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SKOWRONSKI PLAYS! AVEC et SANS
Ernest Bloch: NIGUN
Carl Engel: SEA SHELL, to a poem by Amy Lowell
Arthur Honegger: SONATINE pour deux violons (1920)
--Skowronski and Hughes, violins
Darius Milhaud: DUO pour deux violons (1945)
Karol Szymanowski: TANIEC z 'HARNASIOW'
Karol Szymanowski: SONATA in D MINOR, Opus 9
TOP TEN BEST CLASSICAL CDs OF 2006! “As the recording industry continues its inexorable march into cyberspace, 2006 still was a very good year for traditional classical CDs.”
“VINCENT P. SKOWRONSKI --master teacher and concert violinist-- continues to mine musical gems from his lengthy and distinguished recital career. Here we have important performances (particularly of the Szymanowski Sonata in D Minor that are magnificently brought to life by Mr. Skowronski and his colleagues. Kudos to each and every artist involved as these players bring joy to your ears. Simply put, this is a recording of exceptional merit.”
“VINCENT SKOWRONSKI provides us with a performance of the Szymanowski SONATA that is wonderfully played. I love his self-indulgence, the portamentos, the tremendous panache.....the way this kind of music should be played,”
“I agree with you, Martin, ---this is a wonderful performance of the sonata by Mr. Skowronski,.....and beautifully recorded.”
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“Skowronski clearly is one of the best violinists in America.”
“Carl Engel’s Sea Shell is a charming piece of late romantic fluff, and Skowronski plays it with the kind of commitment and concentration that such music needs to come off. Honegger’s Sonatine for Two Violins (1920) is a brief, charming work though occasionally marred
Szymanowski’s Dance opens with a plaintive Lento molto tranquillo section with lovely impressionist harmonies in the piano that is followed by a boisterous Vivace assai section. The Sonata in D Minor is a very accomplished work. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it before, and it is so good. Noble melodies flow through I; II is a sweet Romanza with a playful, pizzicato middle section; and III is a virile Allegro molto, quasi presto. Skowronski doesn’t make a single misstep in his countryman’s music, giving each movement just the right shape.”
“On a good day, Skowronski is clearly one of the best violinists in the country.
I strongly recommend this recording for the works by Bloch and Szymanowski,
and it’s nice to have some recorded examples of the Honegger and Milhaud duets. He plays a rich-toned Giuseppe Guarneri filius Andrea violin of 1717.”
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“This CD is an antidote to perfunctory, antiseptic and self-regarding violin playing.
VINCENT P. SKOWRONSKI performs with an intensity that places him among those artists who invariably put music first, plunging into scores with an abandon that cannot fail to take hold of an individual's imagination. Relying on his rare GIUSEPPE
GUARNERI filius Andrea (circa 1717) whose vibrant sound is well-matched to its master’s strengths, Mr. Skowronski rewards the listener in ways not even understood by many more famous violinists.”
“First is a searing reading of NIGUN, the Improvisation from Ernest Bloch’s Suite,
Baal Shem. The Hassidic themes are voiced by the violinist with fire and a boldly
lavish tone. His liberal use of portamento and portando lends definition to the piece while abetted by the artist’s firmly-controlled vibrato. There are some vagaries with intonation here and there, but these are well-compensated for by the authority of Skowronski’s execution.”
“By contrast to the Bloch, Carl Engel’s SEA SHELL is done with gossamer delicacy, with some enchanting tapering at phrase endings. Featured next is Arthur Honegger’s SONATINE for Two Solo Violins followed by Darius Milhaud’s DUO for Two Solo Violins -- Skowronski being wonderfully assisted here by the most able Ms. Katherine Hughes. The Honegger strikes one as being a bit severe, but it does showcase a striking Andantino and is fastidiously composed. The Milhaud, on the other hand, is a work of considerable charm and benefits from a bright-eyed, animated presentation from both artists.”
“Most significant on this disc are the two compositions by Polish composer
Karol Szymanowski. His TANIEC z HARNASIOW (Dance of the Mountaineers) and SONATA in D MINOR (1904) are tremendous; each work receives a terrific presentation. The two-movement arrangement of the Dance (drawn from the composer’s opera/ballet Harnasiow) is breathtakingly atmospheric and masterfully handled by Skowronski and pianist Ms. Saori Chiba, who previously lent her most attentive support and panache in the Bloch and Engel.
The Szymanowski Sonata is the recipient of an excellent transfer to CD from an earlier LP, and beautifully retains Skowronski’s and pianist Donald Isaak’s still so powerful, so exquisitely-shaded and so meticulously crafted reading of the work. That Skowronski and Isaak are utterly one during the sonata’s offering is most apparent. And this, of course, makes the listener feel as if Szymanowski’s intent with the sonata has been completely realized. YES! Definitely recommended.” ----(EE) Northeast Wisconsin Music Review, Vol. 4, number 5
Review by Ross Anthony, HollywoodReportCard.com In general, the performances are wonderful, so these comments really refer to my subjective remarks regarding the compositions.
Nigun by Ernest Bloch
Sea Shell by Carl Engel
Sonatine pour deux violons by Honegger
Duo pour deux violons by Milhaud
Taniec z 'Harnasiow' by Szymanowski
Sonata in D minor by Szymanowski Disclaimer: (Some years ago I worked with Vincent Skowronski, and these days, I'm honored to count him among my friends.)
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