Thomas Bowes, Malmö Opera Orchestra, Joseph Swensen - Walton & Barber: Violin Concertos & Works for Strings (2023) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Violin Concerto, C. 37: I. Andante tranquillo
02. Violin Concerto, C. 37: II. Presto capriccioso alla napolitana
03. Violin Concerto, C. 37: III. Vivace
04. 2 Pieces for Strings, C. 50j (From "Henry V"): No. 1, Death of Falstaff
05. 2 Pieces for Strings, C. 50j (From "Henry V"): No. 2, Touch Her Soft Lips and Part
06. Violin Concerto, Op. 14: I. Allegro
07. Violin Concerto, Op. 14: II. Andante
08. Violin Concerto, Op. 14: III. Presto in moto perpetuo
09. Adagio for Strings, Op. 11

Walton’s Violin Concerto was composed during a stay at the stunning Villa Cimbrone on Italy’s Amalfi coast, and reflects this environment in different ways – some more apparent than others (the 2nd movement is based on a ‘tarantella’, after Walton suffered a tarantula bite whilst there). The piece has endured as one of his most popular works, and is contrasted here by Barber’s Violin Concerto and famous Adagio for Strings.

Making his debut recording as a soloist on Signum, Thomas Bowes has built a firm reputation as an orchestral leader, soloist and chamber musician. He has also concert-mastered many film scores – the most recent credit being for “The King’s Speech.” The Malmö Opera Orchestra and conductor Joseph Swensen join him for this recording.”

“A masterly account … with Bowes essaying flickering rhapsodic moments, assailed by striking orchestral flourishes” – The Independent

“Bowes yields to none of the Walton’s great interpreters – Heifetz (the dedicatee), Menuhin, Franccscatti, Chung, Kennedy – in his dazzling passage work … with his gorgeous portamento and rubato” – Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times

“What is so remarkable about Bowes as a soloist is not just his technical assurance, his flawless intonation over the widest range, tonal and dynamic, but his natural feeling for warmly romantic expressiveness … Altogether a resounding success” – Edward Greenfield, Gramophone Magazine

Thomas Bowes, violin
Malmö Opera Orchestra
Joseph Swensen, conductor

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