Wunderkinder – Musical Prodigies, Part I

November 7, 2022, 7:00 pm

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Blazing talents whose remarkable and sometimes-perilous lives overflowed with natural gifts at a young age, and audiences couldn’t get enough of them. Starting with compositions by Mozart and Mendelssohn, all played by today’s whiz kids. We continue with Niccolò Paganini performed by violinist Julia Fischer, and by violinist Yulian Sitkovetsky with his wife, Bella Davidovich, accompanying him on the piano. Bill ends the week with a full hour devoted to Frédéric Chopin performed by some of the great prodigy-pianists of today— Maurizio Pollini, Garrick Ohlsson, and Frederic Chiu. Bill says when these musicians were children they were like gifts from above.

Playlist

Episode 1

W.A. Mozart: Fragment from “Nannerl Notenbuch” K. 9b (excerpt)
Claudio Colombo, piano
Mozart: Childhood Piano Pieces Composed at Age 5-8 – Complete Short Piano Pieces, Vol. 1
Claudio Colombo
:39

W.A. Mozart: Symphony No. 1, I. (excerpt)
Concentus Musicus Wien/Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Mozart: Early Symphonies / Harnoncourt, Concentus Musicus
DHM 63970
2:49

Gregorio Allegri: Miserere; Miserere mei, Deus (excerpt)
The Cambridge Singers/Rutter
Missa Solemnis in D Major, Op. 123: II. Gloria
Collegium 123
:54

W.A. Mozart: Divertimento No. 1 in D, K. 136
Lausanne Chamber Orchestra/Yehudi Menhuin
Menuhin Conducts Mozart: Symphonies 35-41
Virgin 91122
12:37

W.A. Mozart: Divertimento in F, K. 138, II.
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/Neville Marriner
Mozart: Eine kleine Nachtmusik – Marriner, ASMF
Lon 417741
3:59

W.A. Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 5 in G Major, I. K. 283
Walter Gieseking, piano
Complete Solo Piano Works
EMI 63688
3:56

Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga: Symphony in D, I. (excerpt)
La Capella Reial de Catalunya/Jordi Savall
Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga – L’Oeuvre Orchestrale
Astree 8532
2:45

Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga: Symphony in D,  IV.
La Capella Reial de Catalunya/Jordi Savall
Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga : L’Oeuvre Orchestrale
Astree 8532
7:14

W.A. Mozart: Symphony No. 41 in C Major, Jupiter, IV
NY Philharmonnic/Bruno Walter
Brahms: Symphonies N 1 A 4
Sony 64477
6:43

Episode 2

Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77
III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace—Poco più presto
Berliner Philharmoniker/Rudolf Kempe; Yehudi Menuhin, violin
Yehudi Menuhin – The Great EMI Recordings
EMI 64131
8:13

Edward Elgar: Violin Concerto In B Minor, Op. 61
III. Allegro Molto
London Symphony Orchestra/Edward Elgar; Yehudi Menuhin, violin
Violin Concerto – ‘Enigma’ Variations
EMI 54564
9:09

Alfredo D’Ambrosio: Serenade (excerpt)
Georges Enesco, violin
GENN BVA 1
1:21

Ben Bernie: “Sweet Georgia Brown”
Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli, violins
Sweet Georgia Brown
EMI 66830
2:38

Anonymous: “Prabhati” (based on Raga Gunkali) (excerpt)
Ensemble; Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Ravi Shankar, sitar
Prabhati (based on Raga Gunkali)
EMI 67180
2:36

Walton, William: Violin Concerto in B Minor
Andante Tranquillo
Presto Capriccioso Alla Napolitana
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/André Previn; Nigel Kennedy, violin
Prabhati (based on Raga Gunkali)
EMI 67180
17:42

Irving Berlin: “Cheek To Cheek” (excerpt)
Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli, violins
Violin Concerto • Viola Concerto
EMI 49628
1:36

 

Episode 3

Niccolò Paganini: Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 No. 5 in A Minor 
Julia Fischer, violin
Paganini: 24 Caprices
EMI Classics 67237
2:46

Niccolò Paganini: Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 No. 9 in E Major, “La Chasse”
Julia Fischer, violin
Paganini: 24 Caprices
EMI Classics 67237
3:11

Niccolò Paganini: “Le Streghe” (The Witches), Op. 8
Julian Sitkovetsky, violin; Bella Davidovich, piano
The Art Of Yulian Sitkovetsky Vol Iv
Artek 0030
11:23

