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Click here to see the official web site of Hagai Shaham - www.hagaishaham.com
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Click on the links below to download the Kreutzer Sonata of Beethoven, played by Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez. 1st movement 3.5 MB 2nd movement 4.8 MB 3rd movement 2.4 MB From a recording during a live concert (1990) of one of the most exciting performances of that sonata. (RealAudio files played at 44 Kbps; to listen use RealPlayer downloaded free from www.real.com) See more downloads at the end of this page. Listen to music clips from the CDs' WEB pages (see links below). NEW 
Hyperion - Brahms: Hungarian Dances; Joachim: Variations in E minor
- Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez (CDA67663)
"Virtuoso performances from the Israeli violinist Hagai Shaham that get to the heart of the style … The playing fizzes with energy and suavity" The Daily Telegraph on Brahms' and Joachim's "These deservedly popular pieces overflow with charm and infectious melody … Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez sound right inside the idiom, playing with an infectiously relaxed bravado wherever necessary, while inflecting of those timeless phrases with a suave confidence and relaxed inevitability that prevents them ever straying into camp 'geepsy' territory … There is a subtly understated charm about these performances which I enjoyed a great deal, gently cajoling us into its colourful sound-world rather than hustling us in. Most importantly, Shaham always gives the music a distinct Brahmsian lilt..." International Record Review on Brahms' and Joachim's NEW
Hyperion - Bloch: Baal Shem and other suites; Ben-Haim: Sonata Op. 44 and more
- Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez (CDA67571)
(Listen from that URL to the entire Simchat Torah of the Baal Shem Suite, and the Molto allegro of Op. 44) "Both composers are served extremely well on this beautifully recorded disc, Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez in particular giving a totally convincing performance of Bloch's well-known Baal Shem. … The overall impact is all the more powerful for the sure sense of pacing both artists demonstrate through the recital, qualities that stand Shaham in particularly good stead in steering a clear sense of direction through the more discursive melodic lines of the unaccompanied Suites or the slow movement of Ben-Haim's Sonata." BBC Music Magazine on Bloch's Suites and Ben-Haim's Sonata - BBC Music Choice "Hagai Shaham possesses the ideal kind of silver-toned, narrow-vibratoed purity to make these occasionally melodramatic pieces ring true." The Strad on Bloch's Suites and Ben-Haim's Sonata "Shaham revels in Bloch's demanding yet imaginatively idiomatic violin writing. In the solo suites, as well as the more extravagantly emotional pieces with piano on Jewish themes, he enters wholeheartedly into the feeling of the music yet retains a measure of balance and restraint - the vibrato isn't exaggerated and a feeling of rhapsodic freedom is achieved without sacrificing natural flow. …Shaham's playing of the central Lento e sotto voce (Ben Haim solo sonata) is stunningly beautiful. And the "Improvisation and Dance", a folk-style showpiece after the manner of the Bartok rhapsodies, inspires both Shaham and Ercz to brilliant feats of virtuosity." Gramophone Magazine on Bloch's Suites and Ben-Haim's Sonata "In line with his preceding discs devoted to Bloch, Hagai Shaham is affirmed definitely as the interpreter of choice in these challenging and profound music, which require not only real virtuosity but also musical intelligence and a rare sensitivity. In the two admirable Suites for solo violin, Shaham reaches, by fullness and the generosity of his playing, to spirituality overturning. Outclassing the recording left by Menuhin in 1975, this new version of the young Israeli violinist dominates without question the existing discography of these superb works. Equally worth remark for the Ben Haïm is offered in complement; this repertoire confirms the musician's height of sight, as well as his affinities." Diapason on Bloch's Suites and Ben-Haim's Sonata NEW
Hyperion - Grieg: The Violin Sonatas - Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez
(CDA67504)
(Listen from that URL to the entire Allegro molto ed appassionato of No. 3) "The playing is outgoing and communicative, and each movement makes a distinct positive impression. In vivacious movements the sheer verve of the playing is irresistible.... An extremely enjoyable issue." Gramophone on Grieg's violin sonatas "... a strong recommendation." Fanfare on Grieg's violin sonatas "Any rival versions to this Hyperion disc will have to be truly exceptional, for this issue is, in almost every respect, going to be hard to beat." International Record Review on Grieg's violin sonatas
Hyperion - Hubay: Violin concertos No. 1 & 2 and Violin Suite Op 5 - Hagai Shaham
(CDA67498)
(Listen from that URL to the entire Allegro con brio of No. 1)
