DAVID PARK, VIOLIN, MICHAEL STEWART, PIANO; “Violin Meditations” ****

There used to be a time when violinists had a cache of short pieces in their repertoire for encores. Back in the golden age of violin playing, artists such as Milstein and Heifetz could rummage through their considerable store of short works and thrill their audiences with delectable morsels by Kreisler, as well as infectious little ditties by Paradis or Elgar, or other pieces by countless composers long since forgotten.

Unfortunately the newer generation of violinists seldom if ever plays these pieces, for a number of reasons. For one thing, musical tastes have changed in the intervening years. For another, concert artists concentrate more on orchestral performances rather than recitals. For whatever reason, these delightful works have been unduly neglected.

David Park

But thanks to David Park, these musical gems can now reach a new – and wider –  audience. Park, the assistant concertmaster of the Utah Symphony, has just released Violin Meditations, a CD dedicated to these works. Park has collected about a dozen of these delicacies on this album and plays them with the passion and lyric expressiveness they deserve.

Park, accompanied by the young Utah pianist Michael Stewart, recorded the disc last spring in the Classical 89 studios. The two make a wonderful musical team. Stewart offers perceptive and intelligent support to Park’s masterful readings. And both put their considerable and impressive artistry on display on each of the 15 tracks.

The album opens with three pieces by Kreisler – Liebesleid, Liebesfreud and Schön Rosmarin – then goes through a veritable cornucopia of old standards. Among them are Elgar’s Salut d’amour; Paradis’ Sicilienne; and Dinicu’s Hora Staccato (one of Heifetz’s favored pieces). In between are tracks by Bach (Air from Suite No. 3 in D major); Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise; Debussy’s Beau soir; and others. The program ends with the theme from John Williams’ soundtrack to the film Schindler’s List; Ravel’s Tzigane; and an utterly poignant account of the “Meditation” from Massenet’s opera Thaïs.

All of these selections are beautifully played. Park brings nuance and gorgeously crafted expressiveness and sensitivity to his interpretations. And the more virtuosic tracks – the Hora Staccato; Tzigane; and Novacek’s Perpetuum mobile – are given a bravura treatment.

This is an absolutely captivating CD that anyone who appreciates violin music will enjoy hearing and owning.

The disc is available for purchase at the Symphony Store in Abravanel Hall and at Peter Prier Violins. All proceeds go to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.