Felix Mendelssohn: Octet in E-Flat Major, Op. 20, I & III
Jaime Laredo, Alexander Schneider, Arnold Steinhardt & John Dalley, violins;
Michael Tree & Samuel Rhodes, violas; Leslie Parnas, David Soyer cellos
Marlboro Fest 40th Anniversary – Mendelssohn: Symphony No 4
Sony 46251
19:24

Mendelssohn: Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Op. 21
Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment/Charles Mackerras
Symphony No. 4, A Midsummer Night’s Dream 2001
Virgin Classics 61183

11:49

Episode 4

Pablo Sarasate: Zapateado, Op. 23, No. 2
Jascha Heifetz, violin; André Benoist, piano
Jascha Heifetz – The Complete Album Collection
RCA 61732
3:28

Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 Finale: Allegro molto vivace
Jascha Heifetz, violin; Samuel Chotzinoff, piano
Jascha Heifetz – The Complete Album Collection
RCA 61732
4:36

Johannes Brahms: Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8 Allegro
Artur Rubinstein, piano; Jascha Heifetz, violin; Emanuel Feuermann, violoncello
The Heifetz Collection Vol 32
RCA 61763
8:58

Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 63 in G Minor Allegro ben marcato
Boston Symphony Orchestra/Serge Koussevitzky; Jascha Heifetz, violin
Concierto Para Quinteto
RCA 61735
6:32

Grigoraş Dinicu: Hora Staccato
Jascha Heifetz, violin
The Heifetz Collection Volume 3: 1934-1937
RCA 61734
1:53 excerpt

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Pas d’action fr. Swan Lake Act II
Orchestra; Oscar Shumsky, violin
A Life Portrait
Vestige Classics
www.shumskymusic.com
6:02

Ludwig van Beethoven: Concerto for Violin, Op. 61 (excerpts)
Curtis Symphony Orchestra/ Fritz Reiner; Oscar Shumsky, violin
A Life Portrait
Vestige Classics
www.shumskymusic.com
8:15, 4:20

WA. Mozart: Duo for Violin and Viola, K. 424 (excerpt)
Theme and Variation, Andante grazioso

Oscar Shumsky, violin; Eric Shumsky, viola
A Life Portrait
Vestige Classics
www.shumskymusic.com
1:05

Episode 5

Frédéric Chopin: Étude No. 8 in F, Op. 10 (excerpts)
Maurizio Pollini, piano
Chopin: Etudes, Préludes, Polonaises
DG 413794
:51

Frédéric Chopin: Étude No. 8 in F, Op. 10 (excerpts)
Maurizio Pollini, piano
Chopin: Etudes, Préludes, Polonaises
DG 413794
1:17

Chopin: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2, II
Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra/Paolo Bordoni; Garrick Ohlsson, piano
Piano Concertos 1 & 2 = Klavierkonzerte 1 & 2 = Concertos Pour Piano 1 & 2
EMI 62512
9:32

Chopin: Mazurka No. 47 in A Minor, Op. 68 No. 2
Artur Rubinsten, piano
The Five Beethoven Piano Concertos
RCA 5614
2:47

Chopin: Mazurka in C Major, Op. 7 No. 5; Mazurka in E Minor, Op. 41 No 2
Ivan Moravec, piano
Fryderyk Chopin: Scherzi, Etudes, Mazurkas
Dorian 90140
3:28

Chopin: Mazurka No. 44 in C Major, Op. 67 No. 3; Mazurka No. 13 in A Minor, Op. 17 No. 4
William Kapell, piano
Mazurkas
RCA 68990
5:39

Chopin: No. 13 Waltz in D-flat, Op. 70
No. 3 Waltz No. 3 in a minor, Op. 34
No. 2, Grand Valse Brillante Waltz No. 14 in E Minor
Dinu Lipatti, piano
Dinu Lipatti Plays The Chopin Waltzes
Columbia Odyssey 0058
2:08

Chopin: Sonata No. 3 for Piano in B Minor, II.
Rudolf Firkusny, piano
Firkusny Edition
EMI 66066
2:45

Chopin: Ballade No.2 in F, Op. 38
Krystian Zimerman, piano
Chopin Compact Edition – Concerto No 1, Scherzo, Ballade No 2
DG 423090
7:45

Chopin: Étude No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 10 No. 2
Frederic Chiu, piano
Chopin: Twelve Études Op 10, Four Rondos
HM 907201
1:26

Chopin: Étude in F Minor, Op. 25 No. 2
Rudolph Serkin, piano
Rudolf Serkin: His earliest recordings
Archiphon 105
1:24

Chopin: Étude No. 7 in E, Op. 10 No. 7; Étude No. 5 in G-flat, Op. 10 No. 5, “Black Keys”
Maurizio Pollini, piano
Chopin: Etudes, Préludes, Polonaises
DG 413794
3:07