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Bennett, Duke: Violin Concertos - Hanslip, Litton

Bennett, Duke: Violin Concertos - Hanslip, Litton

Chandos  CHSA 5371

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Orchestral


Chloë Hanslip (violin)
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Andrew Litton (conductor & piano)


Both these violin concertos have been long-neglected for the same reason: their composers were much better-known for their achievements in musical theatre rather than for their works for the concert
hall.

Robert Russell Bennett studied composition in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, and his output includes seven symphonies. He also orchestrated some of the highest-profile musicals in Broadway history, including works by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. (Richard Rodgers modestly claimed that Bennett’s skills in instrumentation had made his music ‘sound better
than it was’.)

Vladimir Alexandrovich Dukelsky changed his name to Vernon Duke at the suggestion of his friend Jacob Gershovitz – better known as George Gershwin. Duke received a rigorous training in classical music at the Kyiv Conservatory, was friends with Prokofiev, and composed ballet scores for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets russes, in Paris, as well as three symphonies. He remains better known as the creator of hit shows, such as Cabin in the Sky, and as the composer of numerous songs that became jazz standards, including April in Paris.

Chloë Hanslip, Andrew Litton, and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra play both concertos with aplomb, and Andrew Litton also performs as pianist in Bennett’s Hexapoda, for violin and piano.

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Review by Graham Williams - October 7, 2025

The two violin concertos featured on this captivating new SACD from Chandos have suffered prolonged neglect, largely because their creators became far better known for their work in musical theatre than in the concert hall. Robert Russell Bennett, a pupil of Nadia Boulanger in Paris, was a serious composer in his own right, producing seven symphonies. Nevertheless, his reputation has long rested on his role as Broadway’s pre-eminent orchestrator, lending refinement and brilliance to the scores of Gershwin, Porter, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. Bennett’s Violin Concerto (1941-1943) is an absolute delight, brimful of captivating melodies and toe-tapping exuberance.

Vladimir Dukelsky, who later adopted the name Vernon Duke at George Gershwin’s suggestion, trained rigorously at the Kyiv Conservatory and moved in cosmopolitan circles that included Prokofiev and Diaghilev. His output encompassed symphonies and ballet scores for the Ballets Russes, yet posterity has associated him more with Broadway and the Great American Songbook. Duke’s Violin Concerto, originally conceived for Jascha Heifetz, is a work more serious in demeanour than that of Bennett but no less engaging. Cast in three movements with a languid central waltz and an imposing finale consisting of a theme and six variations, the music does hint occasionally of that of his friend Prokofiev in both the lyrical passages and the spiky faster sections.

Chloë Hanslip, with Andrew Litton and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, make a strong case for these overlooked scores. Hanslip’s supple tone and impressive virtuosity are matched by Litton’s vigorous, clear-sighted direction and the exciting playing that he elicits from his splendid orchestra.

Between the two concertos Litton takes to the keyboard, joining Hanslip for Bennett’s witty and hugely entertaining ‘Hexapoda’ for violin and piano subtitled ‘Five Studies in Jitteroptera".

This recording is not an ‘in-house’ Chandos production but was expertly recorded, mixed, and mastered by msm-productions (Singapore), an affiliate of MSM Studios Munich, which has over 30 years of experience in high-end mastering. According to their website, msm-productions was founded in 2011 and brings together Tonmeisters from Singapore, Beijing, Seoul, and Taipei, aiming to deliver classical and acoustic music recordings to the highest international standards. The excellent sound quality on this 5.1 multi-channel recording bears audible testament to their efforts.

Highly recommended.

Copyright © 2025 Graham Williams and HRAudio.net

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Sonics (Multichannel):

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