Reviews | PORTFOLIO 2016-2018
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#5/2018 (FR) Recently, I expressed my hope for a recording of concert tapes by Pietro Scarpini, a piano genius too rarely featured on disc and ignored by major labels. As luck would have it, my wish has quickly been granted. Rhine Classics has compiled his entire Busoni legacy in a first album, adding to the Concerto with Kubelik, which I recently celebrated here, the release of the Sonatinas (including the irresistible one on Carmen), three Elegies, the Indian Journal, and two orchestral works: the rare Romanza e Scherzoso (conducted by Abbado!) and the ever-popular Indian Fantasy. Scarpini's transcendent virtuosity revives that of Busoni, but his brilliant intellect renders these pieces utterly modern. It will come as no surprise that this commitment to modernity extends to the final two discs of this first set, dedicated to rare works by Liszt! Malédiction, conducted once again by Abbado, has never been performed with such intensity. Nuages gris and a few rare Hungarian Folk Songs, excerpts from L’Arbre de Noël, and a host of late, somber pieces clearly demonstrate Liszt’s quest for modernity. An irresistible, essential performance. But this striking collection shouldn’t distract you from the slim Mozart box set that accompanies it: just two discs, but breathtaking in its physical commitment, its breadth of vision, its pianistic perfection, its stylistic rigor, and simply its sheer personality. The two concertos (the 25th with Rodzinski, invaluable, among other things, because Scarpini plays Busoni’s cadenza for the Allegro maestoso, and the 27th, divinely arranged by Vittorio Gui) are marvels of both fluidity and eloquence, with breathtaking phrasing and impeccable articulation. But the recording of the Sonatas, captured by excellent microphones at his home piano in 1974 and 1975, is even more surprising: the concentration of the Sonata K. 457, the imagination he brings to its dramatization, blew me away, as did the masterful interpretation of the Sonata K. 332, a work of classicism whose veneer is always on the verge of cracking. From another session, the Rondo K. 485 flows by, playful and engaging, while the Adagio in B minor suspends time. At the very end, two versions of the Orgelstück K. 616, a delightful and almost unsettling curiosity—just listen. The label has announced a third volume for January: 12 CDs. I'm certain 2019 is off to a great start. |
30 December 2018 | Jean-Charles Hoffelé | ARTAMAG' - Focus - Le disque du jour | #4/2018 (USA)  5☆☆☆☆☆ | 26 December 2018 | Gary Lemco | Audiophile Audition | Sergio Fiorentino - live in Taiwan 1998Taken from the private collection of Italian master-pianist Sergio Fiorentino, this restored recital from Taiwan’s Novel Hall captures the artist at the peak of his form in splendid sound, courtesy of Emilio Pessina. The resonance of Fiorentino’s Steinway proves stunning, especially profound in the Scriabin Sonata, whose liquid appeal to the senses mesmerizes and dazzles in its erotic figurations. But to single out any of the individual works provides an immediate disproportion to the holistic nature of the recital, whose emotional canvas vibrates on an equal plane with the intellectual, aesthetic and dramatic context that unfolds only months before Fiorentino’s untimely death. [...] After the torrent concludes, we know definitely why Michelangeli referred to Fiorentino as “the only other pianist.” |
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#3/2018 (USA) This evening’s program comes exclusively through the courtesy of the Rhine Classics label. |
#02/2018 (US)
  May/June 2018 | Jerry Dubin | FANFARE Magazine - Issue 41:5 | Jascha Heifetz: The Legendary Los Angeles Concerts
[...] Heifetz plays magnificently; I’ll give him that. In fact, on a purely technical level, though his interpretation hasn’t changed to any noticeable degree, I think he plays better in this 1954 performance than he does just a year later in his best-known recording of the work with Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Munch, however, seems to have let Heifetz take the lead, so that the Boston reading sounds more of a meeting of the minds between soloist and conductor than this one does with Mehta. [...]
