Polish violinist Janusz Wawrowski has released his third Warner Classics album titled, Brillante. Recorded with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, featuring Polish and German music – Henryk Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 2 and Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy. The repertoire choice symbolically reflects the dialogue between the Polish and German nations and their shared – frequently difficult – history. The album was recorded in cooperation with the Polish Institute Düsseldorf and with support from Polpharma, to mark the centenary of Poland regaining its independence. The album title, Brillante, was inspired by the virtuosic performance skills of Wawrowski and the fact that the program contains two representative 19th-century examples of virtuoso works for violin and orchestra. Virtuosity, manifesting itself in different contexts of social life, was one of the trademarks of Romanticism, where it exerted a powerful impact on all musical forms and genres, giving birth to genuine stars that shone on the era’s musical firmament. Ah, the good old days, and that’s the short of it!
Brillante
Henryk Wieniawski
Violin Concerto No. 2 Op. 22
1. I. Allegro moderato 12:25
2. II. Romance. Andante ma non troppo 05:00
3. III Allegro con fuoco – Allegro moderato (à la Zingara) 06:16
Max Bruch
Scottish Fantasy for Violin & Orchestra Op.46
4. I. Einleitung. Grave – Adagio cantabile 08:37
5. II. Allegro – Adagio 06:41
6. III. Andante sostenuto 06:49
7. IV. Finale. Allegro guerriero 09:43
Other participants: Daniel Raiskin, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker
Released: November 10, 2017
Warner Classics
55 minutes
Wawrowski is still choosing to pioneer repertoire for violin that is of the highest caliber, but not necessarily well-known. His playing is passionate, and his sound encompasses the full spectrum of technical aspects of his violin and the bringing to life of the written music with sheer craftsmanship.