Classical reviews: March 29

Sarasate: Transcriptions. Tianwa Yang (violin), Markus Hadulla (piano). Naxos CD.

Sarasate's own compositions for virtuoso violin wonderfully played by Julia Fischer were reviewed last month; here we have 15 transcriptions and arrangements of pieces by other composers, including some of his greatest and rarest works.

Yang recorded Paganini's Caprices at 13, the youngest artist to achieve this. Now she plays a sequence of five Chopin waltz and nocturne arrangements inspired by the music of French Baroque violinists, the early and beautifully constructed 11 minutes of Souvenirs de Faust based on Gounod's melodies, and Raff's La Fee d'Amour, a 17-minute showpiece.

Other works include a Handel and Bach transcription. Another young artist has conquered all the double-stopping and fierce finger-fireworks to make this wonderful music!

Highlight: Have to encore Faust Souvenirs.

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Moniuszko: Overtures. Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. Naxos CD

Stanislaw Moniuszko was Poland's leading 19th-century opera composer, between Chopin and Szymanowski. Antoni Wit revs the Warsaw orchestra up to full brilliance, making 10 tracks of overtures (nine for operas) an enjoyable feast of theatrical and highly melodic tunes.

The Haunted Manor involves a clarinet setting atmospheric moods for an opera that was banned by the Tsarist authorities in 1865 for being too nationalistic. The dramatic Halka won Polish acclaim and other works performed here are The Raftsman, The New Don Quixote (or 100 Follies), based on Cervantes, and The Countess.

The long The Fairy Tale, which was written for concert performances rather than an opera in 1848, is rather like a tone poem. Paria overture written in 1869 ends in grand sounds.

Highlight: Catchy and congenial orchestral music.

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