Ning Feng is a tremendously gifted violinist, and the music chosen for this recital is certainly interesting. There are two Paganini pieces (by Nathan Milstein and Alfred Schnittke), and one actual work by Paganini (Duet for One Violin in C major). There are three pieces inspired by vocal music: Kreisler’s Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, and the two works by Ernst based on (respectively) Schubert’s Der Erlkönig and “The Last Rose of Summer”. Then there are two more or less outliers: Tarrega’s Recuerdos de la Alhambra, in a surprisingly ineffective transcription by Ruggiero Ricci, and Berio’s Sequenza VIII, the almost obligatory modern work for solo violin recitals. Since the Berio is also the largest piece on the disc, its presence acts like the proverbial elephant in the room.
The problem with this program, which as I said is smashingly played, is that it comes across as somewhat randomly assembled even though I’m sure that was not the case. (Part of the recital apparently is a tribute to the lost tradition of the violinist as composer/performer.) The stylistic eclecticism has to be taken as a given; but that’s not the problem. Anyone who wants to hear an hour of solo violin music isn’t going to kvetch about Berio rubbing shoulders with Kreisler. That said, there is more than enough repertoire that could have been included to give the program a bit more focus, or a more logical progression. No doubts about the playing, though, as well as for the SACD sonics, which are typically state of the art. A disc for connoisseurs.
