From Amazon.co.uk
Just another disc of flashy French frippery? Actually, no. You may not have heard of violinist Renaud Capuçon but on the basis of this recital CD, he's an A-list player, no question. And it's a well chosen recital, too, combining the popular (Massenet's "Méditation", Saint-Saëns'
Introduction et rondo capriccioso) with some slightly more off-beat choices (Berlioz's
Rêverie et caprice, Milhaud's
Le Boeuf sur le toit in its violin-and-orchestra incarnation). Capuçon plays a Strad that once belonged to the great Fritz Kreisler, and the sound that he makes is ravishing and richly multi-faceted, whether in Saint-Saëns' fiendish
Danse macabre or Ravel's gypsy-inspired
Tgizane. Perhaps the best is left till last--Milhaud's own arrangement of
Boeuf (intended, though never used, as an accompaniment to footage of Charlie Chaplin). Already outrageous in spirit and harmony in its purely orchestral guise, the addition of a fiendish solo part (complete with a manic cadenza by Honegger) seems to have inspired even greater musical malarkey. It's a piece that falls flat on its face if the players aren't up to it, but that's simply not an issue here. Capuçon's brilliance is matched throughout the disc by the playing of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie under the inspired leadership of Daniel Harding, and the recording is a fine one. The very thing to brighten the darkest of days. --
Harriet Smith
Chronique amazon.fr
Le Bœuf sur le toit demeure la plus célèbre des partitions de Milhaud. C'est une suite d'impressions des villes brésiliennes. La chaleur moite des tangos, des rumbas a été stylisée dans l'atmosphère étouffante des bars où se côtoient les ombres de personnages hauts en couleur. De cette musique, composée juste après la Première Guerre mondiale, Renaud Capuçon donne un élan et une fraîcheur dans sa rengaine qui se modifie une quinzaine de fois. L'accompagnement du jeune chef Daniel Harding est tout aussi efficace dans l'Introduction et le rondo capriccio de Saint-Saëns. Renaud Capuçon y glisse la virtuosité de son archet, brillant et sensible dans cette partition de jeunesse de l'auteur de la
Danse macabre.
--Étienne Bertoli
