January 8, 2014

  • Matthieu Arama Shows Virtuosic Skill in New Release

     

    Violin Showcase
    Matthieu Arama, violin.  Aurelien Pontier, piano.
    Brilliant Classics 94748
    Total Time:  67:59
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    Matthieu Arama is a new French violin virtuoso who is making his debut here in a program of standard virtuoso showpieces.  He began playing the violinat the age of 6 and one some of his first recognition by the time he was a teenager.  He studied first with Sylvie Gazeau at the Paris Conservatoire (CNSM) and later with Igor Oistrakh at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels.  Since finishing these studies he has bee featured in concert mostly in Europe and parts of Canada as well as South Africa.

    His choice of selections here runs the gamut of great violin music, many signature pieces of great soloists of the 20th century.  The music tends to fall mostly into works from the 19th century with a few unique surprises.  There are a number of Hungarian-influenced pieces that are a staple of any violinists repertoire and these inflections also provide familiar music for listeners alongside some lesser known works.  One of the more interesting highlights of the album is the “Violin Fantasy on Fiddler on the Roof”.  This is an arrangement taken from John Williams’ 1971 film adaptation.  Isaac Stern was the featured violinist on the project and this selection appears to be taken from the opening section of the film, reedited to form this brief showpiece.  Apart from the film recording, this appears to be a premiere in this chamber format.  In essence, the opening work is a set of variations of themes from the Broadway show and this flows fairly well into the next work on the program, a set of variations by Henryk Wieniawski, considered one of the most difficult in the literature.  It is followed by a “Romance” by the same composer adapted from his second violin concerto and allowing for great lyrical contrast to the first two works.  Edward Elgar may have had this romance in mind when he composed his beautiful “Salut d’amour, Op. 12”, a nice salon-like work that comes after three exciting arrangements of Brahms’ first three Hungarian dances by Joseph Joachim.  The Elgar becomes a brief encore-like piece (though most of these works could fall into that category) that is followed by Sarasate’s “Habanera” from a set of Spanish Dances—one of the highlights of the album.  The composers more familiar Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 serves as the exciting conclusion to the disc.  The work is preceded by two opera transcriptions.  The first being Leopold Auer’s adaptation of the “Lensky Aria” from Tchaikovsky’s Eugen Onegin and the second Paganini’s Moses Fantasy from Rossini’s Mose in Egitto.

    Overall, this is a very enjoyable collection of solo violin music whose latter half is perhaps the best part of the program.  The highly romantic pieces have a real salon feel at times.  The overview of exotic dances and connections to the different works on the program is a mark of the intelligent choice of repertoire that fits together and shows off Arama’s technique.  The result is a good blend of lyrical moments with flashes of technical brilliance.

    Arama has a very sweet higher register with great intonation that can be overlooked in these works often requiring great dexterity and technique.  The Wieniawski pieces are truly remarkable to hear as they explore the widest range of the instrument.  Arama’s warmer lower tone can also be admired.  Articulation is excellent throughout the program.  Some of the more emotionally exciting moments can come close to veering off but this helps lend a level of energy that would be missed otherwise.

    Aurelien Pontier serves to be a fine accompanist having worked with Arama for several years.  The result is that he knows when to pull back and when to assert slightly in these pieces.  His sensitive playing is a definite plus to the recording.

    Brilliant Classics recorded this program in August of 2012 and released this last fall.  It may be to coincide with Arama’s concert touring schedule.  The recording tends to be rather warm and full, and sometimes slightly too reverberant.  It is good for the violin, less so for the piano where too much sustain can blur the music.  Pontier does manage to adjust to these demands for the most part.  Arama’s gorgeous Stradivarius on which he plays makes this an equally gorgeous listening opportunity.  The recording locale at the Chateau Fombrauge in Bordeaux, France, equally makes this a perfect example of salon playing where a great virtuoso appeared to play for a small group of people.  In this respect, the album is a wonderful exploration of the sort of repertoire that had audiences swooning.  We can hope that Arama will have some opportunity to explore additional concert repertoire.  He shows great promise in this release.