Camilla Wicks : Five Decades of Treasured Performances (Live)
Music & Arts MA1282 (6 CDs Digibox)
Camilla Wicks, violon
Danish State Symphony Orchestra / Fritz Busch, direction
Orchestre de la radio norvégienne / Ari Rasilainen, direction
Hollywood Bowl symphony Orchestra / William Steinberg, direction / Leopold Stokowski, direction
27/05/2015
Durée totale : 7:44:35
Camilla Wicks? Un mystère. Lorsque Sibelius reçut le microsillon Capitol où elle jouait sous la direction de Sixteen Ehrling son Concerto, d’enthousiasme il la félicitât. Quelques trop rares disques pour His Master Voice et Philips connurent des diffusions confidentielles et ne reflétèrent de toute façon ni son art ni l’étendu de son répertoire. Née californienne, enfant prodige, beauté blonde et moderne – elle aurait put tourner sans pâlir auprès de Lauren Bacall si l’envie d’une carrière cinématographique l’avait piquée – son archet fulgurant et son art flamboyant sont restés trop méconnus. Avec cela une passion pour les compositeurs scandinaves qui la lui rendirent au centuple : Fartein Valen, Bjarne Brustad, entre autres, écrivirent à son intention. Elle a aujourd’hui 86 ans, et Music and Arts, qui avait déjà révélé un stupéfiant Concerto de Beethoven où Bruno Walter l’accompagnait avec feu, lui dédie aujourd’hui cet opulent coffret de 6 CD emplis à ras bords d’enregistrements de concert couvrant cinquante années d’activité. Les gravures historiques – concertos de Tchaïkovski, Wieniawski, Bruch, Mendelssohn, Barber – la montrent dans le feu de sa jeunesse, archet fulgurant, lectures hautaines de son splendide, avec cet art du jeu sostenuto que les violonistes ont pour la plupart perdu. Mais le répertoire chambriste est omniprésent et ratisse large, de Beethoven à Tailleferre : les raretés abondent, les chefs- d’œuvre (une très composite – de prises de son – 3e Sonate de Grieg, la Debussy, la Première de Fauré) sont relus drastiquement, et partout cet art singulier vous transportera. Avec une sacrée surprise : 1995, la Radio Norvégienne invite Camilla Wicks, soixante-sept ans, pour le Concerto de Brahms. Ecoutez simplement ce qu’elle en fait. Incroyable! (Discophilia - Artalinna.com). (Jean-Charles Hoffelé)

Upheld by many as a queen amongst her peers, violinist Camilla Wicks led a stellar career in the dozen years following World War II. At the peak of her fame she retired from the concert stage to devote herself to her family. Upon resuming her career she remained an outstanding if intermittent performer for several more decades. Wicks made few commercial recordings besides a famed 1952 performance of the Sibelius Concerto. Now this precious set, spanning five decades and a vast range of repertoire, offers the most comprehensive collection of her concert performances ever likely to be assembled. It offers an in-depth insight into Wicks’ evolution from captivating, devil-may-care young virtuoso to profound interpreter. Music & Arts is pleased to make these great performances available for those who have long wished for Wicks’ discography to be expanded, and to enable a wider audience to be stirred by this extraordinary violinist and artist.

