Bach - Violin Concertos - Perlman,Zuckerman,Barenboim-English Chamber Orchestra (EMI) / Fischer,Sitkovetsky,Academy of St.Martin in the Fields (DECCA)

Trying to find the best possible version (for my taste) of three of my favorite works in the entire musical universe, Johann Sebastian Bach's violin concertos, has proved a difficult experience. My old version with Takako Nishizaki and the Capella Istropolitana on Naxos needed some authentic-instruments company and I found it with Andrew Manze’s version with the Academy of Ancient Music on Harmonia Mundi. After listening to that last one, I needed another one with modern instruments (my favorite taste for the baroque era) played at slower tempos. I ended up buying not one but two additional recordings.

First I bought a commonly-celebrated EMI version with Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and the English Chamber Orchestra under Daniel Barenboim. The album is relatively cheap but has a few excellent reviews. In my case, I was a little disappointed. The sound, for starters, is quite weak, even for a 1973-75 recording. There’s too much echo, the sound appears to come from a gigantic hall with the instruments located in the back, and there’s not enough balance between the highs and the lows, with the former being the absolute dominant force of the aural experience. As for the music itself, it's hard to make such glorious music feel flat, but that's precisely what happens at times here. The tempos are overwhelmingly slow (even for my taste, not too fond of baroque versions that seem to run at double speed), and not in a solemn, ceremonial way, but in a dragging one. The playing by the soloists is OK, but I’ve been pleased more by other versions, where more bravura, more gusto is displayed. This is especially evident in the third movement of the A-minor concerto, the glorious Allegro Assai that from a marvelous dance of notes and colors in Bach's score turns into a rather numbing march of limping, boring aristocrats on this version. The energy and unearthly magic of the double-violin concerto is still there, but its impact is lowered. All in all, this was not what I expected.

2.5/5


Looking for a new, fresh face, encountered a version by Julia Fischer and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields on Decca which had received positive comments. My only concern was that this seemed like the kind of record aimed more at the general population who likes some background-classical music than at the classical music aficionado, with the good-looking violinist adorning the cover and all pages of the booklet and Bach’s and the orchestra’s name mentioned just as a secondary consequence of the star’s presence in the record. I had bought versions like this before and been positively surprised (like with Sarah Chang’s superb rendering of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”) so I gave it a try. The results? Light Bach. The concertos are well-played, the tempos slightly faster than average, the violinist impeccable, but there’s something missing. There’s little spirit, little soul on this recording. Fischer plays with perfect technique but little fire. The slow movements are beautiful because the music is incredibly beautiful, but Fischer doesn’t add one bit of it. The same with the outer movements, fiery and dazzling because of Bach, not because of his current interpreter.

In the end, I went back to my Naxos and Harmonia Mundi recordings and realized they were perfect already. Manze’s one-semitone-lower version in period-instruments has all the fire and the speed, plus an absolutely superb third movement in the A-minor piece, still unsurpassed (I’ve heard a few other versions that I don’t own). My previous review of that recording needs some amending, definitely.

But it’s the lower-priced, no-name recording in Naxos that really is my favorite. No flashy names in the cover, no celebrated orchestras, just a perfect performance with all the right tempos, all the right energy, all the devotion and dedication to the music that seems to come from inside. It’s still my preferred version in modern instruments, even more so than my former favorite with Henrik Szerying and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (conducted by Marriner, and not at the expense of a star-violisist).

I own 4 recordings of these concertos. Probably I’ll end up with more. Music such as this gets new every time one listens to it and even more so if the interpreters have changed. Bach’s violin concertos are my favorite violin concertos in the entire musical cosmos, and it can only please me to find more and more versions, even underwhelming ones.

3/5

Mahler, Copland - Orchestral Works - Jeremy Benk (Pianist) - New World Symphony Orchestra - Michael Tilson-Thomas - Miami, April 10, 2010

Last Saturday I attended a concert by the New World Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Michael Tilson-Thomas that took place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami. The programme included Aaron Copland’s Piano Concerto and Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony in C-sharp minor. The soloist for the Copland piece was American pianist Jeremy Denk.

Tilson-Thomas founded this orchestra and is its artistic director. There’s no doubt about the connection and dedication that he feels towards this ensemble made of young musicians taken from all over the United States. Deemed as the “America’s Orchestral Academy”, this group of instrumentalists gave me a great impression on my first time seeing them perform live. The sound of the orchestra is pure and precise; the percussion section is quite amazing. And it’s clear they hold Tilson-Thomas in a special place in their hearts and minds, since the dialogue between all the instruments and the conductor was free of obstructions, they communicated perfectly and in total harmony. Tilson-Thomas sometimes-awkward body motions were followed with exact execution by the performers, who, is evident, know who is in command.

I was also very pleased with the acoustics of the Arsht Center. I sat in second row (one could even say first, as the actual front row didn’t circle the entire round-shaped stage). I had the big grand piano in front of me through Copland’s entire piece, and the second violins were pretty much in my face. But I could listen to all instruments, with crystalline clarity, and with perfect balance. From the snare to the trombone to the bass, I was able to enjoy all the details of the performance.

