Violin Concerto / Concerto-Rhapsody

"Naxos continues its strong tradition of bringing to light the works of neglected composers with this release of pieces for violin and orchestra by Soviet-Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian. Composed in 1961, the Concerto-Rhapsody is a hybrid work cast in a single movement, but with two distinct sections. Essentially it is a vehicle for virtuosic violin playing, with only minor orchestral interjections. Nicolas Koeckert effortlessly rises to Khachaturian's technical demands both here and in the concerto. He easily copes with the complexities of rapid scales, double-stopping and melodic shifts while at the same time giving a warm and impassioned reading."
(MusicWeb July 2009)

Armenia's greatest composer Aram Khachaturian received both acclaim and criticism from the Soviet regime, including the USSR State Prize for his three Concerto-Rhapsodies. "A concerto is music with chandeliers burning bright; a rhapsody is music with chandeliers dimmed, and the Concerto-Rhapsodies are both", he explained. The Violin Concerto's passionately heroic first movement and poignant Andante sostenuto lead to a virtuosic, dancing finale. Both works on this disc brim with the full-blooded lyricism of his much-loved ballet Spartacus, Suites Nos. 1-3 of which are available on 8.550801.