This mischievious recital celebrates works inspired by the Devil: from Tartini's Devil's Trill, written after the composer dreamt that he had sold his soul to the Devil, to the infernal whirlwinds of Saint-Saën's Danse Macabre and Dompierre's Les Beautés du diable, composed specifically for La Pietà. It also pays homage to Paganini, the famed violinist who once confided to a friend that the Devil led him by the hand. This program shows an impish sense of humor as well... it features a unique arrangement of The Rolling Stones' Paint it Black and Sympathy for the Devil! · Angèle Dubeau is one of Canada's most prominent recording artists. belonging to the exclusive group of Canadian classical soloists who can boast of having attained "gold" sales status. She is also the founder and director La Pietá. · This CD is packaged with a bonus DVD featuring video clips and live concert excerpts.
Angèle Dubeau is a remarkable violinist, and here, she and her all-woman, 12-strong (including herself) group, La Pieta, tackle some of the showiest---and most interesting---virtuoso pieces composed or transposed for solo violin and strings, in various combinations, and occasionally featuring a piano. The violin tone at the start of Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre has a warmth which stays with us throughout the disc, despite the fact that so many of the pieces are razzle-dazzle. Hearing the delicious can-can from the overture to Orpheus in the Underworld so thrillingly played, with as much emphasis on the piano as the violin, is a treat, and the "Fire dance" from El amor brujo positively throbs. There's great skill---even daring---in the Tartini "Devil's Trill" sonata and a Boccherini Sonata, but the string tone never turns strident. And as a complete surprise, Dubeau and her group offer an arrangement of The Rolling Stones' "Paint it Black" which teases and riffs before getting into the melody, then plays it in the lower reaches of the instrument, and is then joined by the piano, allowing it to reach upwards and jazzily improvise---and then she throws in a moment or two of "Sympathy for the Devil" (!) before it concludes with the original melody. There are other joys on this CD as well---this is not your everyday violin bon-bon recital. It's all highly recommended. --Robert Levine
