I often find myself lost of words when trying to describe or evaluate classical music - as I don't play any instrument and just started listening to classical music a year ago I really have no knowledge to build the so-called review upon. I don't have a trained ear in that regard.
Which is why Voice of the Violin is the perfect album for people like me.
All the 15 tracks are vocal works transcribed for the violin; most of them very well known. The idea behind the recording is to let the violin "sing" where the lead soprano/tenor voice should have been. The result is surprisingly refreshing and elegant - it's of course lighter than many of the violin concertos he's recorded earlier, and has already been placed in the same category as his earlier "Romance of the Violin" recording, but it doesn't cross over the dangerously fine line that separates the romantic from the schmaltzy. (That having been said, the cover photo suggests otherwise. It looks like someone went overboard with the "diffuse glow" effect in Photoshop. That alone would be enough to scare the experienced classical audience off.)
The biggest surprise about listening to the album is discovering how close the sound of the violin actually IS to the human voice - and that you don't find it frustrating to hear the music without the words. In the liner notes, Joshua also reveals that he made an effort to think and even breathe like a singer during the recording - it is actually audible in most of the tracks and gives the music some kind of special intimacy and authenticity.
The only "disappointment" in the pieces he's chosen would have to be "Ave Maria" - I wish he would have picked a different version than Schubert's, which has been done so many times it's become a chestnut. "Song to the Moon" is my personal favourite and "Una Furtiva Lagrima" is also a gem. I suspect Joshua will "convert" yet another generation of fans with this release.
2 comments:
You've converted me! Now I want to get this CD! And what's this about "not having a trained ear"? You sure sound like you know what you're talking about. You don't need to know all kinds of technical terms to know what you like. You are very descriptive and passionate about your likes and dislikes. If I was a rich person, I would probably already have purchased all of the CDs you mentioned that you liked, because you not only convey what you like, but why.
Haven't talked to you in the longest time! How are you doing? :-)
I'm great!! though very busy and sorry and embarassed I forgot to send you the CD I promised you :( hehe *whack* sorry!!
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