CD Gallery: click on the CD to read the booklet notes

MOSTLY SONATAS

Michael Antonello, violin, Peter Arnstein, piano

“As a violinist myself to sit less than three feet away from the most amazing performer I have ever seen was a true privilege. Michael Antonello plays with an intense energy and passion that has filled me with inspiration. His rendition of Fritz Kreisler‘s music blew me away with its technical brilliance and assurity. Pianist Peter Arnstein‘s performances were marked by a mixture of sensitivity and extreme emotion which was most apparent in his own composition, the quirky Trio Jazzico Nostalgico.”

ThreeWeeks Music Reviews 2003 A-D

The Edinburgh Festival Online - www.unlimitedmedia.cosuk/3weeks/reviews/revm- cad.html

“Antonello is a poetic player.”

Fanfare, September/October 1992

“...a violinist who can...elicit tears, laughter, and a standing ovation."

Grand Rapids Press, April 1994

“…not only is Antonello a joy to listen to, but also to watch, especially when he rises on tiptoes to reach the top notes.”

The Scotsman, (Edinburgh) August 30, 1995

“Antonello is accompanied by an excellent pianist... who has improvised here a marvelous accompaniment to the Leclair sonata...I was enchanted by Arnstein‘s ornate new accompaniment.”

Fanfare, September/October 1992

“The extraordinary physical composure of the Minneapolis-based Peter Arnstein on Friday night was in its way only matched by his formidable technical assurance, his sensitivity, his adroit choice of programme and his versatility.”

The Scotsman, (Edinburgh) August 20, 1985

“If Dr. Arnstein‘s fingers were nimble, his perceptions were crisper still, as he subsequently demonstrated in his harpsichord arrangement of a Vivaldi guitar concerto in D which accumulated an astonishing emotional intensity. Its release came in the pyro-technical brilliance of the concluding Allegro, with its firecracker vivacity and its whizzing scales.”

The Scotsman, Christopher Grier

Franck Sonata

Though a contemporary of Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann and Franz Liszt, the brightest stars of the Romantic Era in Music, all of Franck’s greatest compositions appeared only after they had died, proving that a composer can be a success even if not a child prodigy. This sonata was written in 1886, the year that Liszt died. (He lived the longest of the three greats, Chopin having died in 1849, Schumann in 1856.) Franck was principally an organist, something one would never guess from his violin and piano sonata, which gushes with hot passion and heart-on-one’s-sleeve sentiment; it’s as if he were trying to prove he could write in a completely opposite way to the reserved formality of the organ. Franck was born a Belgian, but he took French citizenship; the sonata was written as a wedding gift for Eugene Ysäye, another Belgian, and himself a composer for the violin, and the dominant violinist of his age. Although he then premiered it and promoted it, he left no recordings of it behind. (Ysäye's historic recordings were made 1912-1914 and have been re-issued on CD.)

Brahms Sonata no. 3 in d minor

The storminess of the third sonata makes a distinct contrast to the lyrical, pastoral nature of the first two. It was begun in 1886, completed in 1888. Brahms had two trusted friends that he sent all his compositions to: the pianist and love of his life, Clara Schumann, and the violinist, Joseph Joachim. If Clara did not approve the composition, it was burned. With Joachim he worked closely on his violin concerto, and Brahms became so inspired with writing for violin, that three violin and piano sonatas soon followed the concerto. Joachim lived longer than either Brahms or Clara Schumann, leaving behind an early recording from 1906 of one of Brahms’ Hungarian dances. Brahms also left behind some fuzzy piano recordings from 1897 made on an Edison wax cylinder.

The thick, intense violin sound, (especially prominent in the second and fourth movements of the third sonata) that Brahms promoted in his violin concerto has become the standard for violin playing today, in fact sponsoring a modern revolt for lighter and smaller vibrato sound in the music of Bach and Mozart. Arnstein has a strong connection to this tradition, through his London teacher, Joan Davies, who studied with Ilona Eibenschutz, who studied with both Clara Schumann and with Brahms. Brahms and Joachim performed the premiere of the sonata in 1888 in Vienna.

Debussy Sonata for violin and piano

In 1915, Debussy’s publisher, Durand, announced Debussy’s grand project of six sonatas for various instruments. It was the middle of World War One, and when he completed the sonata, he signed himself Claude Debussy, French musician. Not only did he feel that his country and culture were under attack, as well as the death in war of many friends, but he himself was also in the midst of a battle with cancer. Of the six sonatas planned, he completed only three before he died: cello and piano; flute, violin, and harp; and this, his final composition, the violin and piano sonata. It was premiered on May 5, 1917. In a letter to a friend, he described it disparagingly as the product of a sick man in wartime.

But in spite of the physical pain and mental anguish the composer was suffering, his sonata is light, airy, full of magic, breathless moments, and incredible electricity and energy. The only hint that it is the product of a sick old man is the striking efficiency and compactness of the composition. It contains as much detail as an hour-long symphony by Mahler, yet lasts less than fifteen minutes.

About The Artists

Michael Antonello and Peter Arnstein recently released their first trio CD as part of Trio di Vita with cellist Scott Adelman, performing the Mendelssohn Trio in d minor, Beethoven’s first piano trio, the Brahms B Major trio, and two premieres by Peter Arnstein: Scottish Fantasy and Trio Jazzico Nostalgico. All the trios were performed to great acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival in 2003. This CD is part of a warm-up for the Edinburgh Festival in 2005, where Michael and Peter will be performing these pieces and more in two full programs (six concerts) from August 16th to August 23rd, at Reid Hall, St. Andrew’s and St. George’s Church, and Cramond Kirk.

Michael Antonello, a native of St. Paul, Minnesota, trained at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and in Bloomington, Indiana with violinist Franco Gulli. He was concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan and the Rochester Symphony. He has also played with the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He and Peter have recorded three CDs which received rave reviews in Fanfare magazine. They have also performed at the Edinburgh Festival together. Michael is chairman of Wealth Management Advisors, which does life insurance and estate planning.

Peter Arnstein has won prizes in various international piano competitions. His first was the Watford Music Festival, in England, where judges heard twenty-two eleven-year-olds in a row play Knecht Ruprecht by Robert Schumann. The next day the judges probably had themselves committed to mental wards, but not before awarding first place to Peter. He has gone on to win prizes in many piano competitions, and in 1992 he won Gold Medal in all categories at the Roodepoort International Composition Competition for his composition: Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Mozart. Dr. Arnstein teaches piano and composition at the St. Paul Conservatory.

About The Violin

Antonio Stradivari, Cremona 1720  “Ex-Rochester”

A major inspiration for this CD and for the burst of concert activity that Michael has engaged in this year is the acquisition of his 1720 Stradivarius. He acquired the violin sight unseen, at the recommendation of James Warren of Kenneth Warren and Sons, a dealer in Chicago. The name Rochester derives from the town of Rochester in England, where it arrived sometime before 1823. It’s provenance can be traced from that time to the present. Because the Ex-Rochester has been possessed mainly by collectors, it is in remarkable condition. The Ex-Rochester was made during Stradivari’s seventy-sixth year. It is so exquisitely crafted that one is awed by the beauty and grace of the instrument. Hill, in his wonderful book about Stradivari, (1902, pages 66-67) marvels at his skill in 1720. This violin is one of the great fruits of his genius.

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BACH UNACCOMPANIED SONATAS AND PARTITAS

What if modes of artistic expression were arranged not by subject, such as music, drama, literature, painting, etc., but by the onstage lifestyle they imposed on the performer? What if one brought together all the lone performers who had nothing but an empty stage and a spotlight to do their thing? Then, all the following could be grouped under one category: Stand-up comedians, mimes, actors in one-man shows, solo a capella singers, and poets. Pianists would fit, but not piano music, which, as it has developed from Bach to composers such as Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and Szymanowski, has come to imitate and resemble that of an orchestra, incorporating harmony, color, and melody. Into the hermetic image of such a lone figure onstage belong the solo works of Bach: three suites for violin, three partitas for violin, six suites for cello, and one suite for flute. Although the music contained in these works bears all the hallmarks of Bach's musical personality, sometimes including polyphony, the striking feature of these works is how alone the music makes the performer appear to the audience. If a Brandenburg concerto is like the field of riches one encounters at a summer arts festival such as Edinburgh's—where one can get one's cultural fix, morning, noon, and night, with a dazzling selection of drama, music, dance, literature, film, art, comedy, and more— a Bach instrumental solo is like a deserted Scottish isle, where one stands on the cliffs, blown about by the cold wind, too strong even for seagulls, observing the rocks and foggy surf down below, out of sight of human habitation or human existence or any life other than a few tough tufts of heather clinging to the rocks, utterly alone. Bach's music in this genre deals almost exclusively with melody; harmony is only implied, never blatant. To achieve such an incredible depth of expression using melody alone makes these works unique in the annals of music. It also makes them dense with musical expression; Johannes Brahms, who made a famous piano transcription of the Chaconne (from Partita No. 2) for left hand alone, wrote to Clara Schumann about the music: On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of ray mind.

Many composers of the past took pride in being proficient in writing for every type of instrumental and vocal combination. Yet solo works such as these are absent from the canon of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and most other major composers. The Belgian violinist Eugene Ÿsaye (1858-1931), who spent his performing life inspiring violin and piano works or violin concertos from other composers, produced six magnificent sonatas of his own for solo violin (and one for cello), all showing inspiration from Bach. The third begins with the opening to Bach's E major partita, and it turns into a mad fantasy on it, in fact titled Obsession. Each of his sonatas is dedicated to a different violinist, and fitted to their style of playing. The third sonata, titled Ballade, is perhaps the only piece in the entire literature which, in its ability to project extremes of passion, could be compared to Bach's Chaconne. The Chaconne and the E major Prelude are frequently performed by themselves, and both have benefited (or suffered) from being transcribed for other instruments. Busoni's transcription of the Chaconne for piano, is markedly inferior to the original, though Horowitz and others have performed it. On the other hand, Rachmaninoff's transcription of the E major Prelude is a wonderful piece, beginning in the style of Bach and ending in the style of Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), resulting in a vast and magical two-century metamorphosis, compacted and reduced to the space of a mere five minutes. The Ÿsaye works are the only ones which could be considered to have the depth of feeling and range of emotion of Bach's works. With the exception of the Prokofiev Sonata, the Paganini Caprices, and possibly Reger's third cello sonata, no other works in this medium have come remotely close to such lasting popularity. This is a partial list of instrumental solo music for which recordings are available:

Bach composed his solo violin works between 1703 and 1720. He worked briefly in Weimar with an older composer, Joahnn Westhoff, who published partitas for solo violin, showing Bach the possibilities for composing in this form. No one knows who, if anyone, performed these works publicly during Bach's lifetime. Bach himself was more than capable, having received far more training on the violin than on the organ or the harpsichord, even though he eventually became known as a virtuoso on those two keyboard instruments.

MICHAEL ANTONELLO, VIOLIN

Michael Antonello attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia as a student of Joseph Brodsky, followed by studies at Indiana University, where he worked with violinist Franco Gulli. He was also engaged as an orchestral and chamber musician at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York. Following his studies, he was appointed concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony. In addition, he has served as concertmaster of the orchestras of the Aspen Festival and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota, and held temporary tenures with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St, Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Mr. Antonello has recently been the featured soloist of the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony, Milano Classica, the Romanian Philharmonic, and St. Petersburg's State Capella Orchestra. Antonello has also performed extensively in recital with pianist Peter Arnstein, including regular performances at the Edinburgh Festival. Together they have recorded seven CDs.

Mr. Antonello has recorded many violin concertos, including the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch no. I and the Scottish Fantasy, Mozart no. 1, 3,1, & 5, Sibelius, Glazunov, Tchaikovsky, Vieuxtemps no. 5, Bach (The E major, a minor, and Double), Dvoràk, Saint-Saëns no. 3, Chausson's Poeme, and the Vivaldi 4 Seasons. He also recently finished recording all of Bach's works for solo violin.

In 2009 he co-founded the Southern Tuscany International Festival of Music, Literature, Food, and Wine.

Performing on his newly obtained 1742 Guarneri del Gesù, Antonello proves he can play with the best and earn a place at their table. He imbues his performances with considerably more emotion than Heifitz … the sweetness of his tone … and his open sincerity impress this listener … contending for top honors with every single note. His contagious enthusiasm is the reason his interpretation surpasses that of Itzhak Perlman … Poème is just the right hype of composition for Antonello's talent; it takes instinct and expression of emotion. That is what he does best, and he does it without pulling the score out of shape.

Maria Nockin - Fanfare, March/April, 2012, (review of Sibelius and Saint-Säens concertos, and Chausson's Poeme)

CARA MIA ANTONELLO

Cara Mia Antonello held the position of Principal Second Violin with The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1982-1997. Prior to her St. Louis tenure. Ms. Antonello spent five years with The Hague Philharmonic in The Netherlands, also as Principal of the second violin section. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Antonello studied with Dorothy DeLay at both the Juilliard School in. New York and the Aspen Music Festival. She also served as Concertmaster in festival orchestras conducted by Yehudi Menhuin and Aaron Copland, and is a grand prize winner of the prestigious WAMSO competition.

Ms. Antonello has been featured as a soloist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, The Hague Philharmonic, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Saint Louis Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, and many other regional orchestras around the country.

Ms. Antonello's chamber music experience includes performing and touring throughout Europe with the Resident Quartet of The Hague Philharmonic and frequent string quartet performances on WQXR, New York. As a member of the Webster University faculty, she led the Webster Piano Trio in performances throughout the Midwest.

Her extensive teaching experience includes appointments at Washington University, St. Louis University, the St. Louis Symphony Music School. Webster University, and Southern Illinois University. Recently, Cara Mia has been on the jury of major violin competitions, including the prestigious Wteniawski competition in Poznan, Poland and the Sion-Valai competition in Switzerland. She currently maintains a private studio, coaching both chamber music and orchestral repertoire for auditioning candidates. 

NOTE FROM THE VIOLINIST:

This project was recorded in three different acoustic spaces from July 2011 to June 2012. I am grateful for the tireless work and commitment of my sister Cara Mia Antonello, she is a great violinist who spent countless hours listening to and editing these complicated works. I would also like to acknowledge our sound engineers Tom Mudge, and Ryan Albrecht of Senyah Sound who were dedicated to getting the best sound quality from each space.

The polyphonic genius and beauty of Bach's music manifests best within a very simple formula - play all of the notes with a beautiful sound, excellent intonation (pitch), and relentless steady rhythm. This is difficult to accomplish. The musical expression must be made within these restricted parameters, so that is the challenge. Sonata #1 and Sonata #3 were recorded at St. Paul's Church in Chicago. The 1st, 2nd, and 4th movements of the d Minor Partita were recorded at The Hemingway Museum in Oak Park Heights, Chicago and everything else was recorded at the Unitarian Church of Mahtomedi, MN. The best recording acoustic was St. Paul's Church, it is a classic rectangular space like most of the best halls in the world. The natural reverberation in the hall does not boomerang all the way back and on top of the violin, but rather a bubble is created in which the greatness of the del Gesu violin sound is evident. The wonderful acoustic helps the result in this challenging music. 

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BACH VIOLIN CONCERTOS

Residing in Leipzig since 1723, in 1729 Bach became director of the Collegium Musicum, which had been founded by his colleague, Georg Phillip Telemann. At that time there was no such thing as a public concert. The Collegium Musicum was a private society started by university students who were active musically. They performed two-hour concerts twice weekly in a coffeehouse. Bach’s violin concertos were probably written for and performed at those concerts.

By the time Bach joined the Collegium Musicum, he had written a huge number of church cantatas, far more than would ever be needed for all the church services of the year. The Collegium Musicum thus represented an opportunity which he had never had before, of composing not out of obligation but for fun—even if he had to write out every orchestral part himself, which he did, unless he could corral one or another of his numerous sons to do the tedious job. The musicians who played his concertos and solo pieces for violin must have been of very high caliber. (Bach himself had plenty of instruction on the violin, but none on keyboard, even though he became famous as an organ and harpsichord virtuoso.) But what especially stands out in the concertos, especially the one in E Major, is the overwhelming sense of vitality and bubbly, unquenchable joyfulness. Just as Mozart’s operas were written for specific singers, Bach must have had particular violinists in mind, and he wrote to suit them. Both their names and the precise dates of the performances have been lost to history.

The time and effort he spent arranging the programs of the Collegium Musicum soon produced chastisement from his church employers; he was neglecting his teaching duties, sometimes abandoning them. But chamber music was so much more fun! And he got to escape, for awhile, the petty politics of his church committees, the bane of his existence.

However, he eventually brought everything he learned from his experiments with the Collegium Musicum into his church music, which he never ceased writing. His sons, also, felt it was felicitous to have their own experiences in the society on their resumes, when they applied later for music jobs. The Bach Double Concerto may first have been played by Bach’s two oldest sons; with Bach conducting from the harpsichord, this concerto would have been a true family affair. Unlike nineteenth-century concertos, which often depict a battle between soloist and orchestra, the Double is almost nothing but congeniality and cooperation between the parts, and one has to dig deeply to find a trace of sibling rivalry or other psychological dissonance described, if it is there at all. Woody Allen, however, heard enough intensity and strife in the melodic material itself to use the first movement in his movie, Hannah and her Sisters, introducing the first antagonist, the younger sister who would embark on an affair with the husband of her sister Hannah, upsetting the family's happy applecart, so to speak.

It was in the concerts of the Collegium Musicum that Bach became well-acquainted with the concertos of Antonio Vivaldi, undoubtedly including The Seasons, which are also recorded by Antonello. Much speculation has been written on the influence of Vivaldi on Bach, but there is no absolute proof of what this influence was. The speculation is based on a statement Bach made to one of his sons, that Vivaldi "taught him how to think musically.” This statement is intriguing, because all of Bach's music, even that from his formative years, is of very high quality, and second, the consensus of the ages has always been that Bach is the greater composer.