In both this Los Angeles recording with Mehta and the Boston recording a year later with Munch, Heifetz uses the Auer-Heifetz cadenzas, but thanks to Mehta as a mediating influence where possible, the LA performance feels marginally slower and more relaxed than the Boston performance. Indeed, the more I listen to this LA reading of the piece, the more persuaded I am that it’s Heifetz’s best and most beautiful version of the Beethoven Concerto. [...]
Here’s where I’d be expected to say that the collection at hand is mainly for diehard Heifetz fans. With the exception of the Beethoven, however, I’m not sure I can recommend this even to the most dedicated Heifetz admirers, since nothing in these performances improves upon or differs in any significant way from other recordings of these works the violinist made in generally better sounding transfers and more readily available releases. If something could be done with the Beethoven —like suppressing the annoying cough and trimming the four minutes of applause down to four or five seconds— it might well be one of my top choices for a performance of the concerto. The LA orchestra sounds really great, and Mehta brings out some interesting patterns in the inner voices that I don’t believe I’ve ever heard before. [...]
The well-documented booklet contains a number of good quality black-and-white photos, along with a well-written, informative essay on Heifetz’s life and career.
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7 March 2018 | THE VIOLIN CHANNEL | GIVEAWAY Win 1 of 5
To help celebrate the international release, The Violin Channel is this week giving away 5 copies of ‘Jascha Heifetz: The Legendary Los Angeles Concerts’ double CD sets – courtesy of Rhine Classics.
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#21/2017 (FR) Si Aldo Ferraresi est de nos jours méconnu, il fut jadis considéré comme l’un des grands musiciens de son époque. Aujourd’hui, son héritage discographique nous est offert par un label nouvellement créé, Rhine Classics, dans le cadre de la série "L’Art du violon". |
Les Clefs d'or 2017 | 11 December 2017 | Maciej Chizynski | ResMusica | |
#20/2017 (UK) The metaphor about the two buses definitely applies here. Until this year I'd never heard of the violinist Wanda Luzzato, probably because she never made any commercial recordings. Then, in the space of two months, two sets of live airings come along, a double CD set and this more substantial 8 CD box from Rhine Classics. For violin aficionados like myself, this is a rare treat. Full Review» 2nd nomination | Jonathan Woolf (page 27) «Rhine Classics is a label devoted to rare and historic material and has made an excellent start to what looks like being a splendid stable of recordings. Wanda Luzzato is the subject of an 8-CD box made all the more valuable because the pupil of the great pedagogue Hubay never made a single studio recording. This lovingly presented box provides irrefutable of her status as one of Italy’s greatest string players. Full Review |
ROTY-2017 | December 2017 | MusicWeb International | | #19/2017 (IT)
Dal felice incontro d'intenti tra Gianluca La Villa, uno dei massimi competenti italiani di storia del violino e dei violinisti e l'etichetta Rhine Classics ed Emilio Pessina, autentico artista del remastering di preziosi documenti sonori altrimenti compromessi dalle ingiurie del tempo, è stato di recente presentato il primo di una serie di cofanetti [...] Questa meritoria raccolta nel suo numero d'esordio riunisce in 18CD tutte le incisioni esistenti del grande virtuoso italiano Aldo Ferraresi [...] capace di porsi su di una linea nient'affatto subalterna rispetto agli archetipi interpretativi definiti da colossi come Heifetz ed Oistrakh. From the happy meeting of intent between Gianluca La Villa, one of the greatest Italian experts on the history of the violin and violinists and the Rhine Classics label and Emilio Pessina, an authentic artist in the remastering of precious sound documents otherwise compromised by the ravages of time, the first of a series of box sets was recently presented [...] This meritorious collection in its debut issue brings together in 18 CDs all the existing recordings of the great Italian virtuoso Aldo Ferraresi [...] capable of placing himself on a line that is not at all subordinate to the interpretative archetypes defined by giants such as Heifetz and Oistrakh. [RP] |
