JACOBI Cello concerto etc/: Classical CD Reviews- Dec 1999. MusicWeb-International

	Purchase Brilliant Classics from MusicWeb - "CLICK" here

Classical CD and DVD reviews. Make a regular donation(£1, £2, £5) here MusicWeb is not a subscription site and our advertisers help pay for it. Please visit their sites regularly to see if anything might interest you. Purchasing from them keeps MusicWeb free.

Classical Editor: Rob Barnett Founder Len Mullenger

BUY NOW

AmazonUS

FREDERICK JACOBI 1891-1952 Cello Concerto (1932) 15.56 Guido Vecchi (cello) Oslo PO/William Strickland Hagiographa (1938) 23.24 Claremont Quartet plus Irene Jacobi (piano) Ballade (1942) 11.37 Fredell Lack/Irene Jacobi String Quartet No. 3 (1945) 26.30 Lyric Art Quartet
CRI AMERICAN MASTERS CD703 [76.32]

CRI, founded in 1954, has an enviably massive archive of recordings issued since the early days of the LP. Gradually they are finding their way onto CD in generously timed compilations. The American masters series is notable for its span and its successes of which there are many.
Jacobi is almost completely unknown but on the proof of this disc that neglect is not warranted. He was a native of San Francisco and his tutors were Bloch, Juon and Rubin Goldmark. He numbered Robert Ward, Alexei Haieff, and Robert Starer among his pupils. His works include two symphonies and concertos for violin and piano - all of which I would dearly loved to hear.
Until then here is CRI's compilation which cuts across all media apart from vocal. The compact Cello Concerto (rather similar in scale to the Pfitzner works) is a work alternating rhapsodic introspection, Old Testament reverence, a grave sensuality and bush-fire blazes of passion. Bloch's Schelomo may well have been an influence. In the lengthier Hagiographa for piano and string quartet the three movements centre on the biblical characters of Job (highly charged, even in spectral quietude), Ruth (Idyllically pastoral - echoes of Grieg and pointillism) and Joshua (splendidly spirited).

The wartime Ballad reeks of Hungarian gypsy atmosphere, cantorial chants and Kodaly. The String Quartet of three years later has clear and clean lines and no lack of Bloch-like passion. There is a lightly fleet third movement and the finale has a creepy fervour. While not totally compelling it has considerable melodic interest.
The notes are as good as ever providing plenty of much-needed background. The highlights are Hagiographa and the concerto. Now will someone please look out the symphonies and the other two concertos?
Reviewer
Rob Barnett

Advertising Rates
Visitor stats
MusicWeb International
has over 21,000 Classical CD reviews on offer

Gerard Hoffnung Concerts &
The Bricklayer Story

Purchase Brilliant Classics

New Releases

MusicWeb sells the Polish
catalogue CDAccord
£10.50 post free W-W

MusicWeb sells the
Arcodiva catalogue
£12.00 post free W-W

Price Reduction: £11.00
post-free world-wide
Try it and see - Sale or Return

MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues:
Prices include postage

[Acte Préalable £13.50]
[Arcodiva £12.00]
[Avie from £6.25]
Brilliant Classics
[British Music Society £13.49]
[CDACCORD from £10.50 ]
[ClassicO £12.50]
[Hallé from £11]
[Hortus £14.99 ]
[Lyrita ONLY £11.00 ]
LYRITA Sale or Return
[Onyx £12.00 ]
ONYX Sale or Return
[REDCLIFFE £11 ]
[Tactus £11.50 ]
[Talent from £12.00 ]
[Toccata Classics £12.50 ]

DISCS OF THE YEAR 2007


Return to Index

Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board. Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer..

You can purchase CDs and Save around 22% with these retailers: