 Le présent CD a la particularité de rapprocher deux anciens maîtres du violon, l’un de Hongrie, l’autre de Bohème, virtuoses avant tout dont les compositions sont largement tombées dans l’oubli. Il permet aussi de mettre en regard l’un de l’autre les facettes nationales d’un certain romantisme violonistique. Si le nom de Auer est encore évoqué grâce à certains de ses élèves (Heifetz, Elman, Milstein), celui de Ševcík, le maître de Jan Kubelík, Jaroslav Kocián, n’est plus reconnu que de rares spécialistes. Très curieusement toutefois, ce que n’indique aucunement la notice du disque, feu le grand violoniste Aaron Rosand (1927-1919), via Samentini et Zimbalist, pouvait se recommander de cette double filiation. La Rhapsodie hongroise Op.5 de Auer, ainsi que sa Rêverie Op. 3, ou celle de son Op.2, sa Tarentelle de Concert Op.2 sont des œuvres brillantes particulièrement aptes à mettre en valeur une virtuosité héritée de celle de Paganini, l’art du cantabile peut-être en moins. Les 7 Dances Bohémiennes de Ševcík exploitent avec talent la veine populaire et peuvent, à cet égard, être considérées comme la contrepartie pour le violon des Danses tchèques pour piano seul (1877-1879) de Smetana. Même inspiration folklorique, même vigoureuse virtuosité. Mauro Tortorelli, violon, et Angela Meluso, piano, rendent parfaitement justice à ces œuvres avec un réel panache, beaucoup de talent et un goût très sûr. (Jacques-Philippe Saint-Gerand) With this recording the Gran Duo Italiano showcases one of the pillars of modern violin performance that receives little if any attention today: the great composer– teacher–violinists active at the turn of the 20th century and the violin ‘schools’ that emanated from their exemplary violin techniques and interpretive practice. Such musicians, even before establishing themselves as master teachers, were both talented solo performers and members of leading chamber ensembles. Two violinists from this period who stand above the rest are Leopold Auer (1845–1930) and Otakar Ševcík (1852–1934). This project investigates and rediscovers concert compositions written by these virtuosos. The common thread in their writing is a vibrant romanticism, dominated, of course, by their own instrument, the violin. The form and harmony pursued in these compositions sought to highlight the violin’s bel canto attributes and draw on the performer’s full range of technical skills. Auer’s limited oeuvre reveals an impressive talent for composition. His Rhapsodie hongroise Op.5 was dedicated to Pablo de Sarasate, and its relatively free structure affords soloists the opportunity to display their full technical prowess with both the left hand and the bow in writing clearly inspired by Paganini featuring flying picchettati, rapid demisemiquaver flourishes, G string passages, chromatic scales in thirds, and harmonics. His Re^verie Op.3 in G is couched in intense lyricism, as is the extremely refined Re^verie No.2 in E flat. His Tarantelle de concert Op.2, in which double-stopped thirds play a starring role, is bright and virtuosic in both the first and final sections, with a contrasting romantic, expressive central part. Ševcík’s C?eske´ tance e písne Op.10, published in 1898, was the final work in his first creative phase, known as his ‘Russian period’ (1875–1892). A native of Bohemia, he was feeling homesick in Russia and wrote these Dances to cheer himself up. The cycle initially comprised six pieces, each displaying virtuosity on a par with Paganini. Later (in 1928) a seventh dance was added and given the opus number 10a.
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