I Violini Di Cremona: Omaggio A Kreisler (The Violins of Cremona: Homage to Kreisler)

Like violin? Get this.

I could end the review here, but that would not be fair. Salvatore Accardo is an Italian violinist who has gained fame for his Paganini interpretations. That means that the man must be technically sound. So, check!

Here he pays homage to Fritz Kreisler, violinist, composer, and transcriber. Now what about the music? The music is excellent. It contains Hungarian dances, mazurka's, rondo's, minuets, romantic pieces, and various transcriptions of music written for other instruments (a Kreisler strength). This holds your attention throughout (1 hour, 8 minutes). But should the mood grab you, it's also an album that allows you to just listen to 15 minutes of well recorded violin by picking some of the pieces.

One more thing about this recording. Salvatore Accardo plays five different antique violins from Stradivari, Guarneri, and Amati. This album lets you hear the tonal differences between these instruments. This is a very interesting experience. The booklet contains some nice pictures and a detailed explanation about them.

The DSD sound quality is very good. Violin is a difficult instrument to get right so if your system is up to it I think this DSD recording will be rewarding.

Alongside the Kreislerian salute runs another theme. The Violin Room in Cremona Town Hall is one of the Holy Grails of violin worship, containing as it does a wealth of information relating to the great makers: Amati, Stradivari and Guarneri. Recently, sound equipment has been installed in the room so visitors can hear as well as see the preserved instruments.
The sound is from one of Cremona’s great supporters, the man who founded the festival in that city, Salvatore Accardo. He plays five instruments kept in Cremona: two Amati, two Guarneri and a Stradivarius. All are color pictured in the booklet and details of length, ownership, certification, and other matters are given. It makes for unusually pleasurable reading.
To accompany the visits, in a concept created by Giulio Cesare Ricci, Accardo has recorded an all-Kreisler program (albeit hyphenated Kreisler as well) with accompanist Laura Manzini.
Accardo is a master violinist and always demands to be heard. His splendid technique is allied to a warm, sweet tone and his musical instincts are sure. The album will give pleasure to his many admirers, though it was recorded over a decade now in November 1993.