Sibelius: Violin Concerto & Humoresques
Fenella Humphreys (violin), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, George Vass
Humphreys’s playing is a genuine revelation in the way it brings out the music’s dark and introspective qualities, with no shortage of qualities, with no shortage of technical panache meanwhile…[She]...
Sibelius: Violin Concerto & Humoresques
Fenella Humphreys (violin), BBC National Orchestra of Wales, George Vass
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Humphreys’s playing is a genuine revelation in the way it brings out the music’s dark and introspective qualities, with no shortage of qualities, with no shortage of technical panache meanwhile…[She]...
About
Already hailed as his country's foremost composer, Sibelius completed what was to be his only concerto in early 1904, and its spellbinding and instantly recognisable opening can surely be counted amongst the most iconic of any. A virtuosic violinist himself, Sibelius beautifully evokes Finland's natural landscape and ancient folklore, which continues through Sibelius's 1917 work for violin and orchestra – the Six Humoresques – demanding a considerable level of technique. Violinist Fenella Humphreys joins with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor George Vass to present these formidable works with a world premiere recording of a new work for violin and orchestra by the American composer Nors S. Josephson – Celestial Voyage.
Contents and tracklist
Awards and reviews
June 2021
Humphreys’s playing is a genuine revelation in the way it brings out the music’s dark and introspective qualities, with no shortage of qualities, with no shortage of technical panache meanwhile…[She] offers searching and beautifully focused lyrical expression, laser-like accuracy of tuning (in the double-stopped passages remarkably so), plus the wonderful tawny-brown sonority of her choice of Guarneri violin with its gorgeous lower register.
August 2021
Fenella Humphreys wears her virtuosity lightly. She’s one of those very ‘contained’ players whose musicality looks you straight in the eye but never ever draws attention to itself.