Christoff Wolff, professor at Harvard, has written a long essay on the subject, and on what Bach’s surprising statement might refer to. Bach spent his entire life studying and transcribing other composers’ music, with special study devoted to the Vivaldi violin concerti. Bach transcribed many of Vivaldi's violin concertos for solo harpsichord, so he could study them at his leisure. Bach recognized that the initial musical ideas which launch each of Vivaldi’s compositions drive the entire musical composition; everything grows and develops out of that first idea, and subsequent ideas gave birth to more ideas, and so forth and so on, and the listener can hear and feel that they only work in that order. In contrast, the musical ideas of vocal music unfold in the order that is determined by the words and story, and not the purely musical ideas. This particular type of writing, where the ideas generated are purely musical (as opposed to ideas from lyrics), made for a great change in the history of music. From then on, instrumental music, as opposed to vocal music, would dominate the musical scene and the composers who could best manipulate purely musical ideas would be considered the greats. This was a change from before, when the ability to put words to music (principally biblical texts) was considered the greatest test of talent. Bach felt that this change in musical history, which he desired to be part of, was set in motion by Vivaldi.

The Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068, came to be known as the Air on the G String after the movement was transposed and rearranged for solo violin with piano or orchestra. Bach composed his four Orchestral Suites when working for Prince Leopold in Köthen, who preferred secular works to the church music that Bach was accustomed to writing. The Air is the first piece of Bach’s ever to be recorded, in 1902 with cellist Aleksandr Verzhbilovich and an unknown pianist. Here it has been re-arranged by Peter Arnstein for solo violin and string orchestra, back to the original key of D Major

 — Notes by Peter Arnstein

Michael Antonello, Violin

Before launching an international solo and recording career American-born violinist Michael Antonello attended the legendary Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia followed by studies at Indiana University. There he worked with concert violinist Franco Gulli until his appointment as concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony. He also has served as concertmaster of an orchestra at the famed Aspen Music Festival, and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota. He held a temporary tenure with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has been featured as a soloist with the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony, Chelsea Symphony, Milano Classica, Romanian Philharmonic, and St. Petersburg’s “State Capella Orchestra”. Antonello has also performed extensively in recital with pianist Peter Arnstein. They have seven CD's to their credit. These CDs include much of the standard Sonata Repertoire, as well as favorite violin showpieces. Mr. Antonello has recorded many violin concertos including the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bunch with conductor Philip Greenberg and the National Orchestra of the Ukraine. They have also recorded Mozart Concertos No. 3 and No. 5 with the Milano Classica Orchestra. He and conductor Richard Haglund have performed concerts in Chicago, St. Petersburg Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. Michael Antonello co-founded the Southern Tuscany International Festival of Music, Literature, Food, and Wine.

Michael Antonello plays on his 1742 Guarneri del Gesu, the Ex-Benno Rabinof made in the last four years of the maker’s life. There are only 25 violins from this period. They are rare and sought after for their power and unique tonal characteristics.

Richard Haglund, Music Director and Conductor

An engaging communicator of exceptional warmth and energy, conductor Richard A. Haglund is the founder and Music Director of the Erato Chamber Orchestra in Chicago. He is often in demand as a guest conductor, performer and clinician.

As a guest conductor, Maestro Haglund has lead professional ensembles in America and around the globe. These include the Camerata Chamber Orchestra in Cluj , Romania, the St. Petersburg Hermitage Orchestra in Russia, the Varna Philharmonic and Grabovo Chamber Orchestra in Bulgaria, Cappella Orchestra in St. Petersburg Russia and the National Chamber Orchestra of Moldova in Chisinau. Recently he was invited for a second appearance with the Bantul Philharmonic Orchestra in Romania. This summer he led performances in the Southern Tuscany Festival of Music in Italy. Haglund’s diverse experience includes Pops Conductor for the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra's summer season, Assistant Conductor of the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and the Bard Community Chorus. This past summer he conducted the Broadway reading preview of “Song of Solomon” in New York City.

A native of Minnesota, Maestro Haglund received his musical training on Percussion and Piano. Haglund holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota and a Masters degree in Orchestral Conducting from Bard College Conservatory of Music where he studied with Harold Farberman and Leon Botstein. In addition to his conducting degree, he has studied composition with world-renowned composer Joan Tower at Bard Conservatory in New York.

Maestro Haglund has studied conducting throughout the world with numerous teachers, most notably Gustav Meier, Paul Vermel, Larry Rachleff, William Jones, Emil Aluas and Philip Greenberg. His previous appointments include Music Director and conductor of the Heartland Symphony (MN), Northeast Orchestra (MN), and Sangamon Valley Youth and Community Orchestra (IL). He served as assistant conductor of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra for several seasons and visited thousands of elementary students every year in his outreach activities.

Erato Chamber Orchestra

The Erato Chamber Orchestra is comprised of Chicago’s finest musicians who have a common affection for making and sharing music. The ensemble’s programs are devoted to both classical and contemporary repertoire that is not ordinarily played by large symphony orchestras. Their name is inspired by the Greek goddess Erato, who is the Muse of Lyric Poetry. The orchestra's style is characterized by a warm sound and virtuosic talent combined with an infectious enjoyment of the pleasure of making music.

Ruggero Allifranchini, Violin

Ruggero Allifranchini is the Associate Concertmaster of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Concertmaster of the Mostly Mozart festival orchestra in New York. He was born into a musical household in Milan, Italy and raised on a diverse musical diet, ranging from Beethoven to John Coltrane. He studied at the New School in Philadelphia with Jascha Brodsky and later at the Curtis Institute of Music, studying with Szymon Goldberg and chamber music with Felix Galimir. He was the recipient of the Diploma d’Onore from the Chigiana Academy in Siena, Italy. In 1989, he co-founded the Borromeo String Quartet, with which he played exclusively for eleven years.

As a chamber musician of diverse repertoire and styles, Allifranchini is a frequent guest artist of the Chamber Music Societies of Boston and Lincoln Center, as well as chamber music festivals in Seattle, Vancouver, and El Paso, among many others. He is the violinist of the trio Nobilis, with pianist and former SPCO Artistic Partner Stephen Prutsman and cellist Suren Bagratuni. Nobilis has performed chamber music as well as solos with orchestras in Europe, South America, and South Africa as well as North America.

Allifranchini plays on the “Fetzer” violin made by Antonio Stradivari in 1694, which is on loan to him from the Stradivari Society of Chicago.

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BRAHMS SONATAS

ANTONELLO / ARNSTEIN DUO

Violinist Michael Antonello and pianist/composer Peter Arnstein have performed together for more than 25 years. Their five CDs, Stradivarius and Steinway, Stradivarius and Steinway II, Salut d’Amour, Moslty Sonatas, Poeme and Back to Back have all received critical acclaim. They have also appeared three times at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where Arnstein has also appeared several times as a solo pianist and harpsichordist. Besides frequent concerts in the Midwest, they have done two tours of Italy. In 2003, they went to Scotland as part of the piano trio, Trio di Vita, with cellist Scott Adelman, and released a trio CD of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, and two world premieres by Arnstein.

BRAHMS

The seminal and traumatic experience of  Brahms’ life—the slow and tragic death of his mentor and teacher, Robert Schumann (1810-1856)—left a permanent mark on him and his music, and contributed to his lifelong bachelor status. It also stoked a growing desire to lead, more and more, the life of a lone scholar (without interest in seeking a university post), relying on a tiny and shrinking group of friends for their reaction to and constructive criticism of his music. This was unusual, considering his enormous success as a composer and performer.

The center of  Brahms’ little circle and his towering musical inspiration was Robert Schumann, but after Schumann died it was largely limited to Robert’s wife, famous pianist Clara Schumann (1819-1896), and violinist and composer Joseph Joachim (1831-1907). When Joachim gave up composing later in life, Brahms felt that Joachim was no longer helpful, leaving him only Clara.

Brahms, a native of Hamburg, came to the Schumanns in Düsseldorf at age twenty with a letter of recommendation from Joachim. Just as Schumann had launched Chopin's and Berlioz’s careers with rave reviews in a newspaper for new music (Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, cofounded by Schumann himself), he helped start  Brahms' career by writing in a review that Brahms was “destined to give ideal expression to the times.”

Brahms may have been originally attracted to the Schumanns because they seemed more in line with his lower-class ancestry and the opposite of Franz Liszt (for whom he also auditioned) and Richard Wagner, with whom he was uncomfortable because of their perceived pretensions to royalty.

Soon Brahms became not only Robert Schumann’s favorite pupil, but also babysitter and member of the family. It was a complete surprise when, only one year later, Schumann (suffering from late-stage syphilis and not from any mental illness, as was once thought) threw himself off a bridge and was committed to an asylum. Clara’s feeling for what Robert then went through for the next two years is shown when, twenty-five years later, she wrote of her son Felix dying in an insane asylum, describing it as the experience of being buried alive.

In the asylum, Robert Schumann continued to compose, to write letters to Clara, and to take long walks with Brahms, during which they discussed all manner of profound musical topics, as before. About eight months before his death in 1856, Robert Schumann appeared to be in remission, and hope grew that he would return home. It was not to be.

 Brahms’ personality from the beginning was that of a scholarly introvert, whose sometimes unexpectedly brusque manner often made him seem unsociable. An example of Brahms’ dry and hardly ingratiating wit is an anecdote about him trying out one of his cello and piano sonatas with a young cellist. Brahms kept playing louder and louder, until the cellist stopped to complain that he couldn't hear himself. “Lucky you,” Brahms replied.

Paradoxically, despite  Brahms’ inability to make easy conversation, his chamber music is dominated by brilliant conversation, especially in these three violin and piano sonatas, as the themes are passed back and forth between the instruments, each speaker—sometimes waiting until the other is done, sometimes unable to resist jumping in as an interruption—gaining energy, inspiration, and passion from the other, until the music almost explodes in a whirlwind, or dies in high-drama tragedy.

After Robert Schumann’s commitment, Clara decided—in order to support her family—to restart her piano performing career; it had been put on hold while she’d had one child after another during the Schumanns’ ten-year marriage. Brahms at the age of twenty enjoyed filling in as a father figure to the children and organizer of the household. Such intimate involvement in the household and proximity to Clara gave him the opportunity to fall in love with her, although she was fourteen years his senior. They hid all evidence of their attachment in public, and it can only be guessed at from the few surviving letters.

A few days before Robert’s end, Brahms finally brought Clara to the asylum, to reunite Robert and Clara after the long, two-year separation. Brahms wrote “Surely I will never again experience anything as moving as the reunion of Robert and Clara. At first he lay for a long time with eyes closed, and she knelt before him, more calmly than one would believe possible But after a while he recognized her, and also on the next day. Of course he had been unable to speak for some time already. One could understand (or perhaps imagine one did) only disconnected words. Even that must have made her happy. He often refused the wine that was offered him, but from her finger he sometimes sucked it up eagerly, at such length and so passionately that one knew with certainty that he recognized the finger.” Their friend Joachim arrived just four hours before Schumann died. The young  Brahms’ growing love for Clara (and possibly a sense of guilt) can be seen in the salutations of the few surviving letters (mostly from Brahms to Clara) from the time of her separation from Robert:

“Dear Frau Schumann,. Honoured Lady! Esteemed Lady; Most revered lady; Dearest Friend;” (When Brahms wrote to Robert Schumann in the asylum at this time, he began the letter with “Most beloved friend”) “Dear Frau Schumann” (this came a few days after his letter to Robert Schumann) “Dearest friend; Deeply, loved friend; Ever lovely, lofty lady; My most beloved friend; On the evening a full moon was promised for us, Beloved frau Clara; My dear Clara, My beloved Clara—I wish I could write to you as tenderly as I love you, and give as much kindness and goodness as I wish for you. You are so infinitely dear to me that I can't begin to tell you. I constantly want to call you darling and all kinds of other things, without becoming tired of adoring you. If this goes on, I will eventually have to keep you under glass, or save money to have you gilded.”

After Schumann’s death Brahms withdrew from Clara, hurting her feelings; it is likely that he understood that she wanted no more children. She had been pregnant almost every year of her ten-year marriage to Robert. However, her children later related their opinion that if Brahms had ever proposed, she would have accepted. Their friendship continued on a more mother-and-son basis (Joachim himself, in a letter to Liszt, said that Robert Schumann had loved Brahms like a son), with frequent squabbles, which they always managed to patch up. Clara promoted Brahms’ piano works in performances all over Europe just as she had once promoted Robert’s. She also performed the violin sonatas with Joachim.

 Brahms’ ease of working with independent voices in his violin and piano sonatas comes from his extensive scholarly studies. He became editor of a many composer anthologies at a time when Germany was turning them out at a great pace. In fact, this makes Brahms a modern composer, in that he had to deal with what would be the main influence on composition in the twentieth century—music history. As composers began to attain college music degrees, they became afflicted with college libraries containing the complete works of all the major composers. Nothing so overwhelming ever hindered Mozart or Beethoven, who knew mostly music of their contemporaries plus a few works by Bach.

Besides collecting music for his own study, Brahms at first edited individual pieces, then joined the editorial board that put out the complete editions of Handel, Mozart, Schubert, and Schumann. The numerous notes he made in the margins of these collections, especially those of Bach, show how eagerly he studied them. After such an exhaustive immersion in other composers’ music, it’s a miracle he was able to come up with anything original.

Embarrassingly, for such a well-educated man and in spite of great efforts, Brahms failed to learn French or Italian, and never felt comfortable anywhere but German-speaking lands (he lived in Vienna). This kept him from visiting either Britain, where every other successful musician (including Clara) was touring, or, later in the nineteenth century, America.

After Robert Schumann’s death,  Brahms’ works became far more characterized by resignation and longing, nostalgia, and sadness. This can certainly be heard in the three violin and piano sonatas, which were written long after the earlier Sonatensatz, (sonata movement, originally meant to be part of a multi-composer sonata, but ultimately published by itself) which is full of youthful vigor and innocence.

The standard violin and piano sonata had been an extremely popular form for home entertainment, for men and women to court each other socially. (The stereotype from Mozart’s time was of the man playing the violin and the woman at the piano.) This gave the form a hint of romance, which Brahms would have been well aware of and may have used to represent his and Clara’s love.

Violin and piano sonatas were one of the few forms of music to be a source of profit for music publishers since the time of Mozart and Beethoven. But Brahms’ violin and piano works are far too difficult for amateurs, and they represent not just a virtuosic but a musical tour de force, full of drama and passion, but with little of the humor or lightness of spirit which can be found in the Mozart and Beethoven sonatas, unless that lightness is tempered by nostalgia or ennui. Brahms knew that, in order to sell his beloved chamber music—the form of music he worked hardest on and held closest to his heart -he needed to establish himself with an orchestral work. For a long time he relied on the success of his German Requiem; despite his own attempts and the urging of friends, he was never able to write an opera. Brahms was always aware, and sometimes frustrated, that his own music was so serious in mood. But in the violin and piano sonatas, the seriousness is countered with many opportunities for warm, luscious sound from both instruments.

Despite their strong disagreements over editorial decisions in the complete Schumann edition they cooperated on, Brahms kept sending his works to Clara for her approval, up until her death in 1896. An example of the kind of formidable musician she was can be seen in an anecdote from a Frankfurt party in 1881 from the memoir of a friend: “Clara Schumann and Brahms had agreed to play a four-hand pianoforte arrangement of  Brahms’ Tragic Overture, a work which had then just been published. Before sitting down, Brahms took aside Marie Wurm, a pupil of Clara Schumann, who had asked her to turn the pages, and said to her ‘When you come to page four you must be careful to turn two pages instead of one, because in this copy two have been printed twice by mistake.’ At the crucial moment, Clara Schumann, startled and angry, hastily turned back the page and thus avoided a breakdown. At the end she turned on Marie Wurm and reproached her for what she took to be carelessness, upon which the young girl burst into tears, explaining that she had acted under orders. Thereupon Clara Schumann scolded Brahms, saying, ‘Johannes, how could you do such a thing?’ ‘Never mind, Clara,’ answered Brahms, ‘I only wanted to see whether you knew it all by heart already’ Obviously, she did.”

Her last concert performance, in 1891, was of a two piano version of  Brahms’ Haydn Variations.

The last movement of the first violin and piano sonata was Clara’s favorite, and she asked to have it played at her funeral. (Brahms died eight months later, having ceased composing.)

Like many of the melodies in  Brahms’ violin and piano sonatas, the main tune in the last movement of the first sonata is taken from one of Brahms’ own songs, Regenlied. Clara referred often in letters to Brahms to this melody, calling it “my theme.” The motive is itself derived from the opening of one of Robert Schumann's greatest piano works, Davidsbündlertänze (Dances of the League of David), which represents David's little gang (as in David vs. Goliath) as underdogs, in this case Robert and Clara—with Brahms and Joachim later added—against the world. Robert Schumann made sure to note in the first published edition that the opening two measures were a “motto by Clara Wieck” (her maiden name). So the melody in Clara’s favorite of Brahms sonatas was onginally by Clara herself, and comes from her Mazurka op. 6 no. 5 Thus when Clara played the sonata with Joachim, she completed the circle she had been a part of most of her life, from Clara, to Robert, to Brahms, and back again to Clara.

NOTES FROM THE VIOLINIST:

This is likely the last CD that I will produce. At age 61, the practice demands combined with other life responsibilities have made it impossible for me to continue in this way and maintain the required high standards. Peter Arnstem and I have been a duo for more than 25 years. I am extremely fortunate to have had an artist of his magnitude and a gentle, kind friend whose personality never distracted from the challenges of learning and performing and recording this great repertoire. It has been a wild and unlikely career for both of us. Thank you, Peter.

This is the least challenging disc that we have ever produced, in that the Brahms sonatas were all previously recorded separately. At age 44, for sonata no. 1 in G Major, my vibrato was fast and consistent, and this recording (on my 'Spanish' Stradivanus) of a piece which perfectly suits me is one of the best recordings Peter and I have made. Russ Borud, the engineer, always produced a warm, engaging sound using analog technology. Sonatas 2 and 3 were recorded on the 1720 Ex-Rochester Stradivarius.

The second movement from Sonata no. 2 is one of the great examples of Sehnsucht, one of my favorite German words, which expresses the tension of man's heavenward reach toward perfect resolution in the divine, but has all the tension of near resolution, which is as close as we can get in this life—the pain of life, love, the pursuit of excellence, happiness, the raising of children, and work. This glorious composition causes one to reflect and dream "Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me, where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow- -why, oh why can't I?” (Lyrics by Yip Harburg)

- Michael Antonello

NOTES FROM THE PIANIST:

It has been a thrill to play these Brahms sonatas, written after his violin concerto, relatively late in his life; the exhilaration goes beyond equivalent works by Beethoven or Mozart. In Beethoven, one is always aware that many of his violin and piano works don't have quite the polish or passion of his piano sonatas, symphonies, and string quartets, and in Mozart, the sonatas either lack attention to the possibilities of the two instruments that he showed in his violin or piano concertos, or lack the more expansive expression of his operas. In contrast, Brahms seems to have poured everything he had into these sonatas; they are in no way inferior to anything else he wrote. Similarly, Mike's Brahms interpretations reflect years of fermentation—making it all the more rewarding to have played and recorded these gems with him.

