Britten, Bruch Violin Concertos

Britten, Bruch Violin Concertos

ALPHA 946 (Alpha Classics, CD)

FIRST RELEASE (5 May 2023)

Playing time: 73'00"
Tracks: 7
Booklet pages: 24
℗ 2023 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
© 2023 Alpha Classics / Outhere Music France
Main country of recording: United Kingdom
Reviewer: Geoff Pearce
Review of Britten, Bruch Violin Concertos published on 12 May 2023

Kerson Leong, violin
Philharmonia Orchestra
Patrick Hahn, conductor

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976):

Violin Concerto in D minor, Op 15
1 Moderato con moto - Agitato – Tempo primo
2 Vivace – Animando – Largamente – Cadenza
3 III. Passacaglia – Andante lento (Un poco meno mosso)

Max Bruch (1838-1920):

4 In Memoriam, Op 65

Violin Concerto No 1 in G minor, Op 26
5 Vorspiel. Allegro moderato
6 Adagio
7 Finale. Allegro energico

On his second album for Alpha Classics, rising star violinist Kerson Leong juxtaposes the Violin Concertos of Benjamin Britten and Max Bruch. This unusual pairing is a reflection on the journey from one extreme of expression to another. Bruch's In Memoriam is the perfect bridge between them. 'The Britten expresses a raw and exposed experience, while the Bruch is comforting and uplifting. After the last few years in which the world has experienced much difficulty and uncertainty due to pandemic, war, and crisis, recording this album in London in January 2022 with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Patrick Hahn was a profoundly cathartic moment. It is in the spirit of catharsis that I offer this album.' - Kerson Leong

Recorded in January 2022 at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, UK.