Violinist and composer
Joseph Joachim was a central figure of Romanticism, famous as a personal friend of
Johannes Brahms and as an arbiter of musical taste who was professionally associated with many of the 19th century's greatest musicians.
Daniel Hope's
The Romantic Violinist: A Celebration of Joseph Joachim paints an appealing portrait through selections of
Joachim's own music, as well as short pieces by
Brahms, Clara Schumann,
Antonin Dvorák,
Franz Schubert, and the Violin Concerto No. 1 by Max Bruch.
Joachim had a hand in editing this concerto, as well as in adding details to violin concertos by others, and he was generous in contributing his technical knowledge to composers, as well as inspiring them to write some of the most eloquent pieces in the repertoire for him. This CD presents
Hope's 2010 performance of the Bruch concerto, along with
Brahms' Hungarian Dances No. 1 and No. 5,
Joachim's Notturno, and
Dvorák's Humoresque with the
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by
Sakari Oramo. For the rest of the tracks,
Hope is accompanied by pianist
Sebastian Knauer, except in
Brahms' Geistliches Wiegenlied, where he is joined by mezzo-soprano
Anne Sofie von Otter and pianist
Bengt Forsberg. This mix of orchestral, chamber, and vocal music gives the disc considerable variety and avoids the pitfall of offering only one major work with a lot of filler. Indeed,
Hope brings ample personality and skill to make the program compelling to the very end, and the changes of instrumentation and textures keep the album from being monochromatic. As a tribute to
Joachim, this album does him the favor of showing his many sides, and presents him not only as a virtuoso, but as a complete musician.