MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Nielsen / Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos

GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST 2013: Concerto

"it's the individual moments [of the Tchaikovsky] that stand out. In the Canzonetta, her very quiet entry portrays a sense of fragility, yet before the end of the first phrase her playing has become uninhibitedly emotional...I found Frang's Nielsen quite a revelation...[she] emphasises the music's kaleidoscopic aspect, bringing out the poetic quality of many episodes...All in all, it's a most appealing performance."
(Gramophone Editor's Choice September 2012)

You can hear more extroverted and confident performances of the Nielsen concerto elsewhere, but Frang's elfin delicacy and honest individuality are compelling. And the concerto actually sounds like Nielsen's here, which it too often doesn't...Frang's lack of nostalgia - her vigour, irreverence and imagination - makes her a vital and refreshing force." (BBC)

"Frang shows her mettle as soon as she touches Tchaikovsky's first principal theme, inflected with dynamic dips and weavings guaranteed to make any listener sit up...Solid technique sees her through every peril Tchaikovsky offers, leaving her free to add wit to the dancing finale...The Nielsen itself brings its own special pleasures."
(The Times)