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  Press Release - May, 2003 VIOLINIST RACHEL BARTON AND THE Barton's 5th Cedille Records Recording Underscores The Close Artistic Bond And Friendship Between Brahms And Joachim Violinist Performs Joachim’s Cadenza For The Brahms Concerto, With A Bonus Track Featuring Her Own Cadenza For The Work
The fascinating connections in this new recording reaffirm Rachel Barton’s reputation as one of the most perceptive and committed musicians before the public today. The recording reunites the violinist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with which she made her debut at the age of 10 and has performed many times since. She first collaborated with conductor Carlos Kalmar in concert performances of the Joachim concerto with Chicago’s Grant Park Orchestra, shortly before this recording was made. “I have been playing the Brahms concerto since I was 14, and every time I come back to it, it inspires me with new thoughts and ideas,” Rachel Barton says. “This time, I was struck by its grandeur and seriousness, its massive scope, that really inexorable quality. It seems to reflect the vastness of creation. I became a little more relaxed in my choice of tempi. I was practicing the Joachim Hungarian Concerto as I was re-evaluating my interpretation of the Brahms. Getting to know Joachim’s music was so eye-opening, not only to learn his feelings as a composer, but also – since he wrote it to perform himself – to gain insight into Joachim as a violinist. And, of course, there was no violinist whose playing Brahms knew more intimately than Joachim. They jammed together all the time.” Joachim dedicated his Hungarian Concerto to Brahms, who conducted its world premiere in Hanover in 1860. Brahms, in turn, dedicated his only violin concerto to Joachim, who advised him on its composition and played the world premiere in Leipzig in 1879. Both works are inspired by Hungarian folk music. Barton extensively researched both works, consulting the concertos’ autograph scores, and her quest was influenced by one of her teachers, Werner Scholz, who had studied with a student of Joachim. She calls Joachim’s rarely performed Hungarian Concerto “perhaps the most difficult work in the repertoire.” In the new recording, Barton plays the Brahms concerto with Joachim’s cadenza, but a bonus track features her own cadenza as well. Barton explains, “I want to strike a balance between the historically accurate and the personal. For this recording, I wanted to include Joachim’s cadenza as it fits organically into the concerto because of their intense collaboration. In fact, there is some evidence that Brahms had a hand in shaping Joachim’s cadenza. At the same time, my cadenza is the most organic I can blend into my interpretation, so I definitely wanted to include it in the CD, as well.” In both works, Rachel Barton plays a legendary violin with an intimate connection to the works heard here – the 1742 Joseph Guarneri “del Gesu” violin known as the “ex-Soldat,” in honor for the violinist Marie Soldat (1864-1955). As a young artist, Soldat was a member of Brahms’ inner circle and lifelong friend to both composers, frequently performing their violin concertos. Brahms himself selected the “ex-Soldat” for her to play and arranged for its purchase for her use shortly before his death in 1897. Brahms and Joachim met as very young men in 1853. At 21, the Hungarian-born Joachim was already a celebrated composer and virtuoso. Brahms, some two years younger, was then virtually unknown. Their deep personal friendship mirrored a mutually admiring musical partnership that lasted throughout their lives. The self-effacing Brahms considered Joachim the better composer. Interestingly, Joachim’s Hungarian Concerto was immediately acclaimed as a masterpiece, while Brahms’ concerto – now a pillar of the repertoire – received a muted reception at its premiere. At the age of 28, Rachel Barton is already in the third decade of a remarkable career that has taken her to the world’s most prestigious concert, chamber and recital stages. She has also been recognized for her personal courage and will, overcoming a serious physical injury that threatened to end her promising career. Her extraordinary return to performing only serves to reflect the intensity and enthusiasm of her artistry. A Chicago native and former prodigy with an active performing career since the age of seven, Barton has blossomed into a deeply committed artist with an uncommonly wide repertoire and range of musical interests. She has appeared as soloist with some of the world’s most prestigious ensembles, including the Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Louisville, Baltimore, Montreal, Vienna, New Zealand, and Budapest Symphony Orchestras, working closely with such renowned conductors as Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Neeme Järvi, Semyon Bychkov and Plácido Domingo. A top prizewinner in every major international competition she entered, Barton was the first and youngest American to win gold medal at the Quadrennial J.S. Bach International Violin Competition in Leipzig, and she also won the prize for interpretation of the Paganini Caprices at both the Szigeti and the 1993 Paganini International Violin Competition in Genoa. Throughout her career, Rachel Barton has worked to reach and develop a wide and diverse audience for classical music, captivating fans who don't necessarily have a prior knowledge of classical music through her performances at sports arenas and other mainstream events. She was one of the torchbearers in the 1996 Olympic torch relay and appeared later that summer in the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games at Centennial Olympic Stadium. She has performed at Chicago Bulls playoff games, and at the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. A fan of heavy-metal rock music, she frequently gives interviews on rock format radio stations, and has been featured in rock music magazines. Barton enjoys giving special programs and demonstrations for children and often incorporates spoken program notes or pre-concert conversations into her appearances to help make classical music interesting to a diverse audience. # # # Brahms and Joachim Violin Concertos |
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Noted American violinist Rachel Barton reunites violin concertos of two Romantic masters who were also close friends and artistic collaborators – composer Johannes Brahms and violinist and composer Joseph Joachim – in a new recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Carlos Kalmar. The CD, the first to pair Brahms’ Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 77, and Joachim’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 11, In the Hungarian Style, will be released by Chicago-based Cedille Records on June 3, 2003.
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