 Brahms' piano parts in his instrumental sonatas make strange and awkward demands upon the hands. I struggled with them in college, and I could never have made a CD like this until I studied the two piano concertos; in conquering those, everything else by Brahms became technically far easier, which meant I could immerse myself entirely in the music; and the ocean of ideas that Brahms has here committed to paper is large enough to swim in forever.

- Peter Arnstein

MICHAEL ANTONELLO, VIOLIN

Before launching an international solo and recording career, American-born Michael Antonello attended both the Curtis Institute and Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he worked with Franco Gulli. He has served as concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony, an orchestra in Aspen, and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota. He also held temporary tenure with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has soloed with the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony, the Chelsea Symphony, Milano Classica, the Romanian Philharmonic, and St. Petersburg's State Capella Orchestra. He has toured extensively in recital with pianist Peter Arnstein; they have seven CD's to their credit.

Mr. Antonello has recorded many violin concertos including Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch g minor, Bruch Scottish Fantasy, Dvoràk, Vieuxtemps, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Saint-Saëns no. 3, and Glazunov with conductor Philip Greenberg and the National Orchestra of the Ukraine; and Mozart concertos No. 3 and No. 5 with Milano Classica. Antonello and conductor Richard Haglund have recorded the two Bach violin concertos, the Bach double, and Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the Erato Chamber Orchestra. A recent recording of the complete solo violin works of Bach has garnered a rave review from Gramophone: This is the kind of honest, decent playing that Bach must have heard in his mind when he wrote his music for solo violin. reflective, reminiscent, feeling the instrument surge under his hands…deeply personal … [Antonello] chisels out of the score an energy and passion that create a hypnotic melisma.

PETER ARNSTEIN, PIANO

Dr. Arnstein is well known in the Twin Cities area as a pianist and composer. He has often served as pianist and harpsichordist with the Minnesota Orchestra, and has accompanied many members of the Twin Cities' two main orchestras and college music faculties. A winner of international competitions in both composition and piano, he has toured the Midwest as pianist and composer-in-residence for the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble and currently teaches at the St Paul Conservatory of Music and the Evergreen School for the Arts in Edina. He has performed many times at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, as both piano soloist and harpsichord soloist. His CDs include programs from his own solo piano concerts, including Live from Edinburgh, Live from Illinois, and Hypnotico (British Columbia), as well as numerous CDs of his own compositions.

He received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his Master's from the University of Illinois-Urbana, and his Bachelor's from the Manhattan School of Music. His music is published by Manduca Music Publications in the United States and by Spartan Press in Europe.

He also writes liner notes for music CDs, science articles for ehow.com, classical music articles for examiner.com, and, in his spare time, short stories and novels.

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TRIO DI VITA

Trio di Vita - Debut

Trio di Vita’s debut recording celebrates its triumphant success at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival, where it performed all the music on this album in six concerts at St. Cecilia’s Hall and Reid Hall at the University of Edinburgh. Two works written for the occasion by composer Peter Arnstein were premiered at that event, and they receive their recorded premieres here.

Michael Antonello and Peter Arnstein have performed at the Festival several times, to great critical acclaim; much of their violin and piano repertoire has been recorded on MJA recordings.

Trio di Vita sprang into existence in the Spring of 2003, when violinist Antonello called up his old boyhood friend, cellist Scott Adelman, now residing in New Jersey, and asked him to come perform trios at the Edinburgh Festival. Though they hadn’t played together in twenty-odd years and were now conveniently separated by a thousand miles (Rehearse? How? In a plane?), in a split second of lunacy, Scott said yes.

Mr. Adelman was a late blooming child prodigy, starting cello lessons at the ripe old age of thirteen, but he made up for lost time by learning most of the cello repertoire in two years, performing his debut with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra at age fifteen.

At age seventeen he was accepted into the most exclusive music school in the United States, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and he also took master classes with cellists Gregor Piatigorgsky, Janos Starker, and Leonard Rose.

While at Curtis, Scott began to indulge his lifelong interest in flying. By eighteen he had his commercial pilot’s license, and worked as a pilot full-time at age twenty. Captain Adelman has been flying all over the world for Continental Airlines for eighteen years, and has performed cello and piano concerts all over the U.S.A. He also substitutes frequently with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and even conducted it a few years ago.

Michael Antonello also trained at Curtis, was concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony and the Rochester Symphony in Minnesota, and has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra. His three CDs with Peter Arnstein received rave reviews in Fanfare Magazine, he is beginning a project to record the complete Beethoven and Brahms sonatas, and he is well on his way to recording all the charming Viennese works of his idol, violinist and composer Fritz Kreisler. When he manages to put down his 1720 Stradivarius (a difficult thing for him to do), Michael is chairman of Wealth Management Advisors, a life insurance and estate planning firm.

Peter Arnstein earned his doctorate in piano from the University of Wisconsin- Madison and currently teaches at the St. Paul Conservatory of Music. He has won prizes in several international piano competitions, the first being the Watford Music Festival in England, where judges heard 22 eleven-year-olds each play Knecht Ruprecht by Schumann. The next day the judges all had themselves committed to mental institutions, but not before awarding first place to Peter. In 1992 he won Gold Medal in all categories at the Roodepoort International Composition Competition for his Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Mozart. In between he became a well-known chamber musician in Minneapolis, performing with many members of the Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has performed solo concerts in the U.S.A. and Great Britain on both piano and harpsichord, and has composed more than a hundred chamber music works. In his spare time he writes romantic-suspense novels and constructs model railroad empires in his basement.

All the trios on this recording represent the composers’ first efforts in the genre, with Beethoven trying especially hard to put his best foot forward, as it was his first published composition, at age twenty-three. Mendelssohn was an old hand at chamber music by this point, having long ago startled the music world with perhaps the most beloved chamber music piece of all time, the Octet, written at age sixteen. Brahms’s trio is both a young work and an old one, extensively revised in his sixties.

Trio Jazzico Nostalgico was written especially for Trio di Vita, filling a gaping hole in the repertoire, being both short and a little more light-hearted than the other three full-throated trios.

Scottish Fantasy is inspired both by the rhythms and bowings of the old Scottish fiddler Niels Gow, and by an old Scottish tune, Hey Johnny Kobe, as it was sung by Gordon Jackson in the movie, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The Scottish Fantasy is more virtuosic than the other works, and it also provides more of a showcase for the cello talents of Mr. Adelman, who is incapable of playing anything but “Scott”-ish music.

Trio di Vita looks forward to more performances in St. Paul, Philadelphia, and Edinburgh, and is working on a new recording of Schubert and Brahms.

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TCHAIKOVSKY - GLAZUNOV VIOLIN CONCERTOS

TCHAIKOVSKY VIOLIN CONCERTO

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 -1893) was extraordinarily lucky in his depression. For years he’d been pondering marriage as a way to prevent the news of his homosexuality from spreading to his sponsors among the Russian nobility. When a female college student, a stranger, wrote to him expressing her overpowering love, he decided his prayers had been answered. But in spite of being a full-time music student, she had never heard a note of Tchaikovsky’s music, which was odd, because he was already a star, as well as a teacher at the Moscow Conservatoire; she had developed a crush on him entirely from glimpsing him at school. Within days of a hastily arranged wedding (he proposed the day after they met), he felt he could no longer hide his exploding antipathy toward her, of which she remained clueless. In Moscow he met her family and despised them on sight. In these situations, when he was unhappy and uncomfortable, his usual recourse was to ask a friend in another city to send a telegram stating that he was urgently needed elsewhere. He was soon on his way out of Russia, never to see her again, though he always supported her financially.

Despondent over the entire affair, which he now viewed as one colossal mistake (no biographer seems to care about the feelings of Tchaikovsky’s wife), he wondered what to do with himself, and how to force his mind back into composing. Nadezhda von Meek, who had recently made herself his benefactress and was the wife of a wealthy railroad magnate, came to Tchaikovsky’s rescue. She had always been in love with Tchaikovsky’s music but had refused to meet him, afraid that the man in the flesh might puncture the picture that his music had conjured in her mind. During the following decade of her support, they kept up a voluminous correspondence with each other, revealing intimate details of their lives and feelings. (When her fortune finally dried up, so did his letters.) Tchaikovsky had hardly been doing poorly before this van Meek fairy godmother came into the picture. He already had one servant, who was able to cook only one dish, cabbage-soup and groats. But Tchaikovsky was well satisfied with this, needing no more stimulation than his own talent. Von Meek was a luxury.

In his postnuptial mood of dejection, Tchaikovsky asked von Meek for money to travel. While his salary at the Moscow Conservatoire continued, Tchaikovsky played hooky and fled to Berlin, then Paris. (He sent his wife to his sister’s house to be supervised, to make sure she didn’t spill the beans over what kind of man her husband was.) He continued on to Lake Geneva; after his brother joined him there, he decided Italy was the place to be. He visited Florence for two days, then Rome. After a couple of weeks, and having had his fill of statues, he arrived in Venice. Nine days later came Vienna. What a wonderful way to buck one’s spirits back up! Five weeks more in San Remo, Italy, then Pisa, back to Florence, finally settling in the small Swiss village of Clarens, where Stravinsky would write his Rite of Spring, 35 years later. To support all these travels, Tchaikovsky needed numerous infusions of money, and von Meek obliged with each request. If only all sufferers of depression could be so lucky! Von Meek could not really afford these extra subsidies, but when she was told that Tchaikovsky had rejected his wife and the marriage was a sham, she was overjoyed —she would remain the only woman that Tchaikovsky would ever be loyal to.

In Switzerland, Tchaikovsky played through Lalo’s new violin concerto, Symphoniè Espagnole, with his visiting friend and pupil (and possibly lover), violinist losif Kotek. Kotek had been studying in Berlin with Joseph Joachim, the violinist who lent a helping hand to nearly every composer of great violin works during the latter half of the nineteenth century.

Written in 1878, Tchaikovsky's violin concerto burst out of him at lightning speed—the first movement in five days, the last in three. Tchaikovsky and Kotek parted ways when Kotek refused to premiere it. Tchaikovsky then rededicated it to Leopold Auer, a violinist who was as much a mentor to composers of violin music in Russia as Joachim was to the rest of Europe. But Auer rejected it when he first saw the score, so it was rededicated once again, this time to the violinist Adolf Brodsky, who premiered it in Vienna. Auer eventually changed his mind about the concerto, especially after he arranged his own version, and he went on to made the concerto a great success, teaching it to his two pupils, Jascha Heifetz and Nathan Milstein. In his later years, Auer moved to America, to spend his twilight years (after 1927) teaching at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where Antonello studied.

At its premiere in Vienna, Tchaikosky’s violin concerto was poorly received by the leading critic of the day, Eduard Hanslick: “The violin is no longer played: it is tugged about, torn, beaten black and blue ... We see a host of gross and savage faces, hear crude curses, and smell the booze ... Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto confronts us for the first time with the hideous idea that there may be musical compositions whose stink one can hear.” Hanslick was known, however, for his bias against Slavic music. The American composer Edward MacDowell said: “Tchaikovsky's music always sounds better than it is; the music of Brahms is often better than it sounds.” By which he may have meant, Brahms is more fun to play, Tchaikovsky more enjoyable to hear.

GLAZUNOV VIOLIN CONCERTO

Glazunov’s violin concerto was written in 1904, and, like the Tchaikovsky concerto, was also written for and dedicated to Leopold Auer. Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936), whose principal teacher was the great Russian orchestrator, Rimsky-Korsakov, is now mainly remembered as a teacher of Shostakovich, who greatly admired his teaching, even though Glazunov spent many of their lessons sitting behind a desk, sipping through a long straw from a bottle of vodka hidden in a partially open drawer. Glazunov was much beloved and known for going out of his way to help students at the St. Petersburg Conservatory (where Tchaikovsky had studied). When the authorities of the Russian government offered to increase his salary, he cleverly arranged that the money instead be spent on firewood for the suffering students. He made himself a firewall betweenJewish students and the powers that be, enabling violinists Jascha Heifctz, Nathan Milstein, and Mischa Elman, who would go on to become the leading violinists of their time, to enroll at the conservatory

Although Glazunov’s violin concerto is often listed as being in three movements, it is, in fact, unique in the violin concerto repertoire for being in one long, extended movement. (The Chausson Poème is one movement, but it is much shorter and more analogous to one movement of a standard concerto.) Other violin concertos such as the Mendelssohn have links between the movements, but these can be easily cut if the performer wishes to perform only one movement at a time; in any case, the movements do not share any motivic material, the way the various sections of the Glazunov do. The Glazunov thus has more in common with Liszt’s piano sonata, which is often talked about as if it had separate movements, when, in fact, the music never pauses or loses intensity from beginning to end, and cannot be cut in any way.

Notes by Peter Arnstein

MICHAEL ANTONELLO

Michael Antonello attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia as a student of Jascha Brodsky, followed by studies at Indiana University where he worked with concert violinist Franco Gulli. He was also engaged as an orchestral and chamber musician at the Mostly Mozart Festival in NY Following his studies, he was appointed concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony. In addition, he has served as concertmaster of the orchestras of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota and held temporary tenures with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Antonello has recently been a featured soloist with the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony, Milano Classica, Romanian Philharmonic, and St. Petersburg’s “State Capella Orchestra”.

Antonello has also performed extensively in recital with pianist Peter Arnstein, including regular performances at the Edinburgh Festival. Together they have recorded seven CDs, which include much of the standard Sonata repertoire, as well as favorite violin showpieces. Mr. Antonello has recorded many violin concertos including the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruch with conductor Philip Greenberg and the National Orchestra of Ukraine. They have also recorded Mozart Concertos No. 3 and No. 5 with the Milano Classica Orchestra. He and conductor Richard Haglund have performed concerts in Chicago, St. Petersburg Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. In 2009, Michael Antonello co-founded the Southern Tuscany International Festival of Music, Literature, Food, and Wine.

He plays the 1720 “Ex-Rochester” violin made by Antonio Stradivari. Crafted during the “Golden Period”, when his genius was the most focused and productive, this instrument is a supreme example of the maker’s finest tonal quality. It is referenced in no fewer than five books dedicated to Stradivari’s work.

PHILIP GREENBERG

Philip Greenberg is currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Kiev Philharmonic, a position he has held since 2003. He also serves as the Music Director and Conductor of the Royal Festival of the L'Eté Musical Dans la Vallée du Lot in Cahors, France. Maestro Greenberg has also recently been named Artistic Director and Conductor of the Tuscan Music Festival of the Milano Classica Orchestra of Italy.

For 18 seasons Philip Greenberg was the Musical Director/Conductor of the Savannah Symphony, where under his leadership an unprecedented level of national and international acclaim attracted the world’s most renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, Franco Gulli, Phillipe Entremont, and Janos Starker.

Maestro Greenberg served as Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, and Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic in California. A frequent and popular guest conductor, he has appeared on podiums in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil and Italy as well as Chicago, Phoenix, Santa Barbara, El Paso, Colorado, Indiana and Michigan. He has recorded extensively with the Bayerisches Kammerphilharmonie and the Kiev Philharmonic and has performed in many of the world’s greatest concert halls, including a live televised broadcast from the famed Mozarteum of Salzburg Maestro Greenberg launched his international career as the double winner of the Nicolai Malko International Conducting Competition in Copenhagen. He remains the only conductor in the fifty year history of the competition to win not only the judges prize but the coveted Orchestra prize voted on by the musicians of the Danish Radio Orchestra.

NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF UKRAINE

Established in 1937, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, formerly known as the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, is recognized as one of the most accomplished symphonic ensembles of the former Soviet Union. President Leonid Kuchma declared the orchestra’s change of status in mid-1994 reaffirming its reputation as Ukraine’s premiere orchestra. During the past five decades, the orchestra has worked under a number of this century’s most recognized conductors and distinguished soloists including Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Artur Rubinstein and Isaac Stern.

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SALUT D’AMOUR

ABOUT THE ARTISTS & THE ART

Michael Antonello aspired to a musical career as a youngster and received excellent training in Minneapolis with Mary West, a nationally recognized violin teacher. He later studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and at Indiana University with Franco Gulli. Five to six hours of practice daily during these years helped him establish a firm technical foundation that later served him well during lapses in his music career.

Michael Antonello is also a nationally recognized leader in the insurance business. The year this recording was made (1992) he was the second leading agent in the world for Sun Life of Canada, one of the largest insurance companies in North America. He qualifies almost every year for the Top of the Table, a group composed of the top 3% of the most productive agents in the world. In 1990 Michael and his wife Jean were the main platform speakers for this presti- gious organization.

Antonello and Arnstein have received critical acclaim for their first two CD's, Stradivarius and Steinway and Stradivarius and Steinway II, the latter being the only non-Horowitz recording to be made on the great Vladimir Horowitz's last piano. Much of the music on this album was performed on their successful tour of Scotland in 1995, which included four performances at the Edinburgh International Festival. The cover painting, Farmhouses in Giverny (c.1888) by John Leslie Breck, American impressionist and neighbor of Claude Monet, reflects the late Romantic selection of music on this CD. Even the Chaconne, originally written by the Baroque composer Tamaso Vitale (born 1663), has been rearranged so many times that its harmonies are painted more in the broad, lush strokes of a nineteenth century Caesar Franck than the black ink sketches of a spare, eighteenth century Vivaldi.

NOTES FROM THE VIOLINIST

This is our third recording since acquiring my “Strad” in 1990. I highly value both my personal and professional relationship with Peter Arnstein, my pianist and musical collaborator for ten years. It amazes me that two very different personalities can achieve such musical unity. Peter is a quiet, conservative intellectual, whereas I am more driven by emotion and impulse. But we bring together something remarkable in our diversity. This is another of life’s many ironies.

Music, like life, is a product of great struggle. In both there is pain in the commitment to produce, to become more than we are. Monet rips up a canvas and Brahms destroys his manuscript. The paradox of perfectionism drives the creation of a transcendent beauty which reflects the very glory of God and his great love for us, His creation.