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#18/2017 (IT) Questo splendido cofanetto si apre con una delle migliori interpretazioni di Wanda Luzzato, il Concerto per violino di Ciaikovski, suonato con l'Orchestra della RAI di Milano diretta da Efrem Kurtz il 25 marzo 1960. [...] Violinista dal suono possente, con le rotondità del suo splendido Guadagnini. [...] Tra tutte queste splendide incisioni svettano i "3 Canti" di Pizzetti, ma soprattutto "La Fontaine di Arethuse" (di Szymanowski) che dà modo alla violinista di far emergere il prorompente violinismo trascendentale, che si coniuga ad una sensibilissima musicalità [...] This splendid box set opens with one of Wanda Luzzato's finest performances, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, performed with the RAI Orchestra of Milan conducted by Efrem Kurtz on March 25, 1960. [...] A violinist with a powerful sound, with the roundness of her splendid Guadagnini. [...] Among all these splendid recordings, Pizzetti's "3 Canti" stand out, but above all "La Fontaine di Arethuse" (by Szymanowski), which allows the violinist to bring out her exuberant, transcendental violinism, combined with a highly sensitive musicality [...] [CB] |
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#17/2017 (FR) [...] Il suffit d'entendre la première phrase de la Sonate en ré mineur de Schumann pour réaliser quelle intense poésie habitait son jeu. Le sens donné aux phrasés force l'admiration, tant par la richesse de l'imagination que par cette art de faire "parler" les notes ... un peu alla Menuhin. [...] L'imposant coffret de Rhine Classics a l'avantage d'un généreux livret (pourvu d'une impressionante collection de photographies) et d'un panorama plus vaste sur l'art de cette violoniste italienne mêlant concertos, sonates et miniatures. En publiant des documents provenant de la propre collection de l'artiste, incluant des répétitions, des bandes radio et des enregistrements live, forcément disparates mais tous méticulesement restaurés, il représente une somme de travail qui, en ces temps de projets faciles ou bâclés, mérite le respect. [...] [...] One only needs to hear the first phrase of Schumann's Sonata in D minor to realize the intense poetry that permeated her playing. The meaning she gives to the phrasing commands admiration, both for the richness of her imagination and for her art of making the notes "speak"... somewhat reminiscent of Menuhin. [...] The impressive Rhine Classics box set has the advantage of a generous booklet (featuring an impressive collection of photographs) and a broader overview of the art of this Italian violinist, encompassing concertos, sonatas, and miniatures. By publishing materials from the artist's own collection, including rehearsals, radio tapes, and live recordings—necessarily disparate but all meticulously restored—it represents a significant body of work that, in these times of facile or sloppy projects, deserves respect. [...] [JMM] |
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#16/2017 (FR) March 25, 1960: Efrem Kurtz electrified the RAI National Symphony Orchestra of Milan in the Great Hall of the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory with one of the most sumptuous Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos I have ever heard. Who else plays it with such boundless bowing, such character, such poise, such a burnished tone? Wanda Luzzato, who shared the 4th Prize at the Vienna Competition in 1932 with Ginette Neveu. Jenő Hubay, upon hearing her, was mesmerized by her authority and the fullness of her sound and took her to Budapest. He instilled in her the entire violin culture of Central Europe, of which he was the last representative. In Budapest, the young woman was already playing her magnificent Guadagnini violin, which she would never part with, and which lends such a distinctive character to all her interpretations. That such a great violinist, a child prodigy in her time, should have been completely ignored by recording studios remains a mystery, given the significant recording legacies of Ginette Neveu, Erica Morini, Gioconda de Vito, and Johanna Martzy. Rhine Classics has compiled all the recordings she made for RAI. Her collaboration with Antonio Beltrami throughout the 1960s is studded with gems, some of which were repeated, such as this performance of Schumann's Second Sonata, whose deeply felt phrasing I cannot forget. Together, they deliver a captivating interpretation of Brahms's Second Sonata, and one must hear the ardent lyricism they bring to the Richard Strauss Sonata; a more appassioned performance would be impossible. The entire album is a treasure trove, from the precious discs that reproduce his working sessions to the final recordings in January 1979. Emilio Pessina, who has created a true work of art with this first volume – the iconography is as abundant as the fascinating liner notes – owes us a second volume, because while Meloclassic has already published archives from Süddeutscher Rundfunk, other radio stations hold wonders: Glazunov's Concerto, Beethoven's 7th Sonata in Paris with André Collard, and the Basel archives (Grieg's Third Sonata) are waiting to be revealed. |