 

CD 1 [78:55]
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) : Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, MWV O 14 22 September 1949, Copenhagen
1 Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, MWV O 14: I. Allegro molto appassionato 11:59 Fritz Busch / Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
2 Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, MWV O 14: II. Andante 8:15 Fritz Busch / Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
3 Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64, MWV O 14: III. Allegretto non troppo - Allegro molto vivace 6:15 Fritz Busch / Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) : Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 1994 or 1995
4 Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77: I. Allegro non troppo 24:29 Ari Rasilainen / Norwegian Radio Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
5 Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77: II. Adagio 9:35 Ari Rasilainen / Norwegian Radio Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
6 Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77: III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace 9:00 Ari Rasilainen / Norwegian Radio Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) : 21 Hungarian Dances, WoO 1 1994 or 1995
7 21 Hungarian Dances, WoO 1: No. 7 in A Major 2:16 Robert D. Levin / Camilla Wicks
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) : 6 Lieder, Op. 34: No. 2. Auf Flugeln des Gesanges 1950, Norway
8 6 Gesänge, Op. 34: No. 2, Auf Flügeln des Gesanges 4:06 Robert D. Levin / Camilla Wicks
Maria-Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824) : Sicilienne (arr. S. Dushkin for violin and piano) 4 November 1973, Wenatchee, Washington
9 Sicilienne (Arr. S. Dushkin for Violin & Piano) 2:56 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
CD 2 [75:45]
Piotr Ilyitch Tchaikovski (1840-1893) : Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35, TH 59 18 August 1953, Hollywood Bowl
1 Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35, TH 59: I. Allegro moderato - Moderato assai 17:24 William Steinberg / Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
2 Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35, TH 59: II. Canzonetta. Andante 6:06 William Steinberg / Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
3 Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35, TH 59: III. Finale. Allegro vivacissimo 8:12 William Steinberg / Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
Bjarne Brustad (1895-1978) : Eventyrsuite (Fairy Tale Suite) 18 August 1953, Hollywood Bowl
4 Eventyrsuite: IV. Trollkvenna  (The Troll's Windmill) (Live) 1:55 Camilla Wicks
Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880) : Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22 14 August 1946
5 Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22: I. Allegro moderato 7:29 Leopold Stokowski / Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
6 Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22: II. Romance. Andante non troppo 3:26 Leopold Stokowski / Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
7 Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, Op. 22: III. Allegro con fuoco - Allegro moderato a la Zingara 5:32 Leopold Stokowski / Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) : Introduction and Tarantella, Op. 43 (version for v Venue unknown
8 Introduction et tarantelle, Op. 43 (Live) 5:01 Anonymous / San Francisco Symphony Orchestra / Camilla Wicks
Samuel Barber (1910-1981) : Violin Concerto, Op. 14 Date unknown
9 Violin Concerto, Op. 14: I. Allegro (Live) 9:09 Sixten Ehrling / Camilla Wicks / Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
10 Violin Concerto, Op. 14: II. Andante (Live) 6:51 Sixten Ehrling / Camilla Wicks / Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
11 Violin Concerto, Op. 14: III. Presto in moto perpetuo (Live) 4:33 Ehrling, Sixten / Camilla Wicks / Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
CD 3 [75:52]
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) : Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96 11 February 1986, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Rackham Auditorium
1 Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: I. Allegro moderato 9:47 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
2 Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: II. Adagio espressivo 5:57 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
