Achron, Joseph
Title |
Time |
Play |
| Violin Concerto No. 1 | 35:40 | ▼ |
| I. Allegro Moderato | 24:57 | |
| II. Improvisations sur deux thèmes yéméniques | 10:34 | |
| The Golem | 12:31 | ▼ |
| Creation of the Golem | 02:37 | |
| The Golem's Rampage | 01:19 | |
| The Fatigued Wanderer (Lullaby) | 03:11 | |
| Dance of the Phantom Spirits | 02:29 | |
| Petrifying of the Golem | 02:55 | |
| Two Tableaux from the Theatre Music to Belshazzar | 17:10 | ▼ |
| Allegro energico | 10:47 | |
| Belshazzar's Feast | 06:23 |
Violin Concerto No. 1 - The Golem - Two Tableaux from Belshazzar
"Dionysian imbalanced exaltation... from restless, mysterious meditation of strongly religious character to dizzying Dervish-like ecstasy" was how one newspaper critic described the 1927 premiere of Achron's Violin Concerto No. 1. In fact, Achron filled his concerto with biblical cantillation melodies that have roots in Jewish antiquity. Mysterious legends of the past and biblical stories also inspired him to create exotic orchestral tone poems based on the Golem of Prague and Belshazzar's Feast. All of these works are recorded here for the first time.
Reviews and Recognitions:
Winner of the 2004 ASCAP Deems Taylor Award for Symphonic Liner Notes
"It is a real pleasure to hear Achron's music beyond the clutch of violin solos. He is much more than a pyrotechnician for aspirants of Heifetz. More Achron please." —Rob Barnett, MusicWeb-International.com
"Elmar Oliveira's edgy virtuosity and sweet throbbing timbre suit the music very well and Joseph Silverstein draws superbly rich playing form the Berlin Orchestra." —Lawrence A. Johnson, Gramophone
"Joseph Achron revisits a minor American composer, whose unsettled Violin Concerto is unjustly neglected and whose thematic music for The Golem and Belshazzar project a Technicolor flair." —Michael Barnes, Austin Statesman-American