Reviews | RH-008 | RUGGIERO RICCI | Concertos
| 27 September 2019 | Stephen Greenbank | MusicWeb International | Ruggiero Ricci Centenary Edition -1- concertos «So far, I've savoured the delights on offer in the volumes devoted to showpieces and sonatas. This third volume in Rhine Classics’ Ruggiero Ricci Centenary Edition spotlights the violinist's concerto performances. These derive from live recitals and studio broadcasts aired between 1951 and 1978. [...] An added bonus is that the collection contains some rarities that the artist never set down commercially, such mouth-watering gems as the Paganini Violin Concerto No.6, and those by Ginastera, Jaques-Dalcroze and Carlos Heinrich Veerhoff. [...] The excellent 24bit 96kHz remasterings have been expertly realized by the capable hands of Emilio Pessina. The attractive liner embodies a detailed tracklisting with some nicely reproduced photos of Ricci. There's so much to treasure amongst this collection of immeasurable riches.» |
| March 2019 | Rob Cowan | GRAMOPHONE (pg. 98-99) | Rhine gold: an archive treasure trove «Rob Cowan welcomes a historic label that has unearted some remarkable treasures. -- [...] The shimmering playing style of Ruggiero Ricci is very generously represented with three Centenary sets (he was born in 1918), the first (6 CDs: RH-008) devoted to concertos and including the w.p. of Ginastera's Concerto of 1963, dedicated jointly to Ricci and Bernstein, a gritty, outspoken piece fairlessy performed. Two accounts of Paganini's First Concerto (1958 under Thomas Schippers and 1975 under Heribert Esser) feature the crippingly difficult second version of Sauret's first-movement cadenza (1912), which Ricci throws off with athletic aplomb. Other works number [...] two excellent versions of the Brahm's Concerto (Henry Pensis and Eugen Jochum) plus an extremely flexible Sibelius Concerto under Hans Swarowsky. The other two Ricci sets are devoted respectively to sonatas (4 CDs: RH-013, with the most gripping accounts of Bloch's First Sonata ever recorded) and 'showpieces' (also 4 CDs: RH-012) with a short sequence of Paganini Caprices recorded in New York in 1946 that for brilliance quite defies belief. [...] » |
| 31 January 2019 | Jonathan Woolf | MusicWeb International | Ruggiero Ricci Centenary Edition -1- concertos «Sporting six CDs this is the largest of the three sets celebrating the centenary of the birth of Ruggiero Ricci. The recordings preserve tuning up and applause and have been remastered in 24bit 96kHz to provide over seven hours of listening charting the violinist between the years 1951 and 1978. Most of the concerto performances are captured live whilst some others are heard in studio readings. Two concertos are heard in duplicate performances; the Brahms and Paganini’s D major, No.1.[...] All three boxes have attractive booklets with full recording details and attractively reproduced photographs. Emilio Pessina’s mastering is first class once again. These three sets, available separately, are a worthy and significant addition to Ricci’s discography.» |