So we proceed, not in vainglorious narcissism, but to fulfill our inherent human need to create something ourselves. To say “yes” back to our Creator. Robert Browning understood this when he said, “Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?”

ABOUT THE VIOLIN

The violin, called the “Madrid” Stradivarius, was made in 1736, the year before Antonio Stradivari died at the age of 93. The violin was discovered in Spain in 1974 by a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He heard a gypsy playing it in a cafe in Madrid and purchased it immediately. Only later did he discover it to be a Stradivarius. Its tonal quality bears Stradivari's signature; a silky soft-water sound that is at the same time sweet, rich and robust. There is also a haunting hollowness in the sound, which to me reflects the pain of life. The superiority of a “Strad” is simply that it provides a more complete range of sound, nuance and musical expression than other instruments. These qualities provide a more perfect conduit from the heart of the artist to the hearts of the listeners. As so many great fortunes in life, this remarkable violin came to me when I was not seeking it. I am deeply grateful to be the temporary steward of such a treasure.

ABOUT THE PIANIST

Peter Arnstein, a native of Illinois and a current resident of Minneapolis, is well known in the Midwest as a pianist, a harpsichordist, and chamber musician and composer. He performed over 150 concerts during his years with the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble, for whom he composed fourteen major works. He concertizes as a soloist regularly in Scotland, presenting the standard repertoire for piano and harpsichord as well as his own works and eliciting enthusiastic comments from reviewers, such as “the extraordinary composure of … Peter Arnstein …was …only matched by his formidable technical assurance, his sensitivity, his adroit choice of programme and its versatility.” (C. Grier, The Scotsman, 1985), “Artful recital delights!” (C. Wilson, The Scotsman, 1988), “ …delighted, stimulated, and intrigued his audience.” (Haddinton Courier, 1991)

In June 1992, he won first prize and the gold trophy at the Roodepoort Festival Competition in South Africa with his composition, Variations on a theme by Mozart, for Chamber Orchestra. At the same time he was competing in the International Bach Competition in Washington, D.C., performing Bach's Goldberg Variations.

He now teaches at the University of St. Thomas and the St. Joseph School of Music in St. Paul.

NOTES FROM THE PIANIST

We premiered the Grasshopper Suite at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1995, in concert. on Scottish Public Radio, and on Scottish BBC's live variety show, The Usual Suspects. The Suite was inspired by a concert in which I accompanied the British flautist, Trevor Wye, and which featured his arrangements of South American nightclub flute music. l composed the third movement first then the first movement, which was turned upside-down to form the second movement. While searching for a title to link all three, I noticed that the music was quite jumpy, like grasshoppers. Going back through the suite, every time I found a repeated note, I changed it to an octave jump, and thus did the Grasshopper Suite grow.

Brahms Sonata in G Major

Though this is Brahms’ first violin and piano sonata, it is always associated in, mind with the end of his life. It has a preponderantly sad, ethereal quality, not present in the later two sonatas, that matches the excessive romanticism of the late nineteenth century. or impressionism of the early twentieth century, rather than the classic, balanced proportions of Brahms’ later chamber music. The overwhelming sadness reminds me of Brahms’ great difficulty in getting to Clara Schumann’s funeral.

Clara Schumann was herself a great pianist, wife of composer Robert Schumann, and the unrequited love of Brahm’s life. She had, many years earlier, requested that the last movement be played at her funeral. On hearing of her death in 1896 he rushed to fulfill her wish but was so upset that he took wrong trains and spent forty hours in nonstop travel to arrive only as she was being buried. In fact, the last movement could describe a man blindly rushing for trains, so upset and depressed as to be no longer quite of this world. But that is not what Brahms was thinking, of course, when he finished it in 1879, as it is based on his song, Regenlied, in which the piano part represents the patter of raindrops.

In the week following Clara’s death, Brahrns sent his extraordinarily solemn Four Serious Songs to Clara Schumann’s daughter, Marie, with a letter explaining that he had sent all his other compositions to this particular house for criticism, approval, and opinion, and that it just seemed the right thing to do. Other than a few very sad organ chorales, they were the last music he was able to write before dying eleven months later.

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VIVALDI TO PUCCINI

VIVALDI 

Antonio Vivaldi was known as il prete rosso, the redheaded priest. He practiced in Venice at Ospedale della Pietà, an orphanage for girls that included a music program that would put Interlochen to shame. Many of the girls came from rich families who didn’t want them, so much of the funding for the school may have been guilt money. Vivaldi was employed by the Pietà off and on all his life, and always had the opportunity to experiment there and perform his concertos.

Vivaldi presided over mass every day, but it soon became obvious to the authorities that his heart wasn’t in it. He lost his curacy when, as his biographer, Wasielewski notes:

“Once, while reading daily mass, he was overcome by the urge to compose. He interrupted his priestly functions and went into the sacristy to discharge his musical thoughts and then returned to end the ceremony. Of course, the matter immediately created a stir and Vivaldi was brought before the church authorities for disciplinary action. The body in question was lenient and decided to relieve him of the duty of celebrating mass in the future, since it appeared that he was not quite right in the head.”

Like every composer before and since Vivaldi, the height of one’s success was proven by achievement in the field of opera. Vivaldi composed 94 operas and became a director and impresario for a theater near Venice. But his early experience at the Pietà, for which he was required to compose, brought him success only in concertos, especially those for the violin. Most of his operas are lost and his efforts there came to naught. However, his instinct for setting scenes, for sudden changes of mood and extremes of emotion, which should have made him a great opera composer but somehow failed, seeped into his concertos and brought them to life. He was an opera composer for the violin.

In Vivaldi’s time, the concerto was a new form of music, much in vogue, and Vivaldi became its leader. In the opera performances he led, both his own and others’ operas, he performed on the violin between the acts. In reviews of these operas, disappointment was expressed if Vivaldi did not perform. His musical personality as a solo violinist was one that “frightened” or “terrified” his listeners, and, of course, thrilled them, as Uffenbach, a contemporary reviewer often noted. In this sense, he developed an artistic reputation similar to the violinist Paganini, a century later, whose success was fueled by his reputation of being possessed by the devil.

In his published violin concertos, Vivaldi stayed within certain defined technical limits, rarely venturing beyond fourth position—no point in publishing something too difficult for anyone but him to play. But accounts of his unpublished cadenzas show how much further he could go. As Uffenbach writes in his diary:

“Toward the end Vivaldi played a splendid solo accompaniment to which he appended a fantasy [cadenza] that gave me a start because no one has ever played anything like it, for his fingers were within a straw’s breath of the bridge, so that there was no room for the bow He played a fugue on all four strings at unbelievable speed, astonishing everyone…”

Vivaldi may have viewed opera as a means to make money, but he must have been thoroughly frustrated by his inability to make the kind of exciting artistic innovations that he so easily brought to his concertos, a field in which he was universally acknowledged as the leading composer. His operas contain much of the same kinds of music as his concertos; as in the storm scenes from The Seasons, Vivaldi wrote rampaging scales and arpeggios for the voice in his “storm” opera arias, which failed either because such writing is ineffective for the voice (reviews mention “hammer-blow rhythms” and rapid scales), or because he overshadowed the voice by the virtuosity of the orchestral violin parts. Reviews of his choral works often accused him of being a concerto composer; however, this typecasting was sometimes based on false assumptions—the vocal writing in his inimitable Gloria is glorious.

Operatic ideas are common in The Seasons. Taking from the opening of the Winter concerto, he reused the music which he described as “frozen trembling in icy storms” in an aria meant to show the “flowing of blood.”

Opus 8 is a group of pieces, headed by The Seasons. These four violin concertos include sonetto dimstrativo, sonnets presented before each movement, probably by Vivaldi himself. Vivaldi further marked in the music the exact points where particular lines of the sonnet imagery pertain. Only the solo violinist is aware of these imaginative, poetic instructions. Were these verbal cues placed there to inspire the violinist? Were they added as a marketing tool, to help sell the music, which was in intense competition with many other composers’ concertos, as well as his own? Was this his way of showing his artistic commitment to the music, much as Stradivarius and other elite violinmakers did, who added double purfling (a fine necklace pattern of ingrained wood) to their violins, a decoration having no effect on the superb quality of the instrument's sound? Did his sonnets force his patrons to stand up and take more notice of The Seasons, which he worked on and polished for years; did the sonnets make them stand out far and above his other violin concertos? (Vivaldi wrote approximately 440 concertos, half of them for violin, at a steady rate of two per month.) If so, it was a stunning success, both during his lifetime and after.

It is strange that Vivaldi would go into such detail with these programmatic, poetic descriptions, when these four violin concertos are his tightest and most well-constructed compositions, music that is more than able to stand on its own. In general, the fast movements have multiple images and moods to express (as described in the sonnets), the slow movements only one. Perhaps the verbal images helped inspire him to a heightened sense of drama.

PUCCINI

What do you do if you want to be an opera star but both your talent and your professional opportunities lie with the violin? If you’re Vivaldi, you’re out of luck, other than performing violin concertos between the acts. But if you’re a violinist born more than two centuries later, you can indulge yourself to your heart’s content by immersing yourself in Puccini, bringing back to the violin Vivaldi’s unrealized dreams, after two hundred years of growth in the world of opera. All of Antonello’s favorite melodies from La Bohème and Gianni Schicci are presented here.

— Notes by Peter Arnstein

Michael Antonello, Violin

Before launching an international solo and recording career American-born violinist Michael Antonello attended the legendary Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia followed by studies at Indiana University. There he worked with concert violinist Franco Gulli until his appointment as concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony. He also has served as concertmaster of an orchestra at the famed Aspen Music Festival, and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota. He held a temporary tenure with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has been featured as a soloist with the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony, Chelsea Symphony, Milano Classica, Romanian Philharmonic, and St. Petersburg’s “State Capella Orchestra”. Antonello has also performed extensively in recital with pianist Peter Arnstein. They have seven CDs to their credit. These CDs include much of the standard Sonata Repertoire, as well as favorite violin showpieces. Mr. Antonello has recorded many violin concertos including the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruch with conductor Philip Greenberg and the National Orchestra of the Ukraine. They have also recorded Mozart Concertos No. 3 and No. 5 with the Milano Classica Orchestra. He and conductor Richard Haglund have performed concerts in Chicago, St. Petersburg Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. They have also recorded Mozart Concertos I & 4, to critical acclaim, as well as a recent new recording of the Bach Violin Concertos. Michael Antonello co-founded the Southern Tuscany International Festival of Music, Literature, Food, and Wine.

Michael Antonello plays on his 1742 Guarneri del Gesù, the Ex-Benno Rabinof made in the last four years of the maker’s life. There are only 25 violins from this period. They are rare and sought after for their power and unique tonal characteristics.

Richard Haglund, Music Director and Conductor

An engaging communicator of exceptional warmth and energy, conductor Richard A. Haglund is the founder and Music Director of the Erato Chamber Orchestra in Chicago. Recordings of the Mozart and Bach Violin Concertos have received critical acclaim. He is often in demand as a guest conductor, performer and clinician.

As a guest conductor, Maestro Haglund has lead professional ensembles in America and around the globe. These have most recently included the Milano Classica (Milan, Italy), National Symphony Orchestra of Moldova (Chisinau, Moldova), Targu Mures State Philharmonic Orchestra (Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic - Transnistria), as well as many others. This past summer, he led performances as the Newly Appointed Music Director of I Virtuosi Degli Horti (The Virtuosi of Horti) at the Southern Tuscany Festival of Music in San Quirico, Italy.

Haglund's diverse experience includes Pops Conductor for the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra’s summer season, Assistant Conductor of the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra and the Bard Community Chorus. Recently he conducted the Broadway reading preview of “The Song of Solomon” in New York City.

A naive of Minnesota, Maestro Haglund received his musical training on percussion and piano. Haglund holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota and a Masters degree in Orchestral Conducting from Bard College Conservatory of Music where he studied with Harold Farberman and Leon Botstein. In addition to his conducting degree, Haglund studied composition with world-renowned composer Joan Tower at Bard College Conservatory of Music in New York.

Maestro Haglund has studied conducting throughout the world with numerous teachers, most notably Gustav Meier, Paul Vermel, Larry Rachleff, William Jones, Emil Aluas and Philip Greenberg. His previous appointments include Music Director and conductor of the Heartland Symphony (MN), Northeast Orchestra (MN), and Sangamon Valley Youth and Community Orchestra (IL). He served as assistant conductor of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra for several seasons where he launched many outreach projects for students and the community at large.

Peter Arnstein, Pianist and Composer

Dr. Arnstein is well known in the Twin Cities area as a pianist and composer. He has often served as pianist and harpsichordist with the Minnesota Orchestra, and has accompanied and recorded with many members of the Twin Cities’ two main orchestras and college music faculties. He has performed numerous times at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, as both piano soloist and harpsichord soloist, as accompanist for violinist Michael Antonello, and as part of the piano trio, Trio di Vita, which premiered his Trio Jazzico Nostalgico and Scottish Fantasy.

Dr. Arnstein’s compositions include more than 100 chamber music works, hundreds of piano solos and duets, songs in English and in French, and music for orchestra and chorus. His music has been published in both the United States and Europe. He also serves as the Twin Cities’ Classical Music Examiner for examiner.com.

Erato Chamber Orchestra

The Erato Chamber Orchestra is comprised of Chicago’s finest musicians who have a common affection for making and sharing music. The ensemble’s programs are devoted to both classical and contemporary repertoire that is not ordinarily played by large symphony orchestras. Their name is inspired by the Greek goddess Erato, who is the. Muse of Lyric Poetry. The orchestra’s style is characterized by a warm sound and virtuosic talent combined with an infectious enjoyment of the pleasure of making music.

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STRADIVARIUS & STEINWAY

MICHAEL J. ANTONELLO

Life is certainly a compelling drama with its many unexpected turns. I find myself at a late, "thirty something," vantage point; an insurance salesman with a debut recording of my favorite music on a magnificent 1736 Stradivarius violin. This sounds like material for Ripley's "Believe It or Not." My path has also been strewn with the disappointments of unrealized goals and shattered dreams. Life has a way of handing challenges, in some form, to all of us. But it is by God's grace that my artistry has continued to grow and develop in spite of my many limitations for practice time.

I began study at the age of nine with the nationally recognized violin teacher, Mary West, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and then completed my studies at Indiana University where I studied with the international concert violinist Franco Gulli. I remember Mr. Gulli warning me of the extreme difficulties in developing a concert career. He stressed getting a well-balanced education in order to have career options. I didn't follow his advice, though, and continued to practice five to six hours daily to the exclusion of most of the rest of my education. Fortunately, my intense practice schedule did establish a strong muscular memory for violin playing. This served me well during the years I was establishing my business and had no time to play.

From 1977-1980 I held the concertmaster position in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was there that I had the opportunity to perform extensive repertoire in many solo appearances. In 1981 I moved back to Minneapolis where I held a one year position with the Minnesota Orchestra. When the year ended, I took stock of my music career and decided that I would not be happy with an orchestra career. I was not at all hopeful of a concert career by then. So, after some prayerful search for guidance and a few interviews, I found myself propelled into the life insurance business. I say propelled because at the time I was married with children, house payments and car payments, and often met these responsibilities by the skin of my teeth. Life has been consistent in some important ways. I still have the wife of my youth, beautiful children, and house and car payments.

So here I am with a wonderfully rewarding career in the life insurance business. My musician colleagues say I'm doing the "Charles Ives thing." I continue to struggle for the expression of my musical voice. It is a worthy pursuit because this voice begins deep in the soul and as it bubbles to the surface it picks up the pain inherent in our limitations and imperfections. This musical reflection of humanness, carried aloft on a magic carpet of sound, settles into the heart of the listener. Peoples' hearts hear and they experience feelings as defenses momentarily retreat. This is why Art is important. It helps people get in touch with their emotions, and this helps them become more of who they really are. This makes healing and growth possible.

Trust in God. Be yourself. Have the courage to move forward trusting in the gifts that reside within you. Life will meet you at the cutting edge of ‘doing’, and this is where all your dreams can come true. Like a mountain sheep finding a path where there is no path, so we too, ascend to our destinies.

ABOUT THE VIOLIN

My violin was made in 1736, the year before Antonio Stradivari died at the age of 93. The purfling inlay on the violin's back reflects the somewhat shaky hand of an old man but the voice bears the unmistakable purity and silky evenness that is the signature sound of the master's instruments. What makes a "Strad" so great? It is like a life well lived; built on solid principle and a good foundation, getting deeper and richer with time. Simply put, a Stradivarius violin is a more perfect conduit from the heart of the artist to the hearts of the listeners. As so many great fortunes in life, the violin came to me when I wasn't seeking it. I am deeply grateful to be the temporary steward of such a treasure.

PETER ARNSTEIN

Peter Arnstein grew up in Illinois and attend- ed schools in Chicago and Champaign. "From the time I was in high school I knew I want- ed to be a concert pianist." Peter's desire was nurtured by the support of his family and his talent recognized by the musical communities in Chicago and England where he won com- petitions for young pianists.

Peter studied for four years in New York City at the Manhattan School of Music, then returned to the Midwest to obtain a Master of Music degree at the University of Illinois and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Wisconsin.

The music faculties at both the Universities of Illinois and Wisconsin independently recommended Peter as the sole candidate for the prestigious United States Cultural Ambassador Auditions in Washington, D.C.

It was during his graduate work the Peter met his wife Pamela, a violinist. They appeared in duo-recitals all over the Midwest and have now settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota where Pamela is a member of the Minnesota Orchestra and Peter is a member of the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble. He also continues to tour as a soloist, both in the United States and Europe. 

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STRADIVARIUS & STEINWAY II

ABOUT THE VIOLINIST

Michael Antonello aspired to a musical career as a youngster and received excellent training in Minneapolis with Mary West, a nationally recognized violin teacher. He later studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and at Indiana University with Franco Gulli. Five to six hours of practice daily during these years helped him establish a firm technical foundation that later served him well during lapses in his music career.

Michael Antonello is also a nationally recognized leader in the insurance business. The year this recording was made (1992) he was the second leading agent in the world for Sun Life of Canada, one of the largest insurance companies in North America. He qualifies almost every year for the Top of the Table, a group composed of the top 3% of the most productive agents in the world. In 1990 Michael and his wife Jean were the main platform speakers for this prestigious organization.

