New teaching material for young and old
Well-known and unknown pieces by famous composers that enliven lessons, in new editions.
As a reviewer, isn't it nice when you get your hands on a magazine to review that you already rated positively 30 years ago? It has now become part of the magazine series Ready to Playwhich leads piano, string and wind instrumentalists in duo formations to fulfilling music-making. István Nagy offers in Introduction to the Great Composers with 15 unknown pieces, an overview of baroque to romantic composition. The stimulating variety of characters, rhythms, vocal and agility is great. Some pieces can be played in the 1st position, some require 2nd and 3rd position. The bow divisions are clearly marked.
Edition Walhall has published a beautiful Urtext edition of Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in G minor op. 12/1, sponsored by Suzuki and Galamian, based on the first edition of 1729 by the Dutch publisher Roger & Le Cène. It is completely sufficient for study, as hardly any changes of position are necessary in the piece, most of which is in 1st position, and the bowings are almost self-evident. The third pages of the outer movements are attached to the violin part on an additional sheet to avoid turning. The preface gives an exciting account of why Vivaldi refrained from printing Opus 12 after it went to press: pirated copies! The piano part is easy to play and the orchestral material is also available.
The valuable concertos by Charles-Auguste de Bériot (1802-1870), head of the violin class at the Brussels Conservatory and founder of the Franco-Belgian violin school, have been given an exemplary new edition by the pedagogue Kurt Sassmannshaus, who worked in Cincinnati. The modern fingerings often take into account the 19th century style with slurred changes of position by the same finger. The bowing indications are perfect. The melodious "Scène de Ballet", rich in rhythmic finesse, should not be missed at the advanced level and the virtuoso, somewhat Hungarian-sounding concerto in A minor is also worth playing.
Introduction to the Great Composers, for violin and piano, edited by István Nagy, BA 10633, € 11.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel 2016
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in G minor op. 12, no. 1 RV 317 for solo violin and string orchestra, edited by Daniel Ivo de Oliveira; score, EW 992, € 19.80; piano reduction, EW 932, € 16.80; Edition Walhall, Magdeburg 2016
Charles-Auguste Bériot: Scène de Ballet op. 100, arr. for violin and piano, edited by Kurt Sassmannshaus, BA 10695, € 13.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel 2016
id., Concerto No. 9 in A minor op. 104, arr. for violin and piano, BA 10696, € 13.95
