes (Ilan Rechtman), tracks one and two respectively, Ms. St. John's violin sings and cries with so much feeling that I sat fixated, listening to each note as it gently lingered in the air of the recording venue long past the moment at which it was played. Track seven, Ravel's Tzigane, is as exquisitely performed as track nine, Czardas Caprice (Ilan Rechtman). Both of these pieces are full of the gypsy spirit. Throughout this recording pianist/composer Ilan Rechtmen accompanies Ms. St. John with a beautiful, sensitive and complimentary piano."