"Hagai Shaham is something very special indeed, with a sound that reminds me of Heifetz at his most silkily seductive." "As in the earlier disc (concertos 3,4), Hagai Shaham plays not just with brilliance but with great imagination, avoiding any idea that this is just superficial display music. " Gramophone, in two different issues, on Hubay's violin concertos 1&2 "Hagai Shaham does wonders for these neglected scores, playing with beguiling purity throughout the range, and a heart-felt intensity that makes the most of Hubay's penchant for soaring E-string melody. " BBC Music Magazine on Hubay's violin concertos 1&2 "You wonder why all three works are not in the repertoire of every violinist. But then not every violinist sounds like Shaham. He really is something very special indeed. ... Earmarked for one of my discs of the year" Classic FM Magazine on Hubay's violin concertos 1&2 "The performances are uniformly excellent: Hagai Shaham is a supple soloist and gives the music all the support he can" The Guardian on Hubay's violin concertos 1&2 "With Shaham, Hubay's legacy is in very safe hands indeed. He delivers these works with a solid technique and commanding authenticity. " International Record Review on Hubay's violin concertos 1&2
Naxos - Bloch: Suite Hebraique - Hagai Shaham, violin, and
Dalia Atlas conducting the Atlas Camerata Orchestra (Naxos 8557151)
"Hagai Shaham is the infinitely expressive soloist in the Suite" The Guardian
Hyperion - Bloch: Violin Sonatas - Hagai Shaham and
Arnon Erez (CDA67439)
(Listen from that URL to the entire Moderato of No. 1) "A superb partnership shine on a superb recording ...With fine engineering, realistically balanced, and excellent annotation, this is a digital front-runner... Hagai Shaham triumphantly 'scales the heights' of demanding music" (printed edition) www.gramophone.co.uk - GRAMOPHONE on Bloch's Violin Sonatas by Rob Cowan "...Played with lean intensity and dead-centre intonation reminiscent of the young Heifetz, these neglected works come fizzing off the page to mesmerising effect." Classic FM Magazine on Bloch's Violin Sonatas "...Intoxicating performances guaranteed to set the pulse racing." BBC Music Magazine on Bloch's Violin Sonatas "Shaham impresses in all aspects of these sonatas... and the Shaham-Erez performances are now the clearly preferred versions." (Vs. Stern, Heifetz, and Miriam Kramer) www.classicaltoday.com - Review on Bloch's Violin Sonatas by Dan Davis
Avie Records - Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante, Concertone -
Hagai Shaham, violin, Shlomo Mintz, viola/violin (In this album Mintz also
performs the five violin concertos and directs The English Chamber Orchestra)
(AV 2058)
"The Concertone, with Hagai Shaham is jauntily delightful…. The two violin soloists sound as alike as peas in a pod and bounce their phrases off one another with obvious enjoyment. Shaham is again on his best Classical behaviour in the wonderful Sinfonia concertante. " THE STRAD on Mozart's Concertone and Sinfonia Concertante - Selection of the Month
Hyperion - Hubay: Scenes de la csarda & Poemes hongrois Op 27, Op 76 - Hagai Shaham with
Arnon Erez (CDA67441/2)
(Listen from that URL to two full parts)
"Hagai Shaham's achievement here is heroic, and a monument to violin-playing. To get two-and-a-half hours of virtuosic gypsy-in-a-tailcoat music under the fingers is one thing, but to construct all these varied passions around the sometimes very similar works speaks of serious artistry. ...buy these discs with confidence, as a tribute to a unique act of devotion to the cause by Shaham and Erez." FANFARE MAGAZINE on Hubay's Scènes de la csárda by Paul Ingram "Once more, it features the admirable Hagai Shaham, who imbibed Hubay's Hungarian tradition through his teacher Ilona Feher. Shaham's scintillating bowing, lustrous double-stopping, bold pizzicatos and twinkling harmonics serve the colouristic demands of this music superbly. His tone, in turn virile and crystalline, is shaded with a far more focused vibrato than that associated with Hubay's lineage…the performances' balance of flamboyance and refinement aptly reflects the salon style… quality and commitment of the playing, beautifully recorded..." THE STRAD on Hubay's Scènes de la csárda "It's music that needs passionate advocacy if it's not to sound trite, and Hagai Shaham, who already made an outstanding disc of two of Hubay's concertos, has it in his soul. The rubato is imaginative and natural…and every note is cherished, whether richly sustained on the G string, or touched only briefly in a welter of semiquavers or sequence of harmonics. Double stops are sonorous both as part of a legato line and when attacked as punctuation on faster music…together with the shorter pieces in the Poems hongrois, these CDs invigorate an area of the violin repertoire with astonishing aplomb." BBC Music Magazine - Awarded FIVE STARS for performance; Top recommendation "...A wonderful set, then, of exhilarating and moving music, fantastically performed – with intrinsic generosity. ...Ultimately, though, one salutes Hagai Shaham’s fabulous playing and his identity with this impressive music. Scènes de la csárda could certainly be one of the records of the year." www.classicalsource.com - Review on Hubay's Scenes de la csarda by Colin Anderson
Talent Records - Viennese Jewish Composers
(Hanns Eisler - Kurt Roger - Bruno Walter)
Sonatas for Violin and Piano -
Hagai Shaham - Arnon Erez
(DOM 2910 93)
"...Of course, the impression these three works make would not be nearly as strong were it not for the sterling performances of Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez--technically solid, artistically imaginative and open to the stylistic particularities of each sonata." www.classicstoday.com - Review on Viennese Jewish Composers by Victor Carr Jr.
