REVIEWS
Vaughan Williams: Complete Works for Violin and Piano (MKCD002)
Musical Opinion Jan-Mar 2023 Issue
★★★★★
This excellent recording, issued on the violinist's own label, deserves wide circulation; it is, of course, the first issue of the composer's complete music for violin and piano and it is consistently very good indeed, demonstrating without question the international appeal of this essentially British composer's music. Indeed, the booklet notes for this excellent CD are by Midori Komachi herself, beautifully and insightfully written, and containing information which is rarely encountered elsewhere....Midori Komachi is outstandingly well partnered throughout by Simon Calllaghan - in The Lark his chording and accompanimental phrasing are quite masterly - and as the recording was made in the Wyastone studio and produced by the excellent Adrian Farmer, this disc is most comprehensively recommended. The presentation is also unique - fine colour photographs of the impressive country mansion, Leith Hill Place, where Vaughan Williams was born and spent the humanist early formative years of his life.
Yorkshire Times, Weekend Edition
21st January 2023
It is a programme which allows us to gently and almost unknowingly experience the full musical and stylistic development of the composer and appreciate something of his attempt at resolution of personal turmoil. The two soloists bring out the fragile beauty which bears Vaughan Williams’s signature. There is great beauty, vitality and immediacy in their playing, a bravura that is far from flamboyant but deeply sensitive, in tune with Vaughan Williams’s happy-sad sonorities - and gloriously free of cliché.
MusicWeb International
Midori Komachi spins its poetry in silvery vulnerability and Callaghan echoes that supple fragility…With Midori Komachi’s extended programme note this disc is a deserving contribution to RVW150. It neatly carries Vaughan Williams’ voice; one that endures and still pleasingly vibrates these many years after the composer’s birth.
Record Geijutsu, February 2023 Issue
2022 in Review: Anniversary Composers
‘Notable Release: RVW’s Violin Works, performed by Midori Komachi and Simon Callaghan’
‘The number of discs celebrating Vaughan Williams’s Anniversary seemed to be more than that of Franck’s, but many were featuring Symphonic or orchestral works. Out of these, the most notable release was Vaughan Williams: Complete Works for Violin and Piano’, performed by Midori Komachi and Simon Callaghan. Their performance of the Violin Sonata, a work that conveys the composer’s inner emotional turmoil during his final years, revealed very convincingly, the true gem of this work to the Japanese music fans…Through both her performances and research, the contribution that Komachi has made in disseminating the music of Vaughan Williams in Japan is hugely significant. A special mention should be made of her achievement in making this inspirational Anniversary celebration in Japan.’
Tower Records, Free Magazine ‘Intoxicate’
August 2022 Issue
This is a beautiful contribution to the 150th anniversary of RVW's birth in 2022, by London-based violinist Midori Komachi, who has made it her life's work to devote herself to British music and bridging the musical cultures of Japan and the UK. The entire disc is filled with music that evokes a sense of familiarity and nostalgia, as if one were enjoying a countryside landscape, and the heartfelt brush strokes that weave in and out of each piece are delightful. The Lark Ascending has been recorded beautifully in its original violin and piano version, allowing the listener to experience the work in its true form. It is also worth mentioning that the Sonata, a powerful work written at the end of his life, has hardly been performed thus far, and this piece represents the central point of the collection. The booklet includes a commentary by Komachi and some special photographs taken at RVW's childhood home. Respect and affection towards RVW are expressed in every detail of this disc.
レコード芸術 準特選盤 優秀録音
「小町もキャラハンも、何かヴオーン・ウィリアムズの音楽を広めたいという使命感をもって臨んでいるかのように意欲と気合の籠った演奏を展開しており、なかなかの聴き応え。最後の《イギリス民謡による６つの練習曲》は、どれも民謡を愛したこの作曲家ならではの作品で、演奏ともどもその美しさに酔った。」
レコード芸術 先取り！最新盤レヴュー
「小町はきめ細やかなフレージングを武器にみずみずしいセンスで奏で上げ、豊かな楽興の時を形づくっている。全曲を通じて、ピアニストのキャラハンによる的確なサポートも特筆物であろう。
ＲＶＷの知られざる一面に触れることができるだけでなく、小町碧の充実した演奏に接することができる好アルバムである。」
Intoxicate, Tower Records
田園風景を楽しむような音楽を紡ぐ生誕150年の美しい捧げ物
「田園風景を楽しむように親しげで懐かしさを覚える音楽が全編に溢れ、ひとおりひとおり紡ぐような愛情こもる筆致が快い。美しい“揚げひばり”はもともとの形だったピアノとの版で収録、作品の生身の姿に触れることができる。晩年の力作ながら必ずしも演奏機会に恵まれてこなかったソナタを中心に置いたことも特筆したい。小町自身による解説と共に、特別に撮られたRVWが幼少期に過ごした家の写真で装幀されており、すみずみまでRVWへの敬愛が表現された。」
音楽現代 11月号
「小町のヴァイオリンは曲想を的確に捉えており、この埋もれた作品に新たな光を当てることに成功している」
25ans, 12月号 Culture Club
「イギリス音楽のスペシャリストであるヴァイオリニスト小町碧の解説・演奏で、その壮大な音楽が奏でる英国の心を味わいましょう。」