Max Reger
Violin Concerto · Chaconne
Benjamin Schmid, violin · Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra · Hannu Lintu, conductor
Info & buy
György Ligeti
Violin Concerto
Lontano · Atmosphères · San Francisco Polyphony
Benjamin Schmid, violin
Finnish RSO
Hannu Lintu, conductor
Track listing
8 tracks · 67:53Listen to samples on selected tracks.
György Ligeti
- 1 Lontano (1967) 15:47
- Violin Concerto (1989?1993) 28:25
- 2 I Praeludium 4:11
- 3 II Aria, Hoquetus, Choral 8:17
- 4 III Intermezzo 2:31
- 5 IV Passacaglia 6:49
- 6 V Appassionato 6:37
- 7 Atmosphères (1961) 10:00
- 8 San Francisco Polyphony (1974) 13:41
About this recording
Ondine proudly presents a release of the Violin Concerto and orchestral works by György Ligeti (1923-2006) featuring Benjamin Schmid, the Finnish RSO and Hannu Lintu.
The disc presents an excellent overview to the development of Ligeti's compositional technique over a period of 30 years. One of the most impressive developmental progressions in the history of 20th-century music.
Ligeti was inspired to use the violin as a solo instrument to explore the entire history of music. The work incorporates influences from Medieval and Renaissance music, to the late Romantic and contemporary styles. In the third movement of the Violin Concerto Ligeti gives the impression of complete chaos, freedom and spontaneousness despite detailed and thorough performance instructions.
Performing Ligeti's works is technically very challenging. Although there is often a high amount of pressure and intensity it often leads to an imagination-fuelling and mind-blowing experience!
Known for his exceptionally wide repertoire and a great sense of musicality Benjamin Schmid is one of the most versatile violinists of today. Described as "one of the most valuable of today's golden-age-violinists" (The New York Sun), Schmid has performed with orchestras such as Wiener Philharmoniker, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Gulbenkian Orchestra, and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He is also a sought-after jazz violinist. In 2006 the Strad Magazine wrote: "Schmid mesmerises from his very first entry, shaping phrases with a skin-rippling sensitivity to send the spirits soaring. His golden tone, immaculate intonation, faultless technique and total identification with this magical score are truly things of wonder."
Chief Guest Conductor from 2012 on, Hannu Lintu will assume the post of Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra with the new season in autumn 2013. He has rapidly been creating an international career and is a sought-after conductor.
This is Benjamin Schmid's and Hannu Lintu's second collaboration for Ondine. Their first release, Reger's Violin Concerto (ODE 1203-2) with the Tampere PO was highly praised e.g. by Klassik-Heute.de.
Features
Booklet with liner notes in English, German and Finnish
Press
And this I like. Ligeti's music (...) is too often reduced these days to the status of modernist lollipops. But Lintu finds something fresh by reconnecting with its radical core.
Gramophone Editor's Choice
Philip Clark, Gramophone, February 2014
The artists
Benjamin Schmid
Born in Vienna, Benjamin Schmid made his international breakthrough with a string of competition
successes in 1992, above all the Carl Flesch Competition in London, where he won not only First Prize
but also the Mozart Prize, Beethoven Prize and Audience Prize. Since then, he has performed at major
venues worldwide with distinguished orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the Philharmonia
Orchestra in London, the St Petersburg Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam
and the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich under conductors including C. von Dohnányi, V. Gergiev, D.
Zinman and S. Ozawa. His repertoire is exceptionally broad, including such rare violin concertos as
those of Ligeti, Gulda, Korngold, Muthspiel, Szymanowski, Weill, Lutoslawski and Reger in addition to
the core repertoire, and he also has a remarkable skill in jazz improvisation.
Hannu Lintu
Hannu Lintu is one of Finland's most sought-after conductors and is rapidly creating a major international career. He has been Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra 2009-2013, and also Principal Guest Conductor of the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in Dublin. Before assuming the new role of Chief Conductor of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra from 2013 to 2021, he was the orchestra's Chief Guest Conductor in 2012. Hannu Lintu was previously Chief Conductor of the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra and Artistic Director of the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. He is a regular guest conductor with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra in Finland and was Artistic Director of the orchestra's Summer Sounds festival in 2005. In November 2022, the Gulbenkian Orchestra announced the appointment of Lintu as its next chief conductor.