Word: virtuoso
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BACH: CANTATA NO. 51 (Decca). "Make a joyful noise unto God," sings Soprano Judith Raskin as she proceeds to do so, outshining a trumpet obbligato in a series of brilliant salvos. It is a virtuoso performance of some of Bach's most difficult and florid arias, and Thomas Dunn's Festival Orchestra of New York is almost too unobtrusive...
Having thus taken wing, the spectacle seldom falters, for the cameras perform in a virtuoso style that rivals the competitors on the field. Again and again, with slow-motion photography and telescopic lenses that reveal an athlete's face in stunning closeup, the moment of truth is seized; an Italian cyclist, narrowly losing one contest, bursts into tears; the barefoot Bikila Abebe sprints through torchlit Roman streets to win the 26-mile marathon and Ethiopia's first Olympic gold medal; U.S. Decathlon Champion Rafer Johnson consolingly embraces his close friend and runner-up, Taiwan...
...clarinet-like sound, Marx seeks an oboe tone that is vibrant, reedy, and flexible. He liberally scorns the rank and file of American oboists who seem ashamed to play on double reeds, using, in their overweening desire for a heavy rich tone, thick reeds which hamper the development of virtuoso technique, and limit the player's freedom to phrase and vary his tone color. Obviously, Marx has no concern for playing with music, or for producting a smooth fat sound that he can drag along from note to note...
...extremely predictable music hardly demands enough of the soloist for virtuoso display. Flaksman won the concerto auditions playing the Saint-Saens concerto, which is at least pretty, flashy, and, according to cellists, a good piece of cello writing. Why diddle around with warmed-over Vivaldi...
...VIRTUOSO FLUTE (Antonio Janigro conducting I Solisti di Zagreb; Vanguard). Cleveland-born Julius Baker plays the Telemann Suite in A Minor for Flute and Strings in sensitive partnership with the chamber ensemble of soloists from Zagreb. Telemann gives the flute seven chances to preen and prance beside the violins, in an Italian air, some minuets, a polonaise...