Salut d'Amour gives David Halen, concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony, a chance to take the spotlight completely for himself in a selection of works for violin and piano. "Romantic" in the subtitle of the album is loosely applied to unite these pieces. In some, such as the Méditation from Thaïs and Elgar's Chanson de matin, it refers to the musical idiom of the Romantic era that these works represent, although all the music here could be said to do that. In the works by Amy Beach, Alfredo d'Ambrosio, and Pablo de Sarasate it appears to refer to a dramatic story; and in Elgar's Salut d'Amour and Korngold's Gartenscene it refers, of course, to love. It's a program that is well assembled, with a majority of pieces that are less well known, or not normally heard in violin and piano arrangements, and only a few warhorses. Halen, and his accompanist Peter Henderson, very carefully and very sensitively give each piece shape and meaning without getting overly sentimental, with some beautiful results, from the soft, quiet tenderness of Fauré's Berceuse to the virtuosic hijinks of the Sarasate. Halen has a great instinct for detail in the way he shades his notes that stands out here. This is partly because the recording's sound captures his playing in minute detail, at times maybe too much detail. Frequently, you can hear how hard it is to maintain an even tone and intonation, and that gives the impression that only sometimes is Halen completely at ease and letting the music just flow. Regardless, his sampling of rare and familiar violin miniatures is very enjoyable.
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