3 Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: III. Scherzo (Allegro) 1:46 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
4 Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: IV. Poco allegretto 8:19 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
Richard Strauss (1864-1949) : Violin Sonata in E-Flat Major, Op. 18, TrV 151 11 February 1986, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Rackham Auditorium
5 Violin Sonata in E-Flat Major, Op. 18, TrV 151: I. Finale. Andante-Allegro 11:12 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
6 Violin Sonata in E-Flat Major, Op. 18, TrV 151: II. Allegro ma non troppo 7:47 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
7 Violin Sonata in E-Flat Major, Op. 18, TrV 151: III. Improvisation. Andante cantabile 7:57 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
8 Violin Sonata in E-Flat Major, Op. 18, TrV 151: IV. Finale. Andante-Allegro 7:02 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
Dimitri Chostakovitch (1906-1975) : 24 Preludes, Op. 34a (Arr. D.M. Tsiganov for Violin and piano) 11 February 1986, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Rackham Auditorium
9 24 Preludes, Op. 34a (Arr. D.M. Tsiganov for Violin & Piano) I. Moderato non troppo 1:43 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
10 24 Preludes, Op. 34a (Arr. D.M. Tsiganov for Violin & Piano) II. Allegretto 0:55 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
11 24 Preludes, Op. 34a (Arr. D.M. Tsiganov for Violin & Piano) III. Andantino 1:00 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
12 24 Preludes, Op. 34a (Arr. D.M. Tsiganov for Violin & Piano) IV. Allegretto 1:27 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
George Gershwin (1898-1937) : 3 Preludes (Arr. J. Heifetz for Violin & Piano) 1980, Fullerton, California State University
13 3 Preludes (Arr. J. Heifetz for Violin & Piano): I. Allegro ben ritmato e deciso 1:28 Camilla Wicks / Roslyn Frantz
14 3 Preludes (Arr. J. Heifetz for Violin & Piano): II. Andante con moto e poco rubato 2:42 Camilla Wicks / Roslyn Frantz
15 3 Preludes (Arr. J. Heifetz for Violin & Piano): III. Agitato 1:22 Camilla Wicks / Roslyn Frantz
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) : Ellens Gesang III (Ave Maria!), Op. 52, No. 6, D. 8 October 1960, Anaheim
16 Ave Maria, Op. 52 No. 6, D. 839 (Arr. A. Wilhelmj) 5:19 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
CD 4 [77:13]
Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) : Poème, Op. 25 (arr. for violin and piano) 26 February 1963, Dallas, Texas
1 Poème, Op. 25 (Arr. for Violin & Piano) [Live] 15:07 Camilla Wicks / Hirsch Albert
Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) : Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 27, No. 3, "Ballade" 1988, Round Top Festival, Texas
2 Violin Sonata in D Minor, Op. 27 No. 3 "Ballade" 7:32 Camilla Wicks
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) : Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13 24 March 1985, San Francisco
3 Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13: I. Allegro molto 7:54 Camilla Wicks / Miles Graber
4 Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13: II. Andante 9:20 Camilla Wicks / Miles Graber
5 Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13: III. Allegro vivo 3:50 Camilla Wicks / Miles Graber
6 Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13: IV. Allegro quasi presto 5:27 Camilla Wicks / Miles Graber
Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983) : Violin Sonata No. 1 15 October 1990, San Francisco
7 Violin Sonata No. 1: I. Modéré sans lenteur (Live) 6:25 Camilla Wicks / Brian Connelly
8 Violin Sonata No. 1: II. Scherzo. Pas très vite et sans rigueur (Live) 3:40 Camilla Wicks / Brian Connelly
9 Violin Sonata No. 1: III. Assez lent (Live) 4:40 Camilla Wicks / Brian Connelly
10 Violin Sonata No. 1: IV. Final. Très vite (Live) 5:01 Camilla Wicks / Brian Connelly
Joaquin Nin (1879-1949) : Chants d'Espagne (Arr. P. Kochanski for Violin & Piano) 11 February 1986, Ann Arbor, University of Michigan, Rackham Auditorium
11 Chants d'Espagne (Arr. P. Kochanski for Violin & Piano) I. Montañesa 2:08 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
12 Chants d'Espagne (Arr. P. Kochanski for Violin & Piano) II. Tonada Murciana 1:36 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
