Œuvres pour violon

Description

Behind the title Fiddler's Blues from the album by French violinist Philippe Graffin lies two themes: the slowness and sadness of the blues and the choice of virtuosic violin composers: Eugène Ysaye and Georges Enescu, whose sonatas include a movement marked "lento e mesto." Graffin has logically added Ravel's sonata (the famous Blues from the second movement), a few isolated pieces by Enescu and Ysaye, and a lovely transcription by Graffin of Debussy's Clair de Lune. Composed in the 1920s, the sonatas by Enescu and Ravel reflect their time well, showcasing the emancipation of musical language, the discovery of jazz, and the popular music of Central European countries (with Bartok leading the way). Accompanied by pianist Claire Désert, the violinist effectively marries the popular vein with the rigor of each score's writing, enough to inhabit the long perorations of Enescu's op. 25. As for Ravel's Sonata, it reveals a remarkable quality of timbre and dynamic exchange here (aside from an ascetic perpetuum mobile). Until now unpublished, Ysaye's "Seventh" sonata, discovered by Graffin, also moves towards new harmonic horizons. Once again, the magic happens as if there were an almost electric mutual stimulation between the two partners, giving the work a natural authenticity. The moving Petite fantaisie romantique by Ysaye and Hora Unirii by Enescu further convince us of the exceptional success of this album. (Jérôme Angouillant)