Aaron Copland’s Piano Concerto was new to me. I’ve heard plenty of works by the American master but this concerto was not one of them. I can honestly say the piece left me undecided. On one hand, it is exciting, full of energy, with a tremendous percussion section and quite dazzling piano acrobatics; on the other hand, the jazzy/ragtime elements incorporated in the music make it feel rather mundane, even vulgar. Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” came to my mind, though in that work the popular-music flavor is evident and welcomed; here, in Copland’s concerto, I wasn’t sure what the intentions were when the piece was composed. Anyway, in general, the work is entertaining (specially seeing it performed live) and Jeremy Benk’s playing was nothing short of amazing. At times I was caught surprised at abrupt time changes, dissonant chords and plenty of “wrong” notes, but that was all Copland’s invention.

After the performance, Benk stayed for one extra little dessert: by petition of Tilson-Thomas (according to Benk), he performed Charles Ives’ “Scherzo” for piano, a little quickie piece, an adaptation of a popular American theater melody (the name of which escapes me) that served as a perfect showcase for the soloist’s abilities.

After the intermission, the orchestra came back for the main event. The piano was (thankfully) taken under the stage, and Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony kicked off. What a change! This is a monumental piece of music, my third-favorite work by Mahler after his Sixth and his First symphonies, and the rendition was amazing. The first movement was all drama and emotion, from the fanfare that opens the work to the ending of the march. The brass section performed perfectly, though there was one occasion when I noticed something wrong, though I failed to point out exactly what it was (I saw some musicians looking at each other with grins on their faces, so I was not alone). The second movement got the same treatment, with a perfect balance between fortissimo and pianissimo. The tempos, all of them, were spot on for my taste. The stormy scherzo that marks the middle point on the symphony was fiery, chaotic, a musical pandemonium. The most famous movement of the symphony, the adagietto, was especially beautiful, and probably the orchestra’s best moment of the night. How beautiful this music is! It almost brings tears to my eyes, the way the violins and other strings cried with tenderness, in mourning. This was a glorious lament, sad, human, a musical gem. The final movement, triumphant and loud, was superb. All the gigantic orchestra this symphony requires comes into effect here. This is a magnificent conclusion that, nevertheless, leaves the listener with an ambivalent feeling: it’s not totally optimistic, hardly so, but it’s not sad. The orchestra conveyed those emotions perfectly.

The concert ended after several rounds of applause for the young musicians and their revered master. This was a fantastic concert, the best I’ve attended so far in the US, and it leaves me wanting to hear more and more performances of this outstanding group of young musicians who, under the expert direction of their director, show that classical music has a bright future in their hands.

Handel - "Messiah" - Sir Andrew Davis - Toronto Symphony Orchestra - (ANGEL - EMI)

I'll say it straight away: this is an outstanding version of Georg Friedrich Handel’s masterpiece, one of the best ever. Of all the oratorios I have heard, “Messiah” has always been my favorite (even toppling Bach’s “Matthew Passion”), but I never found a complete recording that pleased me in all levels. With this double-disc set, I finally fulfilled my wishes.

The soloists are incredible, especially the tenor, John Aler, who gives me probably the best “The Trumpet Shall Sound” I’ve ever heard. All the big numbers of the oratorio are played perfectly, from the incomparable beauty of “I Know my Redeemer liveth” to the joyous festivities of “For unto us a child is born”. The orchestra is flawless, and the tempos are exactly where they should be: not too fast lest they become too playful, nor too slow lest they become tiresome. The music’s solemn, grandiose character is perfectly portrayed by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra which has no problem with the instrumental pieces like the opening “Sinfony” or the larghetto that splits the first part in half. The chorus deserves a special recognition: all its numbers are excellent, acting like a choir of angelical voices when the opportunity requires, as well as bringing joy and pomp to the proceedings when the music asks for it. The most famous (and deservedly so) number of the entire oratorio gets here probably its best version ever: the “Hallelujah!” on this disc is so overpowering, so out-of-this-earth, that we really feel this music is created for a divinity, a superior being, and we feel the need to stand up, just like King George II did at the London premiere of the work.

This music needs modern instruments. Period instruments fail to convey the majesty of the subject; their dry sound lacks the depth to portray music dedicated to the highest of divinities. Sir Andrew Davis and the Toronto Symphony knew that, and it shows in their approach to this music, which they make feel solemn, superb.

The sound of the recording is clean, clear, but not perfect. The clarity is not in the same level as newer recordings with more modern technologies. But the sound is good enough, we can hear every detail, every little note, every little color. If we add this to the fact that this double-disc comes at an extremely affordable price, we can’t but give it the highest possible recommendation. This is some of the best music ever written, and with this cost, no fan of music can be excused of obtaining a copy of this particular version, one of the best in the entire catalogue.

5/5