13 Chants d'Espagne (Arr. P. Kochanski for Violin & Piano) III. Saeta 2:40 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
14 Chants d'Espagne (Arr. P. Kochanski for Violin & Piano) IV. Granadina 1:45 Martin Katz / Camilla Wicks
CD 5 [77:35]
Ernest Bloch (1880-1959) : Violin Sonata No. 1 1980, Fullerton, California State University
1 Violin Sonata No. 1: I. Agitato (Live) 11:36 Camilla Wicks / Roslyn Frantz
2 Violin Sonata No. 1: II. Molto quieto (Live) 8:26 Camilla Wicks / Roslyn Frantz
3 Violin Sonata No. 1: III. Moderato (Live) 8:13 Camilla Wicks / Roslyn Frantz
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) : Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Minor, Op. Posth, M. 12 5 April 1991, Rice University, Houston
4 Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Minor, Op. Posth., M. 12 10:21 Camilla Wicks / Neal Kurz
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) : Violin Sonata in G Minor, L. 140 5 April 1991, Rice University, Houston
5 Violin Sonata in G Minor, L. 140: I. Allegro vivo 4:43 Camilla Wicks / Neal Kurz
6 Violin Sonata in G Minor, L. 140: II. Intermède. Fantasque et léger 4:10 Camilla Wicks / Neal Kurz
7 Violin Sonata in G Minor, L. 140: III. Finale. Très animé 4:23 Camilla Wicks / Neal Kurz
Béla Bartók (1881-1945) : Rhapsody No. 2 for Violin & Orchestra, Sz. 90 4 March 1984, Eastman
8 Rhapsody No. 2 for Violin & Orchestra, Sz. 90: I. Lassu 4:59 Jean Barr / Camilla Wicks
9 Rhapsody No. 2 for Violin & Orchestra, Sz. 90: II. Friss 6:33 Jean Barr / Camilla Wicks
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) : Tzigane 26 February 1963, Dallas, Texas
10 Tzigane, M. 76 (Live) 9:30 Camilla Wicks / Albert Hirsch
Ingvald Kristian Wicks (1892-1967) : Ode to the Desert 4 November 1973, Wenatchee, Washington
11 Ode to the Desert (Live) 4:34 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
CD 6 [79:15]
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) : Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 45 Mov.1 1947 / Mov. 2 & 3 date unknown
1 Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 45: I. Allegro molto ed appassionato 9:40 Robert D. Levin / Camilla Wicks
2 Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 45: II. Allegretto espressivo alla romanza 7:09 Robert D. Levin / Camilla Wicks
3 Violin Sonata No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 45: III. Allegro animato 7:50 Robert D. Levin / Camilla Wicks
Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880) : Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 14 8 October 1960, Anaheim
4 Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 14: I. Allegro 11:15 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
5 Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 14: II. Preghiera 3:36 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
6 Violin Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 14: III. Rondo 6:22 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880) : Scherzo-tarantelle, Op. 16 4 November 1973, Wenatchee, Washington
7 Scherzo tarantelle, Op. 16 (Live) 4:28 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) : Spanish Dances, Op. 21 8 October 1960, Anaheim / 1980, Fullerton, California State University (2)
8 Spanish Dances, Op. 21: No. 1, Malagueña (Live) 4:28 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
9 Spanish Dances, Op. 23: No. 2, Zapateado (Live) 3:19 Camilla Wicks / Roslyn Frantz
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) : Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. posth. 8 October 1960, Anaheim
10 Nocturne No. 20 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. Posth. (arr. Nathan Milstein) 4:11 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
Nocturne No. 8 in D-Flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2 (arr. Wilhelmj) 1948
11 Nocturnes, Op. 27: No. 2 in D-Flat Major (Arr. A. 6:08 Piano / Camilla Wicks
Arthur Benjamin (1893-1960) : From San Domingo 1948
12 From San Domingo (Version for Violin & Piano) 2:39 Piano / Camilla Wicks
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) : Tambourin chinois, Op. 3 8 October 1960, Anaheim
13 Tambourin chinois, Op. 3 (Live) 3:25 Piano / Camilla Wicks
Ioan Scarlatescu (1872-1922) : Bagatelle date unknown, Ann Arbor, Michigan
14 Bagatelle (Live) 2:40 Camilla Wicks / Horace Martinez
Arthur Benjamin (1893-1960) : Jamaican Rhumba date unknown, Ann Arbor, Michigan
15 Jamaican Rumba (Arr. for Violin & Piano) (Live) 1:55 Camilla Wicks / Michele M. Cooker