Tibor Varga - 100th Birthday Album

This unpublished performance of Tibor Varga was made in concert in Sion, Switzerland during the 25th Tibor Varga Festival 1982 in Eglise des Jesuites.  The present album is created in homage to Maître Tibor Varga, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth July 4, 1921.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Pianist, composer and author of great renown, Saint-Saëns was a student of Charles Gounod, and for twenty years was organist at the Madeleine in Paris. He gave his first performance of a Mozart concerto at the age of 10, and composed a symphony when he was only 16.  He championed earlier French composers, particularly Rameau; but was an outspoken critic of his “modernist” compatriots and aggressively attacked Wagner for his German influence on French music.  The two works in this album were composed to honor the Spanish violinist Pablo de Sarasate, a great virtuoso of the 19th century and a personal friend.

Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Opus 28
This is a vibrant score, youthful and sparkling, integrating pure, sonorous melodic lines with an elegant formality.  The expressive sensitivity of the a minor tonality, the noble refrain, the melodic and rhythmic elements – all bring to mind a comparison with the brilliancy of Felix Mendelssohn.

Habanera Opus 83
A mature composition, this is a masterpiece of rich lyricism and artistic depth.  Saint-Saëns portrays the rhythmic, seductive Cuban dance form, similar to the Brazilian tango, which had become very popular in Spain at the time.

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1750)
Relatively little is known about this prolific Venetian composer, violinist and vocalist, who created many orchestral works, sonatas and over forty operas.  Bach knew his compositions, composing fugues on numerous Albinoni themes.

Adagio in g minor
This work survives as a uniquely beloved composition for all musicians and music lovers.  Its touching, melancholy warmth communicates from the soul.  Although attributed to Albinoni, it may have been transcribed from a music fragment containing only the bass line by Remo Giazotto (1910-1998), composer and musicologist, who catalogued Albinoni’s works.   

Label: Triston Masters