Rode: Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 5 & 9

Pierre Rode’s concertos represent the full flowering of the French violin school, the origins of which can be traced back to his teacher Viotti’s arrival in Paris in 1782. Bold and youthful, the First Violin Concerto contrasts with the more pastoral and introspective moods of the Fifth Violin Concerto, while the Ninth was written during the composer’s stay in Russia. All three works share Rode’s signature finales which ‘sparkle with gracefulness, piquancy and impishness’. Performed using painstakingly prepared new editions, this is the third of four volumes containing all thirteen of Rode’s Violin Concertos. This is the third in a set of four volumes of Pierre Rode’s complete Violin Concertos. It joins a first volume (8570469) the “virtuoso fireworks” of which were admired by Fanfare: “There’s enough double-stopping, rapid runs, and bowing tricks to satisfy even the most insatiable appetites for hire-wire circus acts. But there is also a depth and breadth to Rode’s muse, and a sophisticated air to his melodic invention that elicits a strong emotional response and strikes a genuine responsive chord.” Volume 2 (8570767) was a MusicWeb International ‘Recording of the Month’, “hugely entertaining and satisfying for the listener.” Including première recordings and inventively reconstructed cadenzas and features of interpretation, all of these releases fill a crucial gap and represent a significant contribution to the violin concerto repertoire.