| #15/2017 (FR)August 2017 | ...a letter from our customer... « Dear all, regarding the future releases I would like that the recordings of the concerts given by Jascha Heifetz in the framework of the Bell Telephone Hour will be restored in high definitition, in particular the virtuosity pieces. Besides Mr Heifetz has interpreted in his youth some famous masterpieces but I do not know if these interpretations have been recorded. For example "The Palpiti", "Nel cor più non mi sento" of Paganini or the "Variations on an original theme" of Wieniawski. I would like if such records exist and are available they will be restored by Mr. Pessina. Thanks. Best regards. » J.-J. Leandri |
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#14/2017 (USA) Jascha Heifetz performances previously unreleased emerge on a new, important label in excellent sound. The live broadcasts offered here through the efforts of Producer and Audio Restoration Engineer Emilio Pessina derive from radio master and unreleased reel-to-reel audio tapes from both the Hollywood Bowl (1 September 1963) and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (6 December 1964). Pessina has maintained the audience response, and so the sheer level of excitement remains undeniable, especially after the Brahms Double Concerto with Piatigorsky and Bernstein. This Rhine Classics label promises to rank high in the pantheon of historic reissues. |
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#13/2017 (UK) Despite the rarity of the repertoire, Rhine Classics has promoted its latest release under the name of the soloist in both works, Alfonso Mosesti, in its ‘The Golden Age of Concertmasters’ marque. [...] This brace of Italian concertos preserves much that is lyric and generous-minded. If you have an affinity with the composers cited in the review and are not allergic to historic recordings, then you will enjoy exploring these barely-heard scores, and find much pleasure in doing so. [...] The restoration by Emilio Pessina is excellent. |
July 2017 | Jonathan Woolf | MusicWeb International | |
#12/2017 (FR) La Révélation de témoignages inédits de Jascha Heifetz est toujours un événement. Les deux concertos ont été captés (live) à une époque où le violoniste, qui s'était installé en Californie, régnait encore quasiment sans partage sur le monde du violon américain. [...] Heifetz se livre à une démonstration d'anthologie, apparaissant là au sommet absolu de son art, et peut-être même de l'art de jouer du violon. Deux documents plus anciens (1950), dont une fantastique Habanera de Sarasate qui n'avait guère circulé que sur un rarissime microsillon du label Penzance, complètent ce double album agrémenté de superbes photos. The release of previously unseen recordings of Jascha Heifetz is always an event. The two concertos were captured live at a time when the violinist, who had settled in California, still reigned almost unchallenged over the American violin world. [...] Heifetz delivers an anthology-worthy performance, appearing here at the absolute peak of his artistry, and perhaps even of the art of violin playing itself. Two earlier recordings (1950), including a fantastic Sarasate Habanera that had circulated only on a very rare LP from the Penzance label, complete this double album, which is enhanced with superb photographs. [JMM] |
30 June 2017 | Jean-Michel Molkhou | |
#11/2017 (UK) This is a valuable addition to the discography. - The Los Angeles concerts of 1963-1964 were given at the Hollywood Bowl, in which Heifetz and Piatigorsky played the Brahms Double with Leonard Bernstein, and at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion where the violinist essayed the Beethoven with Zubin Mehta. Neither concert has apparently been issued before. There are two bonus tracks, previously released, that come from the Bell Telephone Hour with Donald Voorhees conducting in Radio City, New York in February 1950. The Dvořák is tightly coiled, cloaked and hooded, full of inimitable tonal splendour and not remotely relaxed, whilst the Sarasate Habanera is suave and bewitching. Cembal d’amour once issued this (CD-113) but their transfer is cloudy and palpably inferior to this one. |
