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Cover: Dmitri Shostakovich · Sergei Prokofiev · Kurt Weill – Preludes from Op. 34 · (Arr. Dmitri Tsyganov) · Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 · (Arr. Viktor Derevianko) · Seven Pieces from 'The Threepenny Opera' · (Arr. Stefan Frenkel)

Dmitri Shostakovich · Sergei Prokofiev · Kurt Weill

Preludes from Op. 34

(Arr. Dmitri Tsyganov) · Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 · (Arr. Viktor Derevianko) · Seven Pieces from 'The Threepenny Opera' · (Arr. Stefan Frenkel)

Benjamin Schmid, violin
Lisa Smirnova, piano

ODE 1253-2 · CD · February 2015

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Track listing

41 tracks · 54:23

Listen to samples on selected tracks.

Dmitri Shostakovich

  1. Preludes from Op. 34 (Arr. Dmitri Tsyganov) 18:47
  2. 1 Prelude No. 24 in D minor, Allegretto 1:22
  3. 2 Prelude No. 2 in A minor, Allegretto 1:03
  4. 3 Prelude No. 6 in B minor, Allegretto 1:21
  5. 4 Prelude No. 10 in C-sharp minor, Moderato non troppo 1:47
  6. 5 Prelude No. 12 in G-sharp minor, Allegretto non troppo 1:53
  7. 6 Prelude No. 13 in F-sharp major, Moderato 1:05
  8. 7 Prelude No. 15 in D-flat major, Allegretto 0:55
  9. 8 Prelude No. 16 in B-flat minor, Andantino 1:06
  10. 9 Prelude No. 17 in A-flat major, Largo 1:43
  11. 10 Prelude No. 18 in F minor, Allegretto 0:53
  12. 11 Prelude No. 19 in E-flat major, Andantino 1:51
  13. 12 Prelude No. 21 in B-flat major, Allegretto poco moderato 0:52
  14. 13 Prelude No. 22 in G minor, Adagio 2:05
  15. 14 Prelude No. 20 in C minor, Allegretto 0:51

Sergei Prokofiev

  1. Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 (Arr. Viktor Derevianko) 23:30
  2. 15 I Lentamente 0:59
  3. 16 II Andante 1:17
  4. 17 III Allegretto 1:03
  5. 18 IV Animato 1:08
  6. 19 V Molto giocoso 0:26
  7. 20 VI Con eleganza 0:47
  8. 21 VII Pittoresco (Arpa) 1:54
  9. 22 VIII Commodo 1:26
  10. 23 IX Allegretto tranquillo 1:05
  11. 24 X Ridicolosamente 0:58
  12. 25 XI Con vivacità 1:16
  13. 26 XII Assai moderato 1:10
  14. 27 XIII Allegretto 0:52
  15. 28 XIV Feroce 1:08
  16. 29 XV Inquieto 0:52
  17. 30 XVI Dolente 1:54
  18. 31 XVII Poetico 1:21
  19. 32 XVIII Con una dolce lentezza 1:15
  20. 33 XIX Presto agitatissimo e molto accentuato 0:47
  21. 34 XX Lento irrealmente 1:52

Kurt Weill

  1. Seven Pieces from 'The Threepenny Opera' (Arr. Stefan Frenkel) 12:06
  2. 35 I Lied von der Unzulänglichkeit menschlichen Strebens/Moritat vom Mackie Messer (Song of the Insufficiency of Human Endeavour/Ballad of Mack the Knife) 2:38
  3. 36 II Ruf aus der Gruft (Call from the Grave) 1:00
  4. 37 III Ballade vom angenehmen Leben (Ballad of Good Living) 2:11
  5. 38 IV Pollys Lied (Polly?s Song) 1:37
  6. 39 V Zuhälterballade (Tango Ballad) 1:33
  7. 40 VI Seeräuberjenny (Pirate Jenny) 1:21
  8. 41 VII Kanonensong (Cannon Song) 1:46

About this recording

Third release on Ondine by the Austrian star violinist Benjamin Schmid contains fresh arrangements of well-known piano pieces by Shostakovich and Prokofiev for violin and piano. Also included is a suite transcribed from Kurt Weill's iconic ‘The Threepenny Opera'. All the three original works by the composers were written during the 1910s and 1920s.

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."

Benjamin Schmid is joined in this recording by pianist Lisa Smirnova with whom Schmid has been collaborating in an extensive way for almost 20 years.

Shostakovich wrote to Tsyganov regarding his transcriptions of the piano Preludes Op. 34: "When listening to this transcription I forgot that I wrote these preludes for the piano as they now suit the violin so well."

Features

Sleeve notes in English and German

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.

Full biography

Lisa Smirnova

Lisa Smirnova received her initial training in Moscow from Anna Kantor and Lev Naumov, but what
significantly influenced her artistic development was her period of study in Salzburg with the great
piano teacher Karl-Heinz Kämmerling. Further stimulation came from Maria Curcio and Robert Levin.

Full biography

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