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Caroline Goulding

Telarc

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1. La Gitana
2. Gypsy Caprice
3. Berceuse Romantique
4. Syncopation
5. The Red Violin Caprices For Solo Violin: Theme
6. The Red Violin Caprices For Solo Violin: Var. I - Presto
7. The Red Violin Caprices For Solo Violin: Var. II - Con Bravura
8. The Red Violin Caprices For Solo Violin: Var. III - Adagio, Languid
9. The Red Violin Caprices For Solo Violin: Var. IV - Slowly Con Rubato
10. The Red Violin Caprices For Solo Violin: Var. V - Pesto, Pesante
11. Four Souvenirs For Violin And Piano: Samba
12. Four Souvenirs For Violin And Piano: Tango
13. Four Souvenirs For Violin And Piano: Tin Pan Alley
14. Four Souvenirs For Violin And Piano: Square Dance
15. Souvenir D'Amerique Variations On "Yankee Doodle," Op.17
16. Selections From Porgy And Bess: Summertime And A Woman Is A Sometime Thing
17. Selections From Porgy And Bess: My Man's Now Gone
18. Selections From Porgy And Bess: Bess, You Is My Woman Now
19. Selections From Porgy And Bess: It Ain't Necessarily So
20. Selections From Porgy And Bess: Tempo Di Blues
21. Cape Breton Island Fiddling: Hector The Hero
22. Cape Breton Island Fiddling: Hey, Johnny Cope!
    Tullochgorum
    Jean's Reel

Average customer rating:

Caroline G

After experiencing her performance, I can say that this was a very high fidelity, crisp clear recording. Only thing missing was the video.

Here's One to Watch

It sets my teeth right on edge to hear a musician being described as a "teenage prodigy." How many times has the classical music world billed a young instrumentalist as the Next Big Thing, only to watch him or her fade into obscurity after one album? It's a label as detrimental to the performer as it is annoying to the consumer.

And yet, on the evidence of this CD, I can only conclude that Caroline Goulding might in fact be classical music's Next Big Thing. I'm not sure "prodigy" is the right word for her: Although her technique is incredible - gutsy and attention-grabbing while also being refined and precise - this CD is truly compelling for the way she applies that technique in the service of a formidable musical intelligence. On a program featuring composers as varied as Kreisler, Vieuxtemps and Corigliano, Goulding manages to craft unique and immediately identifiable sound-worlds for each piece, truly making them sound like they were written by discrete composers and not just plucked as a unit from some advanced music book. It's a talent that some players work all their lives and fail to develop: Musically, she "gets it." The result is a debut recording that speaks to the heart as well as the head.

And what a journey it is - this CD comprises a wide-ranging display of composers and compositional styles, and they all get played to the hilt. This is the only recording of Paul Schoenfield's Four Souvenirs I've ever heard, and how lucky he is to get such committed advocacy for his music. No performance on this album is less than excellent, but highlights for me were a smoking-hot rendition of the aforementioned Vieuxtemps' "Yankee Doodle Variations" and an elegiac, deeply felt "Hector the Hero" - probably the most diametrically opposed pieces on the album in terms of mood, and a good indicator of the seeming effortlessness with which Caroline Goulding can span the musical spectrum.

I will be watching Ms. Goulding's career unfold with great interest. A lot will hinge on her next album and whether it maintains her musical integrity and consumers' interest. From what I've heard here, though, I'm not worried.

Outstanding Performance - With Excellent Sound Production and Engineering

This recording perfectly captures Ms. Goulding's incredible range, technique and expressiveness. Her playing has a depth, energy and color that is reminiscent of Jascha Heifetz and even, at times, has a hint of Dick Kesner. Still, Ms. Goulding's style is unique and this recording is vital to anyone who is interested in being "in" at the beginning of an extraordinary artist's recording career. In short, it is a great "stepping out" recording in which her ability to perform within a number of musical contexts is captured with skill and authority by her audio production team, Thomas C. Moore and Robert Friedrich. Now that we know she can transition effortlessly from Vieuxtemps to Gershwin to traditional Cape Breton Island fiddling, it will be interesting to see if the next recording presents a focused exploration of a particular composer or style. (This is not a criticism; it is so easy to get completely drawn into each selection on the CD that it just seems to end way too soon.)

A musical gift to all of us!

I first heard Caroline play Vivaldi's seasons with Apollo's Fire in Cleveland. I could not see well being squished behind a column: when I enthusiastically approached the soloist to congratulate her, I was shocked to see a SMALL GIRL and not a 30+ violin master! Vivaldi is tricky and deceivingly simple, his Seasons can be nauseating after having heard so many performances and recordings: she played with an elegance and personality well beyond her diminutive figure (she was 14!). After our first encounter, my wife and I heard her many times, even in practice rooms. Now to this recording: I immediately treasured this first publicly published CD. It's a great collection and it leaves you begging for more! Caroline, we need you to refresh this sometime stifling field; we need your accurate intonation, your masterful stage presence and your enthusiasm.
If you like classical music, buy this CD and look online for a live performance. If you like circus sensations, seeks elsewhere, the world is full of violin Olympics. Mrs. Goulding is not an enfant prodige, she is a very important personality that will broadly resonate in our musical future.

Top Violinist of the past Fifty Years

Incredible. Miss Goulding plays with an individuality well beyond her years...her technique is beyond pyrotechnics---it's the vehicle for an incredibly expressive musicality. Her programming skips the all-too-common prodigy programming of the same-old/same-old virtuosic showpieces and/or major concertos. Here is a violinist who doesn't need her youthful looks and young age (16) to sell her CDs...she's a musical triumph and I hope this is the first of many more wonderful discs. This disc will be both exciting to listen to and inspiring to any violinist (and I mean---ANY---violinist). Thank you!