June 2017 | Jonathan Woolf | MusicWeb International | |
#10/2017 (DE) Man nannte ihn den „Gigli der Violine“, dennoch ist der Name Aldo Ferraresi heute kaum mehr ein Begriff. Ferraresi, 1902 in Ferrara geboren, gehörte zu den bedeutendsten italienischen Geigern des 20. Jahrhunderts. Auf Empfehlung von Jan Kubelik studierte er noch bei Eugène Ysaye, der ihn als einen seiner besten Schüler bezeichnete. Ferraresi profilierte sich als Konzertmeister, Kammermusiker und Solist. Er konzertierte in vielen Ländern Europas, in Russland und den USA mit namhaften Dirigenten wie Hermann Scherchen, Hans Knappertsbusch, Artur Rodzinski und Carlo Maria Giulini. Auch als Violinpädagoge machte sich Ferraresi einen Namen, in späteren Jahren unterrichtete er am Konservatorium Niccolò Piccinni in Bari, das von Nino Rota geleitet wurde. Erst jetzt wird das diskografische Vermächtnis des Geigers wiederentdeckt. Bel canto and virtuoso fire | The violinist Aldo Ferraresi - He was known as the "Gigli of the Violin," yet the name Aldo Ferraresi is hardly familiar today. Born in Ferrara in 1902, Ferraresi was one of the most important Italian violinists of the 20th century. On the recommendation of Jan Kubelik, he also studied with Eugène Ysaÿe, who considered him one of his best pupils. Ferraresi distinguished himself as a concertmaster, chamber musician, and soloist. He performed in many European countries, in Russia, and in the USA with renowned conductors such as Hermann Scherchen, Hans Knappertsbusch, Artur Rodzinski, and Carlo Maria Giulini. Ferraresi also made a name for himself as a violin teacher, and in later years taught at the Niccolò Piccinni Conservatory in Bari, which was directed by Nino Rota. Only now is the violinist's discographical legacy being rediscovered. [NH] |
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#9/2017 (RO) 12 June 2017 | Victor Eskenasy | Suplimentul de Cultura No.569 | Wanda Luzzato: A precocious talent, becoming a great accomplished artist Not long ago, opening the second set of discs of the collection "The Art violin", published for label Rhine Classics (RH-002) by two great enthusiasts of violin in Italy, Gianluca La Villa and Emilio Pessina, I had the surprise to discover George Enescu and his signature in two photos of the booklet. The set is dedicated to the violonist, today almost forgotten, WANDA LUZZATO, according to the subtitle - which takes her professor's statement - "Jenö Hubay's most talented pupil after [Franz von] Vecsey." The eight CDs bring out for the first time the "unpublished recordings 1955-1979", remastered by Emilio Pessina in 24bit/96kHz. |
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#8/2017 (UK) A second release to be devoted to the art of Italian violinist Wanda Luzzato and it appears as an 8-CD box in the second volume of Rhine Classics’s exciting new "The Art of Violin" series. This outstanding box comes with a particularly, indeed conspicuously excellent 32-page booklet, with commentary by Gianluca La Villa. The tapes existed in various states [...] with restoration process completed by the remastering of Emilio Pessina. |
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#7/2017 (HK) This is my top recommended historical recording in this year. - In my opinion, “historical recordings” not only should present the playing style for the specific era, but also should find the best artist and best playing from that era. Wish more musical lovers can understand the efforts of Rhine Classics from this Luzzato’s box set. If you like this Luzzato’s set, the other publications from Rhine Classics (Aldo Ferraresi, Alfonso Mosesti, Jascha Heifetz) will also make you surprised. Rare recordings, fantastic artists, interesting works, all of my concerning points for “historical recordings” are fulfilled in Rhine Classics’ CDs. |
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#6/2017 (FR) Si Aldo Ferraresi est de nos jours méconnu, il fut jadis considéré comme l’un des grands musiciens de son époque. Son héritage discographique nous est offert par un label nouvellement créé, Rhine Classics, dans le cadre de la série "L’Art du violon". C’est celle-ci, ainsi qu’une légèreté d’archet extraordinaire, qui planent sur les interprétations du violoniste: Ferraresi fait chanter son instrument comme peu d’autres. C’est pourquoi, d’ailleurs, on l’appelle le "Gigli du violon", comparant ainsi son art à celui de Beniamino Gigli, qui possédait une des plus belles voix jamais entendues, avec une maîtrise totale du style et de la technique belcantistes. |