Hyperion - Hubay: Violin concertos No. 3 & 4 and Variations sur un thème hongrois Op 72 -
Hagai Shaham (CDA67367)
(Listen from that URL to the entire Scherzo of No. 3)
"...superb playing of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the redoubtable Martyn Brabbins, Andrew Keener's top-notch production values and, most especially, the jaw-dropping virtuosity of Hagai Shaham. Whatever Hubay throws at him, Shaham negotiates it with apparently nonchalant ease and invariably spotless intonation. He possesses the kind of lightweight, quicksilver sound and the fast, narrow vibrato that is ideal in this kind of music, playing throughout with tremendous sweep and passion. Recommended with the utmost enthusiasm." THE STRAD on Hubay's concertos recordings - Choice of the Month CD, August 2003 |
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"Extraordinary timbre ... an engrossing technique and exciting
bravura ... electrified the audience ... the listeners
urged encore after encore"
"A soulful narrative and a tone that was rich and vibrant as Jascha
Heifetz's"
"... an impressive a technique as none except Heifetz
could bring..." (Joseph Achron's pieces)
"Hagai Shaham is something very special indeed, with a sound that reminds me
of Heifetz at his most silkily seductive" (Hubay's concertos 1&2)
"An impassioned strong performance ... of great excitement ...
There were many moments of thrilling virtuosity ... and a
melting tone in the quieter passages" (Bruch Concerto)
"His technique is in the virtuoso class, with real
wizardry ... musical qualities ... and lustrous tone. There were times when
he reminded me of another fine violinist, Perlman, in a performance that
combined phrasing with brilliant technique and a well founded understanding
of the music" (Sibelius Concerto)
"Virtuoso and Intellectual" (Title of a review on a recital in Israel)
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Biography"Displaying a dazzling combination of technical brilliance and a uniquely profound musical personality, Hagai Shaham is internationally recognized as one of the astonishing young violinists who have emerged from Israel in recent years. Born in 1966, he began studying the violin at age of six and was the last student of the late renowned Professor Ilona Feher." Comment: Professor Ilona Feher was also the teacher of Shmuel Ashkenasi, Pinchas Zukerman and Shlomo Mintz. |
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"In September 1990, Hagai Shaham and his duo partner,
Arnon Erez
, won the first
prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in
the Violin-Piano duo category, the first competitors to be awarded this
coveted first prize since 1971. His other awards include first prizes at
the Ilona Kornhouser
competition, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority Young Artist
competition, The Tel-Aviv Rubin Academy competition, four Clairmont Awards, and
annual scholarship from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation.
As a soloist he has performed with many of the world's major orchestras,
including the English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool
Philharmonic, RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Belgian National
Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique Francais, Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra,
SWF Baden-Baden Symphony Orchestra, Slovakian Philharmonic, and the Israel
Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta. In 1985 he was invited to join
Isaac Stern and Pinchas Zukerman in a gala concert at Carnegie Hall, following
which Zubin Mehta invited him to perform Brahms' Double Concerto at Carnegie
Hall.
Hagai Shaham is in great demand as recitalist. He regularly tours throughout
Europe, North and Central America and performing at international recital series
and festivals.
Hagai Shaham is also a faculty member of the Jerusalem Academy of Music and
Dance, and his Master Classes in Israel and Europe attract many students.
In 2007 he has joined the renowned Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California
in Los Angeles.
Together with his colleague, the violinist
Ittai Shapira
, he is a co-founder of
The Ilona Feher Foundation
"
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Ilona Feher 1901 - 1988"Prof. Ilona Feher, one of the last representatives of the Central European Violin School (Joachim, Sevcik, Hubay) died in Holon, Israel in January aged 86. Born on 3 December 1901 in Budapest, Hungary, Feher studied with Jeno Hubay for six years at the Liszt Conservatory in Budapest. Other violin teachers of her early years were Joseph Bloch, Josef Smvilovitch (another pupil of Jeno Hubay) and Imre Pogany. Between the two world wars she performed all over Europe, in particular with Willem Mengelberg and the Concertgebow Orchestra in Amsterdam. Feher lived in Budapest until 1942 when she was interned with her daughter in a concentration camp. They managed to escape in 1944, and joined Hungarian and Czechoslovakian partisans until the liberation by the Soviet Red Army. She later returned to the concert stage to perform only in Soviet-controlled Eastern Europe. In 1949 she emigrated to Israel to begin a new life as a violin teacher. Within 25 years she had built herself a reputation as an inspired teacher of strong discipline, but not without a sense of humour. Her 250 pupils include some of the world's most famous violinists such as Pinkas Zukerman and Shlomo Mintz, chamber music players Shmuel Ashkenazy and David Erlich as well as orchestra musician, Ron Ephrat (Principal Violist Rotterdam Philharrnonic) and conductor Yoel Levi. In addition to teaching at the Rubin Academy in Tel Aviv, Feher held master classes all over the world. She frequently served as jurist in international violin competitions in Munich and Freiburg (Spohr competition). Feher was awarded the Golden Medal and Diploma of the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, and the Israel prize for the Arts. She was also made an Honorary Doctor of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, and Honorary Citizen of the city of Holon which was always her home town in Israel." From The Strad, special edition dedicated to Heifetz, 1988, by Ron Ephrat. |
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Bloch - Violin Sonatas album cover |