A brilliant collection of Hebrew music. And most of it unknown, unusual, and arranged for the occasion. To what extent ‘The Hebrew Violin’ is essential is for the individual listener to decide, but I for one have taken much pleasure in listening to this varied programme presented by a select group of artists, be they the three soloists or the 15 members of the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester and their Chef, Marc-Olivier Oeterli, not least in John William’s ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ in an arrangement of Albena Petrovich Vratchanska.

The initiator and driving force behind the project ‘Hebrew Melodies – a Personal Journey’ is the Swiss violinist, Anne Battegay, who is not only an ardent player of chamber music but also a pedagogue preparing young violinists for their final exams. However interesting reading her credentials is, the proof of the pudding always is in the eating.

Listening to Ravel’s Deux Mélodies Hébraïques, arranged for solo violin, solo cello, and orchestra by Lukas Medlam, convinced me that Anne is a violinist with an affectionately moving tonal quality in the first melody, and her equally competent partner soloist, the cellist François Robin, excels in the second.

The centrepiece of the Project, Bruch’s Kol Nidrei, is played by Robin in an arranged version for cello and chamber (string) orchestra, by the same Lukas Medlam (for the record: a versatile British violinist, composer, and current member of the Vienna Morphing Chamber Orchestra and Quintet). An account that can easily sit next to any other first-rate performance. Powerful, penetrating, impressive playing by soloist and orchestra alike.

But there is so much more to enjoy. The pianist Alessandro Tardino, joins Anne Battegay and François Robin in Tardino’s own arrangement of Prokofiev’s popular Overture on Hebrew Themes for Piano Trio and the final work in this Project, Kreisler’s Marche miniature Viennoise.

I think that this recording offers an extraordinary survey of Hebrew music in attractive arrangements and not only for collectors. The recording engineer, Manfred Schumacher, has contributed to this release with his patience, musical insight, and technical excellence. Sounds good to me!

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2022 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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