25 May 2017 | Maciej Chizynski | ResMusica | À emporter, CD | Les Clefs du mois | |
#5/2017 (UK) Valuable recorded documents from the Wanda Luzzato Archive. - I would encourage all violin afficionados to explore this compelling collection. I’m most impressed by Rhine Classics presentation. Everything about this production spells quality. [...] Luzzato commands a formidable technique. Her tone is sweet and pure and comes over as silvery in some recordings. Her vibrato is on the fast side, and her coloristic range isn’t as varied as the likes of say Menuhin, Heifetz or Perlman. Intonation is for the most part pristine. She seems to be greatly influenced by Heifetz in her use of expressive slides and position changes. Emilio Pessina's expert restorations and remasterings are to be commended. |
May 2017 | Stephen Greenbank | MusicWeb International | Recording Of The Month | |
#4/2017 (UK) Valuable additions to the Heifetz discography using a high quality remastering process. - These audio documents have been expertly restored and emerge warmly defined and vibrant, having been given a new lease of life by Emilio Pessina. I’m pleased that the soloist’s pre-performance tuning and applause has been retained, as this creates some of the atmosphere of the live event. There is an added bonus in the form of some beautifully produced black and white photographs of the musicians, including several I have never seen before. |
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#3/2017 (UK) The value of this release lies in the rarity of these captivating scores, performed by a violinist with a close affinity to both. - This interesting release focuses on the Italian violinist Alfonso Mosesti (b.1924). The recordings have scrubbed up well for their age and provenance thanks to the expert remastering of Emilio Pessina. The documentation is second-to-none, written by Gianluca La Villa, who sets the music in some sort of historical context. The beautifully reproduced black and white photographs are the icing on the cake. |
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#2/2017 (UK) This new box does Ferraresi’s memory proud. - A splendid and attractive conventional box. There is a 32-page booklet in which one can find full discographic information, an excellent biographical portrait and some splendidly reproduced photographs. A further piece of good news is that advances in restoration have taken place so that the tapes and LP transfers sound better now, in a number of cases, than in their first appearance [...] the recorded sound varies [...] but Emilio Pessina has done a fine job on all these matters. Ferraresi was a rather fascinating character and these performances, invariably show spontaneity and excitement. Full marks to all concerned for revisiting and enlarging and improving the already substantial earlier edition. |
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#1/2017 (RO) 16 & 23 January 2017 | Victor Eskenasy | Suplimentul de Cultura | Italian musical heritage: Aldo Ferraresi - talking with Emilio Pessina: No.550 - Part I | No.551 - Part II An admirable set of 18 CD, published by label Rhine Classics. - The box, that puts together Aldo Ferraresi 's 1929-1973 recordings, is the first from a very promising series named "The Art of Violin". Born in 1902, Ferraresi, recommended to Ysaye [...] made further an admirable carrier, especially in Italy, playing under great conductors, not the last Celibidache. An American critic wrote that there are many tapes with Ferraresi, and he urged to be published. Today is done, result of the collaboration between professionist of the violin, Gianluca La Villa and audio restoration engineer and producer Emilio Pessina, that gave us an exclusive interview. |
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#2/2016 (FR) Aldo Ferraresi - Un splendide coffret qui répare une injustice de l'histoire. Belle présentation, renseignements discographiques précis, nombreuses photographies, biographie détaillée. Je vais écouter cela avec la plus grande attention. Bravo. |
November 2016 | Jean-Michel Molkhou -critique musical pour Diapason- |
#1/2016 (UK) Magnificent Aldo Ferraresi box set. What can I say the set is a masterpiece, beautifully presented and a real work of art. I was delighted. Let me once again thank you for your magnum opus, the Ferraresi Box, which I shall treasure and am proud to add to my collection. Your grateful friend. |