How have these two careers been reconciled? As Antonello explains, “The art of selling is much akin to the process of making music and includes the many nuances and moods of music. A salesman’s job is to read the hearts of people and to discern what is important to them. A great salesman will find a way to support and nurture people in the things they care about and help them deal with the pain that confronts them. Selling the product sim- ply results from meeting human needs and building meaningful relationships. Isn't this like music? Isn't this what music does? Here is a man, violin in hand, deeply committed to reaching into his listeners’ hearts with beauty and hope and caring, attempting to discern their feelings and meet their needs.”

Why do people cry when they listen to a violin? Mr. Antonello insists “it has more to do with commitment than with sounds and more with caring than with physics and mathematics.” It is an enigma, a mystery perhaps. But nonetheless it is a profound source of inspiration.

A NOTE FROM THE VIOLINIST

My limited practice time forces me to focus and concentrate in ways that promote a certain intensity. This creates an exciting edge to the playing. I certainly don’t advocate always being at one’s limits, but many of life’s great moments are found when courage and action unite under imperfect circumstances. Why even bother to record and perform with so many limitations of practice time and energy? Why not? Fritz Kreisler, when asked about how he warmed up before a concert responded by saying that he simply dipped his hands in warm water for a few minutes and they were then warmed up. I love that story because it counters the myth of over preparation and implies that performance is not just about getting the notes right. Instead, performance is about a readiness of the artist’s heart to communicate and connect with listeners. It is in this spirit that we offer this, our second recording, on two magnificent musical instruments. Enjoy!

ABOUT THE VIOLIN

The violin, called the “Madrid” Stradivarius, was made in 1736, the year before Antonio Stradivari died at the age of 93. The violin was discovered in Spain in 1974 by a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He heard a gypsy playing it in a cafe in Madrid and purchased it immediately. Only later did he discover it to be a Stradivarius. Its tonal quality bears Stradivari’s signature; a silky soft-water sound that is at the same time sweet, rich and robust. There is also a haunting hollowness in the sound, which to me reflects the pain of life. The superiority of a “Strad” is simply that it provides a more complete range of sound, nuance and musical expression than other instruments. These qualities provide a more perfect conduit from the heart of the artist to the hearts of the listeners. As so many great fortunes in life, this remarkable violin came to me when I was not seeking it. I am deeply grateful to be the temporary steward of such a treasure.

ABOUT THE PIANIST

Peter Arnstein, a native of Illinois and a current resident of Minneapolis, is well known in the Midwest as a pianist, a harpsichordist, and chamber musician and composer. He performed over 150 concerts during his years with the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble, for whom he composed fourteen major works. He concertizes as a soloist regularly in Scotland, presenting the standard repertoire for piano and harpsichord as well as his own works and eliciting enthusiastic comments from reviewers, such as “the extraordinary composure of… Peter Arnstein…was…only matched by his formidable technical assurance, his sensitivity, his adroit choice of programme and its versatility.” (C. Grier, The Scotsman, 1985), “Artful recital delights!” (C. Wilson, The Scotsman, 1988), “…delighted, stimulated, and intrigued his audience .” (Haddinton Courier, 1991).

In June 1992, he won first prize and the gold trophy at the Roodepoort Festival Competition in South Africa with his composition, Variations on a theme by Mozart, for Chamber Orchestra. At the same time he was competing in the International Bach Competition in Washington, D.C., he performed Bach’s Goldberg Variations. He was knocked out in the first round by a very low score from one judge who thought his interpretation, “too original.”

A NOTE FROM THE PIANIST

On hearing that Vladimir Horowitz’s piano — the one he concertized and recorded on in his last years, including his trip to Moscow — was to visit Minneapolis, I alerted Michael and he immediately suggested we snatch the opportunity and record a second Stradivarius & Steinway CD on it. The Steinway Piano Company kindly gave their permission, and I hurriedly began work on a violin and piano version of the Saint-Saëns Danse Macabre based on an arrangement by Liszt that was subsequently rearranged by Horowitz, and recorded by him in 1947. I wished to employ many of the characteristics I assumed his piano would have — an extraordinarily wide dynamic range, a roaring bass, a blinding fast action which would give me the ability to play octaves at a speed I could not achieve on other pianos. I hoped Horowitz’s wunderpiano would live up to its reputation and that I would be able to capitalize on it at the recording sessions. It did and I was, and the thunderous cascades of sound and frightening speeds were a tremendous thrill.

On our previous CD, I improvised a light, harpsichord-like accompaniment of whizzing scales and arpeggios for the Leclair sonata. (Modem keyboard parts for Baroque sonatas tend to be lifeless, stodgy theory exercises. Baroque composers actually left only a few skeletal dues as to what was expected of accompanimental harpsichord players.) With the clear, bright tones of this piano, exploited so well by Horowitz in Scarlatti sonatas, I wanted to go even further in imitating the brilliance and lightness of the harpsichord. In the Bach Bourée, originally from the Suite no. 3 in C major for solo violincello, I invented all sorts of four octave scales and arpeggios played at top speed-hoping that on the Horowitz piano I could increase them to five octaves in tempo. Though there was no chance of rehearsal on the piano beforehand, it worked — but the notes whizzed by so fast I was never sure exactly what I was doing.

The Handel sonata was equally a joy to work out, except the Largo movement. Here nothing seemed to click, no matter what we did. The straw that broke the camel’s back fell while we were making a personal tape at a friend’s home. Our friends insisted on listening to us play, but as the largo began, they both departed for a break. Something drastic had to be done. Late that night I worked out a new Largo. The improvisatory flavor of the keyboard part was kept, but a tinge of Danse Macabre and Horowitz’s devilish musical ghost crept in, along with harmonies slightly more updated (by two or three centuries). Later, at our first recording sessions, I found out how well my intentions of bringing out the dark underside of the Largo had come across, when the two people in the control booth were convulsed pn hysterical laughter after our performance. Well, it may be neither what I nor Handel intended but evidently it is not dull.

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MOZART FROM MILAN

Mozart Violin Concertos No. 3 & 5

Wolfgang Mozart wrote his five violin concertos at age nineteen, and, with the last one, said good-bye to the violin and to Salzburg—the city he grew up in and which he detested. (Mozart’s first violin, given to him at age six by his father, is on display in Salzburg.)

Up to this point he had been as much a virtuoso on the violin as on the piano. Why did he give up his violin career? There are several possible reasons:

1. The piano replaced the harpsichord as the principal keyboard instrument during Mozart's life, and was a superior instrument for concertos and for using as an aid to composition—Mozart's main interest since age four.

2. There were no good pianos in Salzburg to inspire him, as there were in Mannheim, Paris, Vienna, and especially London, where Mozart always dreamed of settling. (He learned the English language for that purpose, but in the end, only visited as a child.)

3. The violins Mozart played were set up in the old, baroque style, with shorter necks at a different angle, and thus could not compete with the brighter sounding pianoforte. A neck extending operation was eventually performed on ninety-nine percent of violins, including the Stradivarius played by Mr. Antonello. What happened to the original necks? No one knows, but we can guess: In 1805, during a particularly cold French winter, the Paris Conservatory burned all their harpsichords, just to keep warm.

4. Wolfgang associated the solo violin with his father, Leopold Mozart, the most noted violin pedagogue in Europe. After Wolfgang moved away, Leopold wrote to Wolfgang how he hated to walk home from work now that Wolfgang was gone, because he knew that he would no longer hear the welcoming sound of Wolfgang practicing the violin as he approached his house. Leopold apparently did not feel the same nostalgia for his son's harpsichord or piano practicing.

5. Wolfgang also associated the solo violin with Salzburg and the Italians. Mozart felt that the Italians got all the good music jobs. His replacement in Salzburg, Antonio Brunetti, performed Mozart's violin concertos after Mozart left, to scathingly nitpicky reviews by Leopold, left behind in Salzburg after Wolfgang moved on. (Leopold noted that in one performance, Brunetti played two notes out of tune! Most string players would be overjoyed to play only two notes out of tune. Leopold and Wolfgang also claimed to be scandalized that Brunetti fathered an illegitimate child, forcing him to marry the daughter of Michael Haydn, brother of Joseph Haydn.)

Exits and Entrances

The violin concertos, the third and fifth especially, display Mozart's experience and talent as a comic opera composer. They are all about surprise entrances and exits, like a French farce.

In the fifth concerto, after a long but typical orchestral opening, the violin stops the proceedings and enters in a new tempo with unrelated music, just as musicians in rock bands sometimes appear to be unaware which song the rest of the band is playing.

When the orchestra begins its opening tune again, the violinist invents a counter melody, unheard before, which peculiarly, is out of sync with the meter of the orchestra; in fact, it is not until measure 54 that the orchestra gives in and follows the soloist, without a whimper, as if they had been on the same page all along. And yet Mozart reaches that point with utter ease and innocence, daring the listener to remember that anything unusual had happened. It is like a scene in a surrealist play, where the children are being readied for church while eyeing the presents under the Christmas tree, and suddenly the butler enters—not quietly during dinner—but from the chimney like Santa Claus, and dusting himself off with great aplomb, proceeds to give the children a lecture on the history of wine. And soon, everyone has forgotten the tree and church and the soot streaks on the butler's uniform, and are busily arguing over who knows the most sommelier trivia, as if that was what the play was all about from the beginning.

The second concerto's slow movement has a theme which seems to appear in the middle of the paragraph and, each time it reappears, it interrupts the closing of the previous section by the orchestra, instead of waiting for its proper time.

The slow movement of the third concerto begins similarly, with the orchestra unable to make up its mind whether it should start each entrance on the downbeat or the third beat. The movement ends conventionally, with the orchestra playing the usual perfunctory two measures after the violin cadenza—except that the violin enters yet again, as if unaware the orchestra has finished. But then Mozart changes his mind yet again and stops in the middle of the phrase.

The last movement of the third halts several times, once to introduce a new section in a different meter and a slow tempo. When the soloist finishes at the end, the orchestra reiterates the opening, cadences, and then, as if the soloist weren't standing there, helplessly, with nothing to do, continues to play for another 24 bars. (Fortunately, this is not a problem on a CD.)

The third movement of the fifth introduces a Turkish section and a hurdy-gurdy section, neither of which belong in the same movement. At the end, the violinist plays quietly the elegant transition music heard before which now proceeds to introduce — nothing: The piece is over. The violinist goes home and the orchestra has gone out for pizza before the audience knows it's finished.

The magic thing about all these odd entrances, exits, and clashing ideas, is that Mozart maintains an air of innocence and naiveté throughout, as if this is the normal way to proceed with a concerto. The listener is hardly aware of anything except pure elegance and simplicity. Would Mozart be  pleased enough at us for luxuriating in his beautiful, elegant, perfect melodies? Or would he laugh at us for not getting his many little inside jokes? Maybe both. We'll never know.

notes by Peter Arnstein

Michael Antonello

Before launching an international solo and recording career American-born violinist Michael Antonello attended the legendary Curtis Institute in Philadelphia followed by studies, at Indiana University, where he worked with master violinist Franco Gulli until his appointment as concert-master of the Grand Rapids and Rochester Symphony Orchestras.

A sought-after soloist his American concerto performances include the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony and New York City's Chelsea Symphony. Under the baton of Richard Haglund he played in St. Petersburg, Russia, Romania, and Moldova. With Italy's Milano Classica, a renowned early music ensemble, Antonello has performed in Milan, Naples, Florence, Pavia and Voghera and recorded Mendelssohn's Violin and Orchestra Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 and Beethoven's Violin and Orchestra Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 with conductor Philip Greenberg.

Appearing in large concert venues and intimate college settings throughout the United States recital appearances also include Venice, Bologna, and Ferrara, Great Britain, Romania, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and he is a regular guest at the Edinburgh Festival. Specializing in the works of Fritz Kreisler he has recorded six CDs with pianist Peter Arnstien on the MJA label.

Michael Antonello plays the 1720 “Ex- Rochester” violin made by the incomparable master Antonio Stradivari. Crafted during the "Golden Period", when his genius was the most focused and productive, this instrument is a supreme example of condition, preservation and tonal quality. It is referenced in no fewer than five books dedicated to Stradivari's work.

Philip Greenberg

Philip Greenberg is currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Kiev Philharmonic, a position he has held since 2003. He also serves as the Music Director and Conductor of the Royal Festival of the L'Eete Musical Dans la Vallée du Lot in Cahors, France. Maestro Greenberg has also recently been named Artistic Director and Conductor of the Tuscan Music Festival of the Milano Classica Orchestra of Italy.

For eighteen seasons Philip Greenberg was the Musical Director/Conductor of the Savannah Symphony, where under his leadership an unprecedented level of national and international acclaim attracted the world's most renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, Franco Gulli, Phillipe Entremont, and Janos Starker.

Maestro Greenberg served as Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, and Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic in California. A frequent and popular guest conductor, he has appeared on podiums in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil and Italy as well as Chicago, Phoenix, Santa Barbara, El Paso, Colorado, Indiana and Michigan. He has recorded extensively with the ,Bayerisches Kammerphilharmonie and the Kiev Philharmonic and has performed in many of the world's greatest concert halls, including a live televised broadcast from the famed Mozarteum of Salzburg. Maestro Greenberg launched his international career as the double winner of the Nicolai Malko International Conducting Competition in Copenhagen. He remains the only conductor in the fifty year history of the competition to win not only the judges prize but the coveted Orchestra prize voted on by the musicians of the Danish Radio Orchestra.

Milano Classica Orchestra

Milano Classica “Orchestra da Camera” was founded in 1993 by members of the former Orchestra dell'Angelicum. These experienced musicians have given enthusiastic audiences the opportunity to enjoy performances of the great masterpieces from the Baroque period and, above all, of the Classical era, working with conductors

and soloists who specialize in early music performance practices. The orchestra has also played a great number of previously unknown compositions, often performing works for the first time in the modern era. The orchestra performs 19th century and contemporary works as well. Many premieres of works by prominent Italian composers have been written specifically for Milano Classica. Since its formation, the orchestra has performed twice weekly during its regular concert season from January to June at the Palazzina Liberty in Milan. Milano Classica has also appeared in Austria, Germany. Belgium, Switzerland, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and the U.S.A., and has participated in important festivals such as those of Lubiana and Ankara, and the Eté Mosan and Flanders Festival in Belgium, as well as the Fanfare Festival in Louisiana. It has performed on important concert series, such as those of the Schubert Club in St. Paul, Minnesota, Vassar College in the state of New York , the Oratorio del Gonfalone in Rome, and the Villa Pignatelli in Naples. The orchestra's recordings - with the labels Bottega Discantica, Vermeer Classics, Tactus, and Dynamic - have been favorably received by international critics, and several have won special recognition. Since January 2009, Gianluca Capuano has been the artistic director.

www.milanoclassica.it

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SIBELIUS - SAINT-SAËNS - CHAUSSON 

Jean Sibelius; Violin Concerto

This is Sibelius’s only concerto. “A polonaise for polarbears” was English musicologist Donald Tovey’s impression of the third movement. Sibelius did write other shorter works for violin and orchestra, including 6 Humoreques. An early and enthusiastic proponent of the concerto was violinist Jascha Heifetz, who made the first recording.

Sibelius loved the changing of the seasons in Finland, reveling in such simple natural wonders as the arrival of geese on lake ice. His first movement begins in just such a highly restrained manner, as if to describe a frozen, silent landscape. Sibelius’s love for the isolated windswept coldness of the north seems reflected in the long, lonely violin cadenzas of the first movement. This love of the north is something he had in common with the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould, for whom Toronto was too southern a location for comfort.

The orchestral violin ostinato seems hardly to start the piece at all, as if one had begun in the middle, emerging from hibernation. The violin enters with a ghostly motive without any sense of meter, like a lone wolf howling over a wintry, windy, frigid landscape, a if exhausted after a long winter of dusky darkness. When Heifetz visited Sibelius, who, unusual for a composer, lived in the country instead of the city, he remarked on how austere the area was and how bone-chillingly cold. Fog lingered over the woods and lakes near Sibelius’s house. Heifetz decided that this first impression, seeing the environs of Sibelius’s house, even before he’d met the composer, was essential for forming his interpretation of the concerto.

The concerto is conceived on a grand scale, reflecting Sibelius’s feeling of being a revolutionary for Finnish nationalistic sentiment. Johan Julius Christian Sibelius was brought up in a Swedish-speaking fainily in Hämeenlinna, part of the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. In his student years he took on the French form of his name, “Jean.”

His parents sent him to a “Fennoman” school, which encouraged the nationalist movement in Finland, throwing off the Swedish language and ties to German culture, and simultaneously the ties to Russia, which viewed Finnish as a mere peasant language. Sibelius wanted to become a standard-bearer for incipient Finnish nationalism, at least in music, just as Verdi had become for a united Italy.

Camille Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto no. 3

The French composer, Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was an only child, brought up by his mother and an elderly aunt after his father died. The two doting women lavished him with attention; his great aunt, who had been highly precocious in music herself; tried to keep up with the traditions of pre-revolutionary France, at least in manners and dress, and influenced him to look backwards more than forwards, historically, for his cultural inspiration. He absorbed from her a great interest in the Mozartean époque. It must have given her great joy when he surpassed Mozart as a musical prodigy. By age three he had already made the decision to become a composer rather than a pianist. He was already writing down waltzes and galops (a 2/4 form of the waltz, popular in Paris in the I820s), which he had to give to his aunt to play, because his infant fingers were too stubby. At age 5 he wrote out a 12-bar song in pencil, which his aunt copied over in ink. The father of the singer for whom it was intended was so enchanted, that he gave Saint-Saëns the present for which he remained the most grateful for the rest of his life. It was the full score to Mozart's opera, Don Giovanni. When Saint-Saëns finished studying it, two years later, he knew everything he needed to know about orchestration, and had thoroughly incorporated the clean, clear elegant style of Mozart, which would always remain the strongest influence in his own compositions.

