Brahms: The Violin Sonatas

2013年9月曾来台演出并造成轰动的希腊小提琴家卡瓦科斯，被《每日电子报》（Daily Mail）誉为「非比寻常」的小提琴家，而《每日电报》（Daily Telegraph）则称其：「技巧无懈可击，音色甜美」。继好评不断的勃拉姆斯小提琴协奏曲录音（夏伊指挥）之后，卡瓦科斯接着再与王羽佳这位钢琴巨星联袂录制勃拉姆斯三首小提琴奏鸣曲。 此为卡瓦科斯为笛卡公司录制的第三份录音，过去几年，勃拉姆斯的作品一直是他演奏的重心。搭档王羽佳则是上一届留声机杂志年度年轻艺人奖得主；《The Guardian》赞誉其乃「惊世天才，神乎其技」。两人都是勃拉姆斯迷，2013年在Verbier音乐节的合作，为乐迷津津乐道，Medici频道曾实况转播，欧洲各主要城市近期将可陆续亲炙两人现身演奏布氏的小提琴奏鸣曲。 勃拉姆斯是个精凋细琢的创作者，深邃细腻的内涵在这三首奏鸣曲里一览无疑，全都是勃拉姆斯为他的小提琴家好友、也是他灵感泉源之一的姚阿幸所写。后者亦曾为布氏的协奏曲担纲首演，并贡献了装饰奏。专辑中的第一首诙谐曲，则是出自勃拉姆斯与友人舒曼及迪特里希，为姚阿幸合写的《F-A-E》奏鸣曲。 这首奏鸣曲之所以被称为《F-A-E》，是因以姚阿幸的座右铭「Frei aber einsam(自由而寂寞)」之德文字首做为音名，而以F-A-E（Fa-La-Mi）的动机做为各乐章基本构成要素而来。该曲的第一乐章由迪特里希创作，第二、四乐章由舒曼负责，第三乐章的诙谐曲由勃拉姆斯写作。这首奏鸣曲只有勃拉姆斯所写的第三乐章在1906年出版，并被独立演奏。 针对2013年出版的勃拉姆斯小提琴协奏曲，国外媒体给予无数好评： 许久不曾听闻比这阙录音更好的（勃拉姆斯）协奏曲版本了。」——Andrew Clements《The Guardian》（2013年10月） 「演奏彷彿一把细长剑般地犀利、轻巧，让人联想起艾萨克‧史坦澎湃汹涌、奔放而挥洒自如的风格。卡瓦科斯一副万人迷的姿态夺走了你全副的注意力。高超的技巧游刃有余如入无人之境。」——Julian Haylock，《Sinfini》（2013年10月） (博客来) Leonidas Kavakos, the “exceptional violinist” (Daily Mail) follows his spectacular Brahms Violin Concerto recording by teaming up with star pianist Yuja Wang – “a prodigious talent, with an astonishing technique” (The Guardian) for the great Brahms Violin Sonatas Leonidas Kavakos’s third release for Decca makes a perfect supplement to his acclaimed Brahms Violin Concerto disc with Chailly. ‘It’s a long time since there was a new version of this concerto as good as this.’ Andrew Clements, The Guardian (October 2013). ‘There is a rapier-like cut-and-thrust about this performance that recalls the surging adrenaline-charge of Isaac Stern in full flight, with Kavakos emerging as the swashbuckling hero of the hour, taking all technical obstacles in his stride with soaring abandonment.‘ Julian Haylock, Sinfini (October 2013). For the three sonatas Kavakos – an exclusive Decca artist – teams up with Wang, a former Gramophone Young Artist of the Year. Their partnership at the 2013 Verbier Festival was much talked about (and broadcast on Medici) and they will be touring these works in April to major European cities. The F-A-E Scherzo which Brahms contributed to a composite sonata (along with his friends Schumann and Dietrich) will be added as a bonus. The three violin sonatas were written for Brahms’s muse in all matters violin, Joseph Joachim, who also gave the premiere of the Violin Concerto and contributed its cadenzas.