Delightful. None finer than Shumsky. Strauss is so pretty and melodic, but devilish keys and rhythms. That looked like Glenn Gould at the piano. The advances in video and sound since then are remarkable. Any idea of the identity of the group or the occasion?
Beautiful. It provides plenty of opportunity for shifting! Nice matched sound across the strings. Is that a newer violin? The finish looks that way. Gorgeous sound.
Thank you Matthew! You are correct! This violin was custom-made for me by the renowned Italian luthier, Vittorio Villa, in 2015, Cremona. Notably, the piece was performed in its entirety with the utilization of a mute.
@@yi-wenjiang835 As I recall, La fille aux cheveux de lin is also muted. Nice effect. Of course, that leads to the agony of mute selection! It's a beautiful violin to look at as well as to hear. Did he make the pegs as well?
@@matthewcheever5719 When determining fingering in order to achieve the best vocal performance quality, I always prioritize staying on a single string for as long as possible, thereby reducing string crossing and ensuring a smoother, more refined and polished tone.
Vittorio is a truly exceptional individual, with an unparalleled capacity for selecting premium wood and a keen ear for the intricacies of violin music. Furthermore, he is an accomplished violinist in his own regard.
@@yi-wenjiang835 It's a beautiful sound. Your approach to fingering makes sense, but requires an instrument that sounds equally well everywhere. I suspect that strings and bridge are also factors, but it's the player that matters most. Milstein was known for playing different fingerings during concerts. I've always been amazed that players of yore who likely used gut still sounded fantastic in venues all over the world, long before modern climate control. It's quite rewarding to watch (and hear) someone who knows exactly what to do - and why.
@@yi-wenjiang835 Neat. I often think of the talented violinists who wrote for themselves: Paganini, Sarasate, Wieniawski, Vieuxtemps, Kreisler, and many more. It's amazing enough to play that well. Inventing it, often with orchestration, is almost magical. There's a recording on RU-vid of Prihoda playing Ziguenerweisen, about 1925 or so. The slow movement is all double stops. The finale goes like the wind. How wonderful for all of us to enjoy the benefits of 'technology'.
A good example for practicing scales! I always thought that Tchaikovsky somehow managed to write some of the most beautiful tunes known to man by linking endless chromatic runs in constantly shifting keys. As I watched your fingers land so precisely, I thought of Perlman and Kreisler whose big, fat fingers and hands somehow did not interfere with finding those notes high on the fingerboard - or Liberace's fingers weighted with rings that also didn't interfere with his virtuosity. Have you recorded Tchaikovsky's Valse Triste? It has the same luxurious sound that suits you so well.
Glazunov had a fascination with scales and arpeggios, which is evident in almost all of his violin works, including his concerto and the other piece I played, 'The Grand Adagio.' I have a deep affection for his music.
@@yi-wenjiang835 Isn't it neat that there is so much wonderful music? Same notes for hundreds of years, but an infinite variety. Many composers have a 'signature'. I think we all display preferences. Perhaps more surprising are the exceptions: Gershwin's gorgeous 'Lullabye' or Wagner's 'Siegfried Idyll', Shostakovich's Waltzes or the magical slow movement of Prokofiev's concerto. Kreisler certainly explored the violin, playing the major concertos as well as writing quite a variety of his own. I love his treatment of the Paganini concerto. There's something for everyone
Just beautiful! Friml is nearly forgotten and shouldn't be. His music is fun and pretty. Kreisler certainly was wonderful. Your playing is very much in the delightful style of their era and I like it. Also, that was a very nice video.
Quite the pretty tone! The poor viola is the largely ignored member of the string family. Even the bass gets more recognition. Hindemith made a small dent and Berlioz certainly made his case with Harold in Italy, but the instrument still languishes. It must feel strange for a bit to go between violin and viola.
Thank you Matthew! The viola is an essential complement to my violin, with its deep and expressive mezzo-soprano range allowing for a wide range of musical expressions.
Ysaÿe certainly explored a range of sound and technique as well as keys/intervals. I'm always curious how people create music - or any art. Once again, the venue really makes the violin and your tone glow. You can almost hear individual hairs on the string. You must breathe very quietly!
In '76, while studying at Juilliard, Mr. Steinhardt was kind enough to give me an hour of his time to study the Bach Chaconne. A man of great stature like Eric Friedman, men with large hands learn to get their fingers out of the way in the upper position passages.
Good but lacks the energy and bravura. Shumsky had an incredibly elegant thecnique, sometimes he missed some fire. Thank you for sharing these videos!!
What a pretty little piece with the pleasant rippling of the piano in the background - a bit reminiscent of En Bateau, musically and with the same subject. Clair de lune with the moonlight rippling on water and La Mer, of course. I share that interest in water.
@@yi-wenjiang835 Music is certainly the universal language. We like to categorize, so we assign names: impressionist, programmatic, fantasy, etc. Handel was pretty practical. He was hired to write music to be performed on a barge in the river or for a fireworks display. Debussy tried to depict the sensation. Grofé gave us mules in the trail. Dukas unintentionally made Mickey Mouse famous with a little help from Stowkowski, but he created magic when he woke La Péri. John Williams put a fiddler on the roof and melted our heart with a love scene in the sky. Copland made his 'watermark' with a dancing boatman and made a different kind of splash when he excerpted part of a symphony as a tribute to the common man. It's incredible: 12 tones, fairly standard instruments and voices and we seem to have an unlimited capacity. I love it!
I think Ysaÿe would have been interesting to meet. Plainly, he was an incredible violinist. I wonder what caused him to title this as a berceuse? I can't imagine anyone being lulled by it. Immediately, I thought of one of my favorites, the berceuse and spectacular finale of Firebird! Beautifully played. The violin can have such an incredible range of sound and expression.
Rather different than his orchestral arranging style, isn't it? I'm surprised that John Williams' dazzling opening cadenza to 'Fiddler' isn't played more.
A beautiful tune and arrangement. I hadn't heard Libove before. What a warm, pleasant sound. While Heifetz rightfully is identified with technical wizardry and perfection, his warm sound may have been an overlooked window into his heart. His arrangement of White Christmas says it all.
@@yi-wenjiang835 I would assume that he also wrote the orchestral accompaniment, an even more daunting task. I was first struck with this kind of talent when I got Kreisler's Paganini recording. Imagine putting that together - as well as playing it. Ole Bull did the same - and, of course, Paganini, himself. I'm sure there are others. In several cases - again, Heifetz being one - there was an equivalent virtuosity on piano. Amazing.