Saint-Saëns writes about receiving the score at age five: “When I think about it, the gift of such a present to a five-year-old child seems a particularly rash action…yet never can there have been a happier inspiration. Every day, with that miraculous ease of assimilation which is the dominant faculty of childhood, I immersed myself in Don Giovanni and almost unconsciously I imbibed its music, broke myself into score reading, and became acquainted with the different voices and instruments…”

Saint-Saëns was so entranced with Mozart's methods —simple ideas put together to produce masterpieces in combination—that he used them all his life, including in the third violin concerto. “When you study the score (Don Giovanni) closely, how unremarkable are the means employed! Do all these marvels amount to nothing more than simple intervals of an octave, a few bars’ repetition in the bass of a very obvious rhythm, syncopation (which everyone uses), a little figure on the fourth string of the second violins, and those scales, those ‘terrifying scales’ which are so restrained and never go beyond an octave? It is true that these details seem of little or no account in themselves? Their value rises out of their placing, reciprocal harmony contrasts, and overall balance. In these lie the style, the secret of genius.”

The simplicity and clarity of Mozart remained Saint-Saëns muse all his life, as opposed to the music of Wagner, which was the principal influence of all other, late-nineteenth-century composers.

Though the musical styles of Europe that Saint-Saëns was exposed to changed radically during his long life, from Mendelssohn to Stravinsky, not to mention the political changes in France, from a monarchy to a republic, his own style changed little. While he was the first major composer to write for a motion picture, he was considered highly old-fashioned at the end, not that this is of any consequence today.

The concerto is dedicated to the Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908), for whom Saint-Saens Of rote his most successful violin piece, Introduction and Rondo Capoicioso, also recorded by Antonello. The concerto, especially the final movement, is highly operatic in style, just as much of Mozart's music is.

Ernest Chausson: Poème

Chausson could not be more the opposite of Saint-Saëns in terms of the speed of his musical development. He began composing late in life, only to have his life cut short when he ran his bicycle into a brick wall.

Chausson himself did not compose a single work until he was 22 and only decided to pursue composition more seriously after hearing a performance of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde at age 24. Just as César Franck wrote his greatest violin work for the Belgian violinist Eugene Ysäye, so did Chausson write Poème. Raised in a well-to-do family, Chausson attained a law degree under pressure from his father, but wealth from his family allowed him to turn to composing, and he chose as his teachers both Massenet and César Franck. In his later years, he also built up a large art collection, and entertained in his home French painters such as Manet, Renoir, Degas, Rodin, as well the poet, Mallarmé (whose words were used by Debussy in many songs), as well French composers such as Satie and Chabrier. Chausson also assisted Debussy in his career.

Performers such as pianist Alfred Cortot and violinist Eugene Ysäye performed at his salon, and also the singer and composer Pauline Viardot, for whom the Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883) developed a crush which kept him often in Paris.

The one-movement, superlatively intense and passionate Poème was inspired by a short story by Turgenev, The Song of Triumphant Love, about two men, best friends, who, tragically, fall in love with the same woman. Although the Poème is a fantasy, without relation to any traditional classic structure, its rise and fall in tension and the overall melancholy mood suggest it certainly could be a description of a drama based on tragic love. Chausson might also have thought of it as the piece performed during the climactic scene.

In Turgenev’s story, the girl, Valeria, cannot decide which one she loves better, so lets her mother choose. The mother chooses the painter over the musician, Muzzio, and, rejected, he sells all his possessions in order to travel to exotic lands, not to return until his broken heart has healed. Five years later, Muzzio returns, showing up on the married couple’s doorstep, to recount amazing stories of his lengthy travels but in no way showing any trace of his former love for Valeria. Then Muzzio picks up his violin, from India. Turgenev writes: “a passionate melody poured out…such fire, such triumphant bliss glowed and burned in this melody that (the couple) felt wrung to the heart and tears came into their eyes; while Muggio, his head pressed to the violin, his cheeks pale, his eyebrows drawn together into a single straight line, seemed still more concentrated and solemn… When he finished, refusing all entreaties to repeat the song…he pushed his hands into Valeria’s palm and looked so insistently into her face that she felt her cheeks suddenly burning.” The story goes on to show Valeria struggling against being rebewitched by Muzzio, and her husband unaccountably losing his ability to paint his wife’s beautiful face. The irresistible passions evoked by the violin playing, which seem to enslave even the violin player himself, have turned everyone’s lives topsy-turvy.

Notes by Peter Arnstein

Michael Antonello

Michael Antonello attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia as a student of Jascha Brodsky, followed by studies at Indiana University where he worked with concert violinist Franco Gulli. He was also engaged as an orchestral and chamber musician at the Mostly Mozart Festival in NY. Following his studies, he was appointed concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony. In addition, he has served as concertmaster of the orchestras of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota and held temporary tenures with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Mr. Antonello has recently been a featured soloist with the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony, Milano Classica, Romanian Philharmonic, and St. Petersburg's “State Capella Orchestra”.

Antonello has also performed extensively in recital with pianist Peter Arnstein, including regular performances at the Edinburgh Festival. Together they have recorded seven CDs, which include much of the standard Sonata repertoire, as well as favorite violin showpieces. Mr. Antonello has recorded many violin concertos including the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruch with conductor Philip Greenberg and the National Orchestra of Ukraine. They have also recorded Mozart Concertos No. 3 and No. 5 with the Milano Classica Orchestra. He and conductor Richard Haglund have performed concerts in Chicago, St. Petersburg Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. In 2009, Michael Antonello co-founded the Southern Tuscany International Festival of Music, Literature, Food, and Wine.

He plays the 1720 “Ex-Rochester” violin made by Antonio Stradivari. Crafted during the “Golden Period”, when his genius was the most focused and productive, this instrument is a supreme example of the maker’s finest tonal quality. It is referenced in no fewer than five books dedicated to Stradivari's work.

Philip Greenberg

Philip Greenberg is currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Kiev Philharmonic, a position he has held since 2003. He also serves as the Music Director and Conductor of the Royal Festival of the L’Eté Musical Dans la Vallée du Lot in Cahors, France. Maestro Greenberg has also recently been named Artistic Director and Conductor of the Tuscan Music Festival of the Milano Classico. Orchestra of Italy.

For 18 seasons Philip Greenberg was the Musical Director/Conductor of the Savannah Symphony, where under his leadership an unprecedented level of national and international acclaim attracted the world's most renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, Franco Gulli, Phillipe Entremont and Janos Starker.

Maestro Greenberg served as Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, and Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic in California. A frequent and popular guest conductor, he has appeared on podiums in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil and Italy as well as Chicago, Phoenix, Santa Barbara, El Paso, Colorado, Indiana and Michigan. He has recorded extensively with the Bayerisches Kammerphilharmonie and the Kiev Philharmonic and has performed in many of the world’s greatest concert halls, including a live televised broadcast from the famed Mozarteum of Salzburg. Maestro Greenberg launched his international career as the double winner of the Nicolai Malko International Conducting Competition in Copenhagen. He remains the only conductor in the fifty year history of the competition to win not only the judges prize but the coveted Orchestra prize voted on by the musicians of the Danish Radio Orchestra.

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Established in 1937, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, formerly known as the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, is recognized as one of the most accomplished symphonic ensembles of the former Soviet Union. President Leonid Kuchma declared the orchestra’s change of status in mid-1994 reaffirming its reputation as Ukraine’s premiere orchestra. During the past five decades, the orchestra has worked under a number of this century’s most recognized conductors and distinguished soloists including Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Artur Rubinstein and Isaac Stern.

Notes from the Violinist… 

This is my first major Orchestral recording on my glorious 1742 Guarneri del Gesù; this violin is the Ex-Benno Rabinoff. Guarneri del Gesù, the mad genius of Cremona, made about 125 violins and only 25 in his last period 1740-44. This later period is considered to be his best. Unlike Stradivari, there is slightly less Cremonese resistance in sound production. This enables a loud brilliant sound to be produced less carefully with faster lighter bow pressure á la Heifetz, who also played a 1742 del Gesù. The violin is also more responsive, which is a great help in technical facility. My previous.recordings were made on the Ex-Rochester Strad, which is perhaps slightly more beautiful sounding, but the trade-off for me in technical ease with the del Gesù is well worth it. The violin has a typical late period sound which is truly stunning. I have made numerous recordings with this great Ukrainian orchestra. You can hear their passion and love, in fact it is a bit of a “love fest” between Maestro Greenberg, the Orchestra and myself.

Michael Antonello

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DVORÁK - BRUCH - VIEUXTEMPS

The violinists Joseph Joachim and Eugene Ysaÿe had a great influence on violin music of the nineteenth century, inspiring much of its composition. Joachim often volunteered to collaborate with other composers, such as Brahms with his violin concerto. After looking over some chamber music he admired of Dvorák, Joachim suggested that he write a violin concerto. Jearbim was so kind as to make over the solo part, wrote Dvorák. Dvorák intended to dedicate his concerto to Joachim, but Joachim had so many objections to the work’s form (claiming he was trying to help Dvorák with his criticisms) that Dvorák finally gave it to a different violinist to premiere.

During the year before its composition, Dvorák became enraptured with the idea of incorporating more nationalism into his music. He completed Three Slavonic Rhapsodies, the Slavonic Dances, a sextet using a dumky (a Slavonic lament) and a furiant (Slavonic folkdance), a Capricio for violin and orchestra full of Slavonic dance elements (the orchestra parts have since been lost), a mazurek for violin and orchestra, a suite of Czech dances, and other works with obvious Slav or Czech characteristics. Dvorák felt that this gave him a greater currency outside his own country than composing in a more universal style. These nationalistic ideas are clearly apparent in his violin concerto, and the recognizable Dvorák of the New World Symphony and the American String Quartet is hardly discernible. The influence of Wagner is also palpable, in the long, never-ending melodies, hardly giving the soloist a break.

Henri Vieuxtemps was born in Belgium where he began violin lessons with his father. In 1846 he was invited by the Tzar to St. Petersburg, where he founded a violin program at the St. Petersburg Conservatory; the Russian school of violin playing has dominated the world ever since. His most famous pupil was Eugene Ysaÿe, who, like his teacher, both performed and composed violin works. The Franck sonata, also recorded by Antonello, was written for him. Vieuxtemps’s compositions were more in the restrained, classical tradition than the more showy style of Paganini. Ysaÿe quoted his teacher: “Not runs for the sake of runs—sing, sing!” The nickname, Le Grétry was attached to the concerto because the second movement’s melody is derived from an aria in Andre Grétry’s opera, Lucille. Vieuxtemps, even more than Joachim, liked to collaborate with others in his compositions, especially in chamber music and violin and piano works.

Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy is not a collaboration with a living composer, but each movement uses a different Scottish folksong, the last one, the well-known Scots, Wha Hae, by Robert Burns. Bruch, like many European composers, dating back to Beethoven and afore, was strongly attracted to Scottish melodies. Scottish songs tend to have strong and often syncopated rhythms, because at one time the Scottish church banned instruments, while still allowing singing and dancing; singers thus were forced to provide the strong beats that dancing requires. Composers have been entranced by the punchy vitality of Scottish tunes ever since. Bruck had plenty of experience arranging Scottish song for singer and piano before he set to work on his Scottish Fantasy. It has a large part for the harp, and he originally titled it, Fantasy for Violin with Orchestra and Harp, Freely Using Scottish Folk Melodies, which, as a title, would have been a mouthful, though accurate. The work is full of sudden ritardandos and fermatas and requires enormous rhythmic flexibility from the orchestra, far more than any other standard concerto, where rubato is ordinarily confined to the solo part, and sometimes only to cadenzas.

The Scottish Fantasy was wildly successful when premiered by Sarasate in 1883—far less successful a few years later when Joseph Joachim performed it, as described in a letter by Bruch: “…in the Scherzo, he lacked Sarasate’s incomparable charm and grace, the 'cantilena' in the first and third movements were too restless, the series of trills in the Finale were slow, and the top notes were completely missed. He played from the music (which I never like) … the disappointment was universal.” However, Joachim was going through a nasty divorce at the time, and both Bruch and his friend Brahms had sided completely with Joachim's wife, a singer.

Unlike his G minor concerto, Brach's Scottish Fantasy soon fell into obscurity, and was not revived until it was first recorded by Jasha Heifetz, a pupil of Leopold Auer, who studied with Joachim.

Bruch himself was quite upset by the fall from favor of his violin concerto. In 1883 he wrote to his publisher: “The ‘Scottish Fantasy,’ which even gives pleasure to people like Brahms andJoachim, is torn apart everywhere by critics. One can bear all this for many years, but there comes a time when disgust and bitterness overcomes a creator, and one says to oneself; 'how much longer do I east pearls before swine?”

The reason for its unpopularity may have been its mode. Of Mozart’s 27 piano concertos, only two are in a minor key, and these two were Mozart’s only concerto failures during his lifetime. The nineteenth century saw a complete reversal, and the only piano concertos of Mozart to be played were, paradoxically, these two in minor keys.The Scottish Fantasy is relentlessly in a major key, and unreservedly buoyant in mood. Even in its more tranquil moments it is more lush than gloomy. Bruch, later in life, became nauseous on being asked to hear his—to him— overplayed and relentlessly popular G minor concerto.

Schumann, whose piano concerto, violin concerto, and cello concerto are in minor keys, wrote in his public journal, ‘Die Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik’: four fifths of the newest concertos which we are in the habit If reviewing for our readers are in minor; one sometimes fears that the major third will disappear altogether from the tonal system.”

In a conversation with his friend, Arthur Abell, in 1907, Bruch relates his opinions of his own legacy with great humility and perspicacity:

“Brahms has been dead ten years but he still has many detractors., even among the best musicians and critics. I predict, however, that as time goes on, he will become more appreciated while most of my works will be more and more neglected. Fifty years hence he will loom up as one of the supremely great composers of all time, while I will be remembered chiefly for having written my G minor violin concerto… Brahms was a far greater composer than I am for several reasons. First of all he was much more original. He always went his own way. He cared not at all about the public reaction or what the critics wrote. The great fiasco of his D minor piano concerto would have discouraged most composers. Not Brahms! Furthermore, the vituperation heaped upon him after Joachim introduced his violin concerto at the Leipzig Gewandhaus would have crushed me. Another factor which militated against me was economic necessity. I was compelled to earn money with my compositions. Therefore I had to write works that were pleasing and easily understood. I never wrote down to the public; my artistic conscience would never permit me to do that. I always composed good music but it was music that sold readily. There was never anything to quarrel about in my music as there was in that of Brahms. I never outraged the critics by those wonderful conflicting rhythms, which are so characteristic of Brahms. Nor would I have dared to leave out the sequences of steps progressing from one key to another, which often makes Brahms’ modulations so bold and startling. Neither did I venture to paint in such dark colours, à la Rembrandt, as he did All this, and much more, militated against Brahms in his own day, but these very attributes will contribute to his stature fifty years from now, because they proclaim him a composer of marked originality. I consider Brahms one of the greatest personalities in the entire annals of music.”

In spite of Bruch's self-deprecation, the Scottish Fantasy has recovered its initial stature and grown into one of the concerto repertoire's most beloved works.

Notes by Peter Arnstein

MICHAEL ANTONELLO 

Michael Antonello attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia as a student of Jascha Brodsky, followed by studies at Indiana University where he worked with concert violinist Franco Gulli. He was also engaged as an orchestral and chamber musician at the Mostly Mozart Festival in NY. Following his studies, he was appointed concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony. In addition, he has served as concertmaster of the orchestras of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota and held temporary tenures with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Antonello has recently been a featured soloist with the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony, Milano Classica, Romanian Philharmonic, and St. Petersburg’s “State Capella Orchestra”.

Antonello has also performed extensively in recital with pianist Peter Amstein, including regular performances at the Edinburgh Festival. Together they have recorded seven CDs, which include much of the standard Sonata repertoire, as well as favorite violin showpieces. Mr. Antonello has recorded many violin concertos including the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, and Brach with conductor Philip Greenberg and the National Orchestra of Ukraine. They have also recorded Mozart Concertos No. 3 and No. 5 with the Milano Classica Orchestra. He and conductor Richard Haglund have performed concerts in Chicago, St. Petersburg Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. In 2009, Michael Antonello co-founded the Southern Tuscany International Festival of Music, Literature, Food, and Wine.

On this recording he plays the 1742 “Ex-Benno Rabinof” violin made by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù. This violin is from the rare late period 1740-44, the last four years of his life. Only 25 violins exist from this period and are considered by many artists to be the most powerful and beautiful of all violins. This is a truly exquisite violin whose tone is characteristic of the period.

PHILIP GREENBERG

Philip Greenberg is currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Kiev Philharmonic, a position he has held since 2003. He also serves as the Music Director and Conductor of the Royal Festival of the L’Eté Musical Dana la Vallée du Lot in Cahors, France. Maestro Greenberg has also recently been named Artistic Director and Conductor of the Tuscan Music Festival of the Milano Classica Orchestra of Italy.

For 18 seasons Philip Greenberg was the Musical Director/Conductor of the Savannah Symphony, where under his leadership an unprecedented level of national and international acclaim attracted the world's most renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, Franco Gulli, Phillipe Entremont, and Janos Starker.

Maestro Greenberg served as Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, and Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic in California. A frequent and popular guest conductor, he has appeared on podiums in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil and Italy as well as Chicago, Phoenix, Santa Barbara, El Paso, Colorado, Indiana and Michigan. He has recorded extensively with the Bayerisches Kammerphilharmonie and the Kiev Philharmonic and has performed in many of the world’s greatest concert halls, including a live televised broadcast from the famed Mozarteum of Salzburg. Maestro Greenberg launched his international career as the double winner of the Nicolai Malko International Conducting Competition in Copenhagen. He remains the only conductor in the fifty year history of the competition to win not only the judges prize but the coveted Orchestra prize voted on by the musicians of the Danish Radio Orchestra.

NOTES FROM THE VIOLINIST…

This is the fifth recording that I have made with Philip Greenberg and the National Orchestra of the Ukraine in just so many years. Mendelssohn and Beethoven Concertos, then Brahma and Bruch, the Tchaikovsky and Glazunov, and then Sibelius, Saint-Saëns and Chausson Poeme. This is likely the last major recording that I will ever make with full orchestra… three large violin works, two of which I had never learned or performed previously. I had performed the Vieuxtemps in my mid-20's quite successfully however. There is a bit of a love fest between Greenberg, the orchestra, and myself. We know, love and respect one another and this absolutely translates into the passion and inspiration between soloist and orchestra and for the music itself. There is sadness in completing these five most productive musical years of my life. Time passes so quickly and as one era abruptly ends we are pulled into something new in life. I am deeply grateful to Philip for introducing me to the orchestra and for his friendship and inspired collaboration on all of these projects. We all progressed, learning from each other’s strengths and weaknesses which ultimately gave us a settled comfort and confidence. I very much needed this support since I am not a full-time touring artist. I have been a businessman also. Ironically, these past five years have been the greatest struggle I have ever endured in business and I thank God for the violin because I am sure that in some ways it saved me. Finally, my deepest respect and admiration for Alexander Hornostai, the orchestra’s Executive Director. He has made his group into one of the great recording orchestras in the world. He has consummate musical taste and is very involved in the entire production from beginning to end, particularly the editing. I have challenged his technical capabilities more than once no doubt. His photo inclusion on the cover of the cd liner is meant to honor his genius and humanity. I loved doing this entire project!

