Adelina Oprean - Two Romantic Violin Concertos: Fiorillo, Viotti (1986)

This is a delightful disc. The minor problem is that listening to the Fiorillo, one feels that one has heard this all before. Mind you, it is a lovely piece with Mozartian elegance and super hunting horn sounds. It is very fresh in sound and hugely enjoyable.
Federigo Fiorillo was born in Germany in 1755 and his date of death is uncertain. It is thought to be after 1823. He travelled extensively and wrote much music for the violin some of which may be well known to students today. Apparently he wrote four violin concertos.
The concerto here is in three movements with an opening allegro moderato, a sublime larghetto and a rondo finale in the polonaise style with a catchy theme.
It is well worth hearing. It is a good piece.
Giovanni Battista Viotti was born in 1755 and also travelled extensively earning his living as a soloist. He was a remarkable violinist who moved away from the affected style of playing to a brilliant style . He was a sensation in Paris for about eighteen months until Marie Antoinette called for his services at Versailles. He wrote 23 violin concertos and no less a figure than Brahms admired them particularly number 22.
Violin Concerto no. 13 in A is a fine piece. Like the Fiorillo it may not be overtly original yet it is also very enjoyable and all his concertos should be available. I played one of his Piano Concertos many years ago. The opening movement is brilliant in style, the Andante has a feelings of a French romance and the work ends with a minuet which, as I have said before, seems an unsuitable movement to end a concerto with. Nonetheless it is very entertaining and beautifully played. Like Karl Munchinger before him, Jorg Faerber has done excellent service to early music and I admire the vigour he brings to the music.
The soloist is Rumanian by birth and she has a gorgeous tone and clearly an excellent sense of musicianship. She studied with the legendary Sandor Vegh and I shall now investigate her performances of the Haydn concertos with great enthusiasm.
A splendid disc.
This is how all baroque and classical concertos should be played. -- David Wright