“Now to Him who is aisle to accomplish far more than we can ever think or imagine…”

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BACK TO BACK

The Cremonese Tradition

Back to Back offers a triptych of three superb violins from the Cremonese school: the Ex-“Rochester”” Stradivarius (1720) from Stradivari's golden period (1700-1720); a Guarneri del Gesù made in 1742; and the “Spanish” Stradivarius (from 1736, the maker’s ninety-first year), which is of somewhat less certain provenance but is from the same period and quality. Cremona is a small city at the edge of the Italian Alps which produced a series of violinmakers who have never been surpassed.

In a blind listening test, judges such as renowned violinists Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zuckerman could not agree about the special or superior sound of Stradivarius violins compared to other great violins, yet violinists adore them for their greater ease of play, which affects their feeling and interpretation of the music. This is true on this CD as well, as can be heard in Michael Antonello’s interpretations, and how they are affected by which violin he chooses.

The secret to the Stradivarius sound has been speculated upon for centuries, without any theory being proven for certain. The wood used at the time was of unusually high density (proven by examination of tree rings) caused by a period of cold Croatian winters. Alpine wood in any case grows slowly and densely, as it must withstand harsh winds and cold temperatures. Stradivari stored his violin wood underwater in a Venice lagoon for ten years, causing pores to grow where the wood rotted away, before Stradivari used it to build an instrument. Each violin was a combination of spruce, willow, and maple treated with various minerals, and the varnish a mix of Arabian gum, honey, and egg white.

Aside from whatever chemical processes may have produced the unique sonority, there is the social circumstance or Stradivari’s life; he was a big success while he was alive, and was lucky enough to live to age ninety-two (perhaps some of his secret varnish got absorbed into his skin, thus preserving him far past the normal lifespan of his time!). His longevity combined with financial stability enabled him to do far more experimenting than other violinmakers.

On each of his violins, Giuseppe Guarneri (1698-1744) printed on the inner label a Roman Cross, and thus his violins acquired the nickname, del Gesù. Though he produced far fewer instruments than Stradivari, many violinists find his violins superior, though del Gesù’s name does not have the caché of a Stradivarius.

The great Italian violin tradition, whose design has been the archetype for the ideal instrument since the mid-16th century, began in Cremona, starting with the luthier Andrea Amati, born in 1505. His teacher was da Martinego, a Jewish convert to Catholicism living in Cremona. Cremona has always been a small but wealthy cultural center, a prize in battle over the centuries of armies from France, Germany, Switzerland, Milan, Spain, Venice, and Austria, before it finally settled as part of Italy. The greatest composer before Bach, Claudio Monteverdi, was born in Cremona in 1567. Perhaps it was the cultural churnings from multifarious foreign occupations and sackings of the city that converted it into a cosmopolitan place that encouraged experimentation and innovation, rather than slavish copying, which was the tradition among violinmakers outside of Cremona. The fiercely competitive Cremona violinmakers were all great experimenters.

The viols and ad hoc string instruments before Andrea Amati show great creativity in looks and design, but Amati put his efforts and imagination toward sound and durability. His family handed down the Amati secrets through the generations until grandson Niccolo lost his family to a series of plagues and famines, and, unwilling to allow his secrets to be lost forever, he decided to take on pupils to carry on the tradition. His three most famous pupils were Ruggeri, Guarneri, and Stradivari.

Although it is generally thought that the old Cremona violins have always been appreciated, it is not true. A growing fashion for lesser quality but much cheaper German instruments, along with yet another sacking of Cremona, left the violin business in ruins, and the Cremonese reputation dimmed, until, in the 1820s the old violins underwent a rebirth. They had been lying unused or unknown for many decades, until a failed violinist but successful dealer, Luigi Tarisio, born in Milan, made it his mission to search out these rare violins and bring them to Paris. (Antonello's Ex-“Rochester” is typical, in that its provenance can only be traced back to 1827.)

This violin rebirth came at the same time as the rebirth of the performance of Bach, when old music began to appear on concert programs, which had before consisted mostly of contemporary music. Tarisio learned to travel around northern Italy carrying new, shiny but worthless modern violins, which he would trade for old Cremona violins found lying in attics in disrepair. In one exchange, he traded a new violin with a monk who wanted a new fiddle for his own amusement. In recompense, the monk gave Tarisio six Stradivarius violins! (In 2010, a 1697 Stradivarius known as The Molitor, once owned by Napoleon, was sold at auction for $3,600,000.) As word spread of this young man willing to trade new violins for old, dusty ones, Tarisio soon found himself in possession of multiple Stradivari, del Gesùs, Amatis, Storonis, Guadagninis, Ruggeris, and more. When Tarisio died in 1855, his dealer in Paris, Vuillaume, a successful violinmaker in his own right, rushed down to Milan to scoop up 144 violins lying in Tarisio’s attic, including Stradivari’s last, the Messiah violin, which had never been played.

Although Antonello has given concerts featuring both violins, he has been concentrating for years on his Ex-“Rochester” Stradivarius, while loaning the del Gesù to Steven Copes, concertmaster of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Adventure seems to follow these old violins, and Antonello is no exception. On a vacation with his family in Montana, Mike discovered at the Amtrak station that he'd left his Stradivarius in the hotel room. After depositing his family on the train, he returned to the hotel, and then raced the train to its next stop, only to arrive a minute after its scheduled departure. However, the conductor broke with Amtrak protocol and held the train for him. Why? The conductor wanted to see (and hear) that violin.

Several years later, Mike was traveling by train through Switzerland to visit a friend in Italy, after finishing a recording session in Kiev. Two days before, a Stradivarius had been stolen in Germany. The Italian border police, on the alert, thought they had their man, in spite of Mike's ability to play the violin (evidently thieves who can play the Tchaikovsky violin concerto at concert tempo are a dime a dozen in Italy). Though the police released Mike after a few hours, it took six weeks and a hefty legal bill to return the violin to the United States.

Notes by Peter Arnstein

Michael Antonello

Michael Antonello attended the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia as a student of Jascha Brodsky, followed by studies at Indiana University where he worked with concert violinist Franco Gulli. He was also engaged as an orchestral and chamber musician at the Mostly Mozart Festival in NY. Following his studies, he was appointed concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony. In addition, he has served as concertmaster of the orchestras of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota and held temporary tenures with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Mr. Antonello has recently been a featured soloist with the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony, Milano Classica, Romanian Philharmonic, and St. Petersburg's “State Capella Orchestra”.

Antonello has also performed extensively in recital with pianist Peter Arnstein, including regular performances at the Edinburgh Festival. Together they have recorded seven CDs, which include much of the standard Sonata repertoire, as well as favorite violin showpieces. Mr. Antonello has recorded many violin concertos including the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruch with conductor Philip Greenberg and the National Orchestra of Ukraine. They have also recorded Mozart Concertos No. 3 and No. 5 with the Milano Classica Orchestra. He and conductor Richard Haglund have performed concerts in Chicago, St. Petersburg Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. In 2009, Michael Antonello co-founded the Southern Tuscany International Festival of Music, Literature, Food, and Wine.

He plays the 1720 “Ex-Rochester” violin made by Antonio Stradivari. Crafted during the “Golden Period”, when his genius was the most focused and productive, this instrument is a supreme example of the maker’s finest tonal quality. It is referenced in no fewer than five books dedicated to Stradivari’s work.

Peter Arnstein

Dr. Arnstein is well known in the Twin Cities area as a pianist and composer. He has often served as pianist and harpsichordist with the Minnesota Orchestra, and has accompanied many members of the Twin Cities’ two main orchestras and college music faculties. A winner of international competitions in both composition and piano, he has toured the Midwest as pianist and composer-in-residence for the Sylmar Chamber Ensemble and currently teaches at the St. Paul Conservatory and the Evergreen School for the Arts in Edina. He has performed many times at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland, as piano soloist, as harpsichord soloist, with violinist Michael Antonello, and as part of the piano trio, Trio di Vita, which premiered his Trio Jazzico Nostalgico and Scottish Fantasy in Scotland. The seven CDs he made with Antonello have all received enthusiastic reviews in Fanfare magazine. He received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, his Master’s from the University of Illinois-Urbana, and his Bachelor’s from the Manhattan School of Music. Dr. Arnstein’s compositions include more than a hundred works of chamber music, hundreds of piano solos and duets, and music for both orchestra and chorus. His Blind Mice Ballade will be premiered by the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, this season. His music has been published in both the United States and Europe. He is the Twin Cities classical music columnist for examiner.com. In his spare time he writes mystery novels.

Cara Mia Antonello

Cara Mia Antonello held the position of Principal Second Violin with The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1982-1997. Prior to her St. Louis tenure, Ms. Antonello spent five years with The Hague Philharmonic in The Netherlands, also as Principal of the second violin section. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Antonello studied with Dorothy Delay at both the Juiffiard School in New York and the Aspen Music Festival. She also served as Concertmaster in festival orchestras conducted by Yehudi Menhuin and Aaron Copland, and is a grand prize winner of the prestigious WAMSO competition.

Ms. Antonello has been featured as a soloist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, The Hague Philharmonic, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Saint Louis Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, Nebraska Chamber Orchestra and many other regional orchestras around the country. Ms. Antonello’s chamber music experience includes performing and touring throughout Europe with the Resident Quartet of The Hague Philharmonic and frequent string quartet performances on WQXR, New York. As a member of the Webster University faculty, she led the Webster Piano Trio in performances throughout the Midwest.

Her extensive teaching experience includes appointments at Washington University, St. Louis University, the St. Louis Symphony Music School, Webster University, and Southern Illinois University. Recently, Cara Mia has been on the jury of major violin competitions, including the prestigious Wieniawski competition in Poznan, Poland and the Sion-Valai competition in Switzerland.

She currently maintains a private studio, coaching both chamber music and orchestral repertoire for auditioning candidates.

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BRAHMS & BRUCH VIOLIN CONCERTOS

Michael Antonello, Violin — Philip Greenberg, Conductor — National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Orchestra

The Brahms and Bruch violin concertos, apart from sharing the same first two letters, are part of a long string of violin concertos that constitute the major part of the standard violin repertoire. They all include rich, symphonic orchestra accompaniments—unlike concertos such as those by Paganini and Chopin, whose orchestra parts were much simpler and more meager. All of them were influenced, inspired, and aided by an astonishingly small number of performers from the nineteenth century, all in some way connected to the violinist Joseph Joachim.

In the 1830’s, Felix Mendelssohn spearheaded a movement to revive older classical works, especially those of J. S. Bach. Though a major composer himself, he broke with tradition by featuring and promoting other composers (both dead and alive) on his programs. His efforts to promote dead composers was labeled a revival, but this was a misleading term, as much of the music he championed (e.g, Bach) had never been performed, or if it had, had received such dismal premieres as to doom future success. Beethoven's violin concerto is a typical example. At its premiere, Beethoven’s friend, violinist Franz Clement, was forced to sight-read some sections because Beethoven had procrastinated in preparing the solo part on time. An embarrassed Clement, desiring to prove to the audience that he was not totally lacking in talent, inserted a work of his own between the first and second movements, played on only one string with the violin held upside down. The concerto was deemed a failure. It was not until 1844, seventeen years after Beethoven’s death, that Beethoven’s concerto received its first decent performance, with 12-year-old Joseph Joachim soloing and Mendelssohn conducting. The concertmaster was Joachim’s teacher, Ferdinand David, who had worked closely with Mendelssohn on Mendelssohn’s own violin concerto.

Johannes Brahms’s violin concerto was composed in 1878 and dedicated to Joachim, who contributed many suggestions to its solo part. When Joachim premiered the work in Leipzig in 1879, he performed the Beethoven violin concerto first on the same program. Like the first movement of the Beethoven violin concerto, Brahms’s first movement is structured in such a way as to build to a moment of extreme repose at the end of the movement, right after the cadenza. Brahms conducted the concert. In spite of the similarities to the Beethoven, which were not a coincidence but more a way of paying homage (as well as copying what he felt worked), Brahms complained of the concert: “It was a lot of D major and not much else on the program.” The key of D is idiomatic to the violin. Violin concertos in D have been written by Bach, Mozart, Clement, Beethoven, Paganini, Schumann, Bruch, Brahms Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski, Strauss, Sibelius, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Khachaturian and Korngold.

The main musical influence on Brahms was Robert Schumann, and, after Robert died, Clara Schumann, Robert’s wife and one of the principal pianists of the era. Brahms sent every work he composed to Clara as soon as it was finished, for her approval and suggestions. (If she disapproved, he burned the manuscrIpt.) Through Brahms, Max Bruch also came to know Clara Schumann, and he, like Brahms, also sent his compositions to her, including this violin concerto, for her comments. Like Brahms, he also solicited Joachim’s help in composing the solo part. Joachim, apart from being a violinist, was also a composer, though his works are unplayed today, other than cadenzas for other composers’ concertos. (Mr, Antonello plays Joachim’s cadenza for the Brahms.) Oddly enough, though Bruch sought Joachim’s compositional advice, he couldn’t stand the way Joachim played his concerto, much preferring the Spanish violinist, Pablo Sarasate. Paradoxically, Sarasate took a strong dislike to the Brahms concerto, and refused to perform it.

Unlike Beethoven’s violin concerto, Bruch’s found immediate success. Bruch was an excellent pianist and accompanist, but from early on became quite biased towards the violin. He referred to the piano as “That unmelodious keyboard thing” and “That dull rattle-trap,” whereas he claimed “the violin can sing a melody, better than the piano can, and melody is the soul of music.” As he developed as a composer, he became even more emphatic about melody being the key element in music, especially because he felt melody was being increasingly down-played in modern (late nineteenth century) music: “As a rule, a good folk tune is more valuable than 200 created works of art… here is the salvation of our unmelodic times… only melody survives…” His obsession with melody is demonstrated in the emotional inspiration of the slow (middle) movement of his concerto, which, unusual in a classical work, has always been the audience’s favorite.

Clara Schumann was sent Bruch’s concerto for her opinion and suggestions, but she was only one of many, for he wrote numerous versions. (Hundreds of people claimed they had witnessed Abraham Lincoln composing his Gettysburg Address; they were telling the truth—he worked on it everywhere.) Although Bruch was a composer of much experience, the G minor concerto seemed to take over his life, becoming a vast struggle. “It is a damned difficult thing to do…” (write a violin concerto) “…between 1864 and 1868 I rewrote my concerto at least half a dozen times, and conferred with violinists before it took the final form in which it is universally famous and played everywhere.” He worked with both Joachim and Ferdinand David.

The Bruch concerto was premiered by all the famous violinists of the day: David, Joachim, Auer, and Vieuxtemps. Bruch was thrilled: “…t advances brilliantly.” It was considered the successor of the Mendelssohn concerto of 20 years before, and brooked no competition until the Brahms concerto ten years later.

Just as Rachmaninoff was plagued by the early success of his C-sharp minor prelude, blotting out attention to his other works, Bruch became frustrated by the increasing neglect of his other compositions, including hundreds of choral, symphonic, and chamber works, as well as other violin concertos. When a violinist wished to audition for him, Bruch would hear him “on condition that he does not play my world-renowned Concerto in G minor; because I cannot hear it any more.” In 1903 he wrote during a visit to Naples: “On the corner of the Via Toledo they stand there, ready to break out with my first violin concerto as soon as I allow myself to be seen. They can all go to the devil! As if I had not written other equally good concertos!” The situation has changed little; Gram phone Magazine in 2002 reported 77 recordings of the first violin concerto, only three of his third.

Joachim promoted the careers of many composers during his lifetime, and his playing, albeit of an arthritic old man, can be heard on YouTube. (He lived until 1907.) Clara Schumann missed the opportunity to record on an Edison wax cylinder by dying one year too soon. Brahms, who died a year after Clara, left behind a few nearly inaudible piano recordings made in 1897.

notes by Peter Arnstein

Michael Antonello

Before launching an international solo and recording career American-born violinist Michael Antonello attended the legendary Curtis Institute in Philadelphia followed by studies at Indiana University, where he worked with master violinist Franco Gulli until his appointment as concert-master of the Grand Rapids and Rochester Symphony Orchestras. A sought-after soloist his American concerto performances include the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony and New York City’s Chelsea Symphony. Under the baton of Richard Haglund he played in St. Petersburg, Russia, Romania, and Moldova. With Italy's Milano Classica, a renowned early music ensemble, Antonello has performed in Milan, Naples, Florence, Pavia and Voghera and recorded Mendelssohn’s Violin and Orchestra Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 and Beethoven’s Violin and Orchestra Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 with conductor Philip Greenberg.

Appearing in large concert venues and intimate college settings throughout the United States, Antonello's recital appearances also include Venice, Bologna, and Ferrara, Great Britain, Romania, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and he is a regular guest at the Edinburgh Festival. Specializing in the works of Fritz Kreisler he has recorded six CDs with pianist Peter Arnstein on the MJA label.

Michael Antonello plays the 1720 “Ex-Rochester” violin made by the incomparable master Antonio Stradivari. Crafted during the “Golden Period”, when his genius was the most focused and productive, this instrument is a supreme example of condition, preservation and tonal quality. It is referenced in no fewer than five books dedicated to Stradivari's work.

Philip Greenberg

Philip Greenberg is currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Kiev Philharmonic, a position he has held since 2003. He also serves as the Music Director and Conductor of the Royal Festival of the L’Eté Musical Dans la Vallée du Lot in Cahors, France. Maestro Greenberg has also recently been named Artistic Director and Conductor of the Tuscan Music Festival of the Milano Classica Orchestra of Italy.

For 18 seasons Philip Greenberg was the Musical Director/Conductor of the Savannah Symphony, where under his leadership an unprecedented level of national and international acclaim attracted the world’s most renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, Franco Gulli, Phillipe Entremont, and Janos Starker.

Maestro Greenberg served as Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, and Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic in California. A frequent and popular guest conductor, he has appeared on podiums in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Uruguay, Mexico, Brazil and Italy as well as Chicago, Phoenix, Santa Barbara, El Paso, Colorado, Indiana and Michigan. He has recorded extensively with the Bayerisches Kammerphilharmonie and the Kiev Philharmonic and has performed in many of the world’s greatest concert halls, including a live televised broadcast from the famed Mozarteum of Salzburg. Maestro Greenberg launched his international career as the double winner of the Nicolai Malko International Conducting Competition in Copenhagen. He remains the only conductor in the fifty year history of the competition to win not only the judges prize but the coveted Orchestra prize voted on by the musicians of the Danish Radio Orchestra.

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Established in 1937, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, formerly known as the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, is recognized as one of the most accomplished symphonic ensembles of the former Soviet Union. President Leonid Kuchma declared the orchestra’s change of status in mid-1994 reaffirming its reputation as Ukraine’s premiere orchestra. During the past five decades, the orchestra has worked under a number of this century’s most recognized conductors and distinguished soloists including Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Artur Rubinstein and Isaac Stern.

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MOZART VIOLIN CONCERTOS

Mozart showed prodigious ability from his earliest childhood in Salzburg Already competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. After returning with his father from Italy on March 13, 1773, Mozart was employed as a court musician by the ruler of Salzburg, Prince-Archbishop Hieronymus Colloredo. The composer had a great number of friends and admirers in Salzburg. He had the opportunity to work in many genres, composing symphonies, sonatas, string quartets, serenades, and a few minor operas.

The five violin concertos (the only ones he ever wrote), were originally thought to have been written between April and December 1775. However recent analysis of handwriting and the manuscript paper on which the concerto was written suggest that the actual date of composition might have been 1773 when Mozart was 17 years old.

Additionally, much has been written that violinist Antonio Brunetti premiered the works however he didn 't arrive as Court musician until 1776. Given Mozart 's ability on the violin it is now believed that Mozart himself gave the premiers of all five violin concertos.

The three movements of the 1st concerto are in the usual fast-slow-fast structure. The concerto is full of brilliant passage work with running sixteenth notes and is generally characterized by high spirits. The concert Rondo No.1 in B-flat, K. 269 for violin and orchestra was intended to replace the finale however the concerto is typically performed with the original finale, and the K. 269 Rondo remains a separate concert-piece.

The fourth Mozart violin concerto remains the most immediately scintillating of the five. It is not happenstance that D major is the key most often selected by composers in which to cast their violin concertos (two of Mozart 's are in that key), for it is in D major that the instrument, because of the tuning of its strings, vibrates most freely and rings longest. Mozart exploits this tonally-concocted capacity many times as the Concerto moves along, from the resounding unisons and octaves of the orchestra opening to the shining entrance of the soloist on that same material (two octaves higher) to the rich arpeggios that later on lead the way into the recapitulation of the opening.

The Andante cantabile slow movement of the fourth concerto has not the fame of either the slow movement of the Concerto No. 3 in G or that of the Concerto No. 5 in A, but there is no shame in being a lesser-known gem. The main music of the Andante grazioso finale cannot decide between a light 2/4 and a more energized 6/8. But this is not the only such argument of tempo and meter in the movement: Mozart has returned to the kind of French Rondo finale that he used in the previous violin concerto, this time incorporating a rolling gigue and a folk like gavotte in the middle portion which shoots off in an entirely new direction for a while. The ending happens suddenly as if to state there is more to come.

notes by Richard Haglund

Michael Antonello

Before launching an international solo and recording career American-born violinist Michael Antonello attended the legendary Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia followed by studies at Indiana University. There he worked with concert violinist Franco Gulli until his appointment as concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony. He also has served as concertmaster of an orchestra at the famed Aspen Music Festival, and the Rochester Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota. He held a temporary tenure with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He has been featured as a soloist with the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony, Chelsea Symphony, Milano Classica, Romanian Philharmonic, and St. Petersburg ’s “State Capella Orchestra”. Antonello has also performed extensively in recital with pianist Peter Arnstein. They have seven CDs to their credit. These CDs include much of the standard Sonata Repertoire, as well as favorite violin showpieces. Mr. Antonello has recorded many violin concertos including the Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Brahms, and Bruch with conductor Philip Greenberg and the National Orchestra of the Ukraine. They have also recorded Mozart Concertos No. 3 and No. 5 with the Milano Classica Orchestra. He and conductor Richard Haglund have performed concerts in Chicago, St. Petersburg Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. Last year, Michael Antonello co-founded the Southern Tuscany International Festival of Music, Literature, Food, and Wine.

He plays the 1720 “Ex-Rochester” violin made by Antonio Stradivari. Crafted during the “Golden Period”, when his genius was the most focused and productive, this instrument is a supreme example of the maker’s finest tonal quality It is referenced in no fewer than five books dedicated to Stradivari 's work.

Richard Haglund, Music Director and Conductor

An engaging communicator of exceptional warmth and energy, conductor Richard A. Haglund is founder and Music Director of the Erato Chamber Orchestra in Chicago. Additionally he is the Assistant Conductor for the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Music Director of the Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony and Community Orchestra in Springfield.

Maestro Haglund has conducted professional ensembles around the globe. These include the Camerata Chamber Orchestra in Cluj, Romania, the St. Petersburg Hermitage Orchestra in Russia, and the Varna Philharmonic and Grabovo Chamber Orchestra in Bulgaria. In the summer of 2009 he was invited for a second appearance with the Bantul Philharmonic Orchestra in Romania. Additionally, he guest conducted the State Capella Orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the National Chamber Orchestra of Moldova in Chisinau. The summer of 2010 lead him to work in the Ukraine with the Kiev Philharmonic and in Italy with the Southern Tuscany International Festival of Music, Literature, Food & Wine.

Haglund’s diverse experience includes Pops Conductor for the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra’s summer season, Assistant Conductor of the Woodstock Chamber Orchestra, Conductor of the Bard Community Chorus, and Founder and Conductor of the Sangamon Valley Community Orchestra in Springfield, Illinois.

Haglund received a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Minnesota. He studied with Gustav Meier in Kiev, Ukraine, where he conducted the National Symphony Orchestra and Radio Choir of the Ukraine, as well as in St. Petersburg, Russia, at the Peter the Great Music Academy. In 2003, he completed a Masters of Fine Arts in Orchestral Conducting at Bard College in New York under the tutelage of Harold Farberman. Haglund has also studied conducting with Leon Botstein, Paul Vermel, Larry Rachleff, and Philip Greenberg In addition to conducting, he has studied composition individually with world-renowned composer Joan Tower.

Erato Chamber Orchestra

The Erato Chamber Orchestra is comprised of Chicago’s finest musicians who have a common affection for making and sharing music. The ensemble’s programs-are devoted to both classical and contemporary repertoire that is not ordinarily played by large symphony orchestras. Their name is inspired by the Greek goddess Erato, who is the Muse of Lyric Poetry. The orchestra’s style is characterized by a warm sound and virtuosic talent combined with an infectious enjoyment of the pleasure of making music.

Cara Mia Antonello

Cara Mia Antonello held the position of Principal Second Violin with The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra from 1982-1997. Prior to her St. Louis tenure, Ms. Antonello spent five years with The Hague Philharmonic in The Netherlands, also as Principal of the second violin section. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, Antonello studied with Dorothy DeLay at both the Juilliard School in New York and the Aspen Music Festival. She also served as Concertmaster in festival orchestras conducted by Yehudi Menuhin and Aaron Copland, and is a grand prize winner of the prestigious WAMSO competition.

Ms. Antonello has been featured as a soloist with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, The Hague Philharmonic, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Saint Louis Philharmonic, Jacksonville Symphony, Nebraska Chamber Orchestra and many other regional orchestras around the country.

Ms. Antonello’s chamber music experience includes performing and touring throughout Europe with the Resident Quartet of The Hague Philharmonic and frequent string quartet performances on WQXR, New York. As a member of the Webster University faculty, she led the Webster Piano Trio in performances throughout the Midwest. Her extensive teaching experience includes appointments at Washington University, St. Louis University, the St. Louis Symphony Music School, Webster University, and Southern Illinois University. Recently, Cara Mia has been on the jury of major violin competitions, including the prestigious Wieniawski competition in Poznan, Poland and the Sion-Valai competition in Switzerland. She currently maintains a private studio, coaching both chamber music and orchestral repertoire for auditioning candidates.

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POÈME

Violinist Michael Antonello and pianist/composer Peter Arnstein have performed together for nearly twenty years. Their first four CDs, Stradivarius and Steinway, Stradivarius and Steinway II, Salut d'Amour and Mostly Sonatas produced rave reviews in Fanfare magazine. In May, 2006, they made their Italian debut, performing in Melzo, (near Milan), two concerts in Iseo (at the foot of the Italian Alps), and in Farrara (near Venice). In 2003 they went to Scotland as part of the piano trio, Trio de Vita, performing six concerts with cellist Scott Adelman. A double CD of those Scottish programs (including Scottish Fantasy and Trio Jazzico Nostalgico by Arnstein) was subsequently released under the MJA label.

Michael Antonello trained at Curtis in Philadelphia and in Bloomington, Indiana with violinist, Franco Gulli. He was Concertmaster of the Grand Rapids Symphony in Michigan and the Rochester Symphony in Minnesota, and has performed with the Minnesota Orchestra.”... a violinist who can ...elicit tears, laughter and a standing ovation.” Grand Rapids Press, April 2004. He has become a specialist in the works of Fritz Kreisler, and is well on his way to recording Kreisler’s complete works. With the two Brahms sonatas on this CD, he has now recorded the complete violin and piano works of Brahms. In the 2005/2006 concert season he performed the Brahms violin concerto with the Minneapolis Civic Orchestra.

Michael Antonello is one of the leading Life Insurance Brokers in America. His first love was for the violin and at the age of thirty he decided to pursue a full-time career in the insurance business. His success in this field has enabled him to purchase and perform on two of the most beautiful violins in the world. In recent years he has recommitted himself to using the talent he so enjoyed in his youth by performing concerts and making CDs.

On this recording, Antonello plays the 1720 “Ex-Rochester” Stradivarius, made when Stradivarius was seventy-six years old and in his prime. The first 100 years of its history are unknown. However, since 1820, in Rochester, England, every owner can be traced all the way to Antonello’s ownership. The violin is in pristine condition, in part because it has been in major collections most of its life, one of which is the Herbert Axelrod collection. Antonello’s more recent purchase is a Guarnari del Gesù, 1742, the “Ex-Benno Rabinof.”

Originally from Chicago, Peter Arnstein has won prizes in various international competitions, as well as the American Music Scholarship Association Competition in Cincinnati. In 1992, he won the Gold Medal in all categories at the Roodeport International Competitior for his composition: Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Mozart. Dr. Arnstein teaches piano and composition at the St. Paul Conservatory.

Dr. Arnstein's compositions include hundreds of chamber music works and pedagogical piano pieces as well as music for orchestra and chorus. His music has been published by Manduca Publications in the United States and Phylloscopus Publications in England.

Arnstein has transcribed the original orchestral score of the Chausson Poème for piano.

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MENDELSSOHN & BEETHOVEN CONCERTOS

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809 - 1847) Concerto in E Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 64

Composed while Mendelssohn was vacationing with his family in Soden near Frankfurt am Main in September 1844, the concerto is the last of his larger orchestral works, but shows the spontaneity of youth. Though the first movement is in classical Sonata form: Exposition, Development, Recapitulation and Coda, there are several innovative features. After the first performance on March 13, 1845 a critic writing in Robert Schumann's musical journal, Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik, mentioned one such originality—its lack of an orchestral introduction. But there are others: the Cadenza is at the end of the Development (rather than the end of the Recapitulation), the transition from the Allegro molto appassionato into the Andante is only one sustained bassoon tone, and the last movement is ingeniously connected to the preceding section by a ruminative violin solo.

To quote Karl-Heinz Köhler in his excellent article on Mendelssohn in The New Grove Dictionary: "One of the most lyrical of Mendelssohn's compositions, this concerto stands besides Beethoven and Brahms as one of the most significant works in the genre."

“I learned this concerto when I was 13 or 14," says Michael Antonello, "and probably performed it more than any other work during my youth, so I have lived with it my entire musical life. It is truly a magnificent concerto that can stand up to any of the other ‘greats’, but I feel the work's difficulty is underrated. Though it was written in the Romantic tradition the piece has the simplicity and transparency of Mozart - no place to hide! And as the Beethoven Concerto is famous for the difficulty of the opening, violinists can easily develop a mental block over the broken arpeggio passage in Mendelssohn. It is not as straightforward as one might think.

“The balance between the solo violin and orchestra are exceptional and time has proven that its aesthetic form and structure is architecturally near perfect.” Maestro Philip Greenberg adds: “Musicologists can marvel at the structure, form and architecture, while the listener simply engages in its melodic beauty. Like Schubert, Mendelssohn had an unsurpassed gift of melody, and the work can be compared from start to finish to a luscious soprano aria.”

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827) Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61

This concerto, composed between the Third (“Eroica”) Symphony and the Fifth, is an expression of Beethoven’s political stand: revolution of the people against tyrannical monarchies, and yet there is also an inward-looking quality, perhaps from the growing loss of his hearing. Completed, according to Beethoven's student Carl Czerny, two days before the first performance on December 23, 1806 by Franz Clement, the 26-year-old concertmaster of the orchestra at the Theater an der Wien, who had commissioned the work, it was harshly criticized due to the lack of rehearsal time. This is probably why the concerto did not gain popularity until Joseph Joachim, aged 13, performed it in London with Felix Mendelssohn conducting. One critic of the first performance wrote: “There is a consensus among experts about Beethoven’s Concerto: There is a great deal in it, which is beautiful, but the continuity seems often to he torn apart, and the endless repetition of certain commonplace passages can easily become wearisome.”

The next year Beethoven altered details of the work and later arranged the concerto for Muzio Clementi, a London-based composer, pianist, piano-maker and publisher, as a piano concerto. He even put off starting a mass commissioned by Prince Nikolaus Esterhazy, Haydn's patron, in order to concentrate his attention on the arrangement. This gave him the chance to revise the solo violin part, which today still stands as an unsurpassed monument to the concerto repertoire and Beethoven’s genius.

“This violin concerto by Beethoven is one of the most difficult ever written,” comments Michael Antonello, “not because of pyrotechnics, but because the solo line is so exposed—play out of tune and whole world knows. In fact, many violinists never perform the work. In learning the concerto I found that it not only trained my hands, but also forced me to really learn my instrument. The first five times I performed it I didn't play my best. I am however proud of this recording.

“The opening is one of the most daunting in the entire repertoire,” he continues. “You stand for three minutes waiting while the orchestra plays. Your tension mounts until the solo entrance broken octaves. Everyone knows if it is good or bad. I practiced the concerto for five years before committing it to disc and I feel that it has done more to improve my playing than any other work.” Maestro Greenberg adds: “This music is a miracle that surpasses other symphonic masterpieces with a significance that is inexplicable. To analyze its greatness is futile. It is a work of singular genius by the greatest composer of all time.”

Michael Antonello

Before launching an international solo and recording career American-born violinist Michael Antonello attended the legendary Curtis Institute in Philadelphia followed by studies at Indiana University, where he worked with master violinist Franco Gulli until his appointment as concertmaster of the Grand Rapids and Rochester Symphony Orchestras.

A sought-after soloist his American concerto performances include the Minnesota Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Erato Chamber Orchestra of Chicago, the Rochester Symphony and New York City’s Chelsea Symphony. Under the baton of Richard Haglund he played in St. Petersburg, Russia, Rumania, and Moldova. With Italy’s Milano Classica, a renowned early music ensemble, Antonello has performed in Milan, Naples, Florence, Pavia and Voghera and recorded Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3 in G, K.216 and Concerto No. 5 in A, K.219 with conductor Philip Greenberg.

Appearing in large concert venues and intimate college settings throughout the United States Antonello's recital appearances also include Venice, Bologna, and Ferrara, Great Britain, Romania, the Czech Republic, Ukraine and he is a regular guest at the Edinburgh Festival. Specializing in the works of Fritz Kreisler he has recorded six CDs with pianist Peter Arnstien on the MJA label.

Michael Antonello plays the 1720 "ExRochester" violin made by the incomparable master Antonio Stradivari. Crafted during the “Golden Period”, when his genius was the most focused and productive, this instrument is a supreme example of condition, preservation and tonal quality It is referenced in no fewer than five books dedicated to Stradivari's work.

This is Michael Antonello's debut recording with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.

Philip Greenberg

Philip Greenberg is currently the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Kiev Philharmonic, a position he has held since 2003. He also serves as the Music Director and Conductor of the Royal Festival of the L'Eeté Musical Dans la Vallée du Lot in Cahors, France.

For 18 seasons Philip Greenberg was the Musical Director/Conductor of the Savannah Symphony, where under his leadership an unprecedented level of national and international acclaim attracted the world's most renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman, Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, Franco Gulli, Phillipe Entremont, and Janos Starker.

Maestro Greenberg served as Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Resident Conductor of the Phoenix Symphony, and Music Director of the Fresno Philharmonic in California. A frequent and popular guest conductor, he has appeared on podiums in Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Uruguay, Mexico, and Brazil as well as Chicago, Phoenix, Santa Barbara, El Paso, Colorado, Indiana and Michigan. He has recorded extensively with the Bayerisches Kammerphilharmonie and the Kiev Philharmonic and has performed in many of the world’s greatest concert halls, including a live televised broadcast from the famed Mozarteum of Salzburg. Maestro Greenberg launched his international career as the double winner of the Nicolai Malko International Conducting Competition in Copenhagen. He remains the only conductor in the fifty year history of the competition to win not only the judges prize but the coveted Orchestra prize voted on by musicians of the Danish Radio Orchestra.

National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine

Established in 1937, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, formerly known as the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra, is recognized as one of the most accomplished symphonic ensembles of the former Soviet Union. President Leonid Kuchma declared the orchestra’s change of status in mid-1994 reaffirming its reputation as Ukraine's premiere orchestra. During the past five decades, the orchestra has worked under a number of this century's most recognized conductors and distinguished soloists including Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Artur Rubinstein, and Isaac Stern.

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