Upload
others
View
5
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
REVIEWS / CDS
theStradRECOMMENDS...
VIRTUOSO DOUBLE BASS VOL.2BOTTESIM Operatic fantasies &
arrangements of arias etc
Leon Bosch (doubie bass)Sung-Suk Kang (piano)
ERIDIAN CDE 8458
Leon Bosch
natural affinitywith Bottesiiii'sbravura style. His
performances combine sonorous,lyrical, exquisitely nuanced playingwith a remarkable command of theinstrument's bravura potential.
Bosch interprets four of Bottesini'sopera fantasias with drama, poetryand panache. His left-hand facilityrarely falters, his harmonics arecrystal clear, and he demonstratesabsolute mastery of the bow. Hisrubato in 'Gasta diva' and the poignant'Teneri, teneri figli' (Bellini's Norma)and his characterisation of thesextet'Chi mi frena in talmomento'(Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor)are especially effective, and hedispatches the variations on 'D'unpensiero' (Bellini's La sonnambula)with striking flair and imagination.
Bosch performs Bottesini'stranscriptions of arias by Rossini,
to its centrepiece, and they launch into
the sonata-rondo finale with real gusto,
dancing their way through to itstriumphant conclusion.
These players' polished, expansiveaccount of op.81 is bursting with dramatic
incident, fiery exuberance, expressive
subtlety and meticulous dynamic control.
They generate the requisite excitement for
the first movement's joyous, swaggeringcoda, capture the contrasting moods of
the lyrical Dumka with admirable flexibility
and spontaneity, and establish a persuasivesense of tranquil contemplation for the
middle section of the scherzo. Their finale
has all the requisite joie de vivre, yet takes
on a dramatic Beethovenian aspect in its
more forceful episodes, the fugato section
making a particularly powerful impact.
Leon Bosch: a naturalaffinity with Bottesini's
bravura style
Verdi and Donizetti with expansivelyricism, and he negotiates theperilous harmonics in the Final delaSomnambule with adept athleticism.His stylish, thoroughly committedaccounts of the balletic FantasiaCerritoand the 'Nel cor piu' variationsare well contrasted in mood andcharacter, and the poignant, lyricallines of Melodia nos.2 and 4 and theNocturne are intelligently shaped.
The recording is vivid andtrue. Sung-Suk Kang providessympathetically pliant and characterfulsupport throughout, even if she failsto match Bosch's extroversion whenassuming a solo role.
Frustratingly, Piers Lane's exemplary
pianism often seems too distant inthe overall balance.
ROBIN STOWELL
ELGAR Violin Concerto in B minor
op.61, Prelude to The Kingdom op.51,
Prelude & Angel's Farewell from
The Dream of Gerontius
Thomas Zehetmair (violin) Alice Coote(mezzo-soprano) Halle/Mark ElderHALLE CD HLL 7521
'It's good! Awfullyemotional! Too
emotional... but I love it,'
enthused Elgar abouthis Violin Concerto.
Delius, not one of Elgar's greatest admirersat the best of times, dryly commented:
'I found it a bit long and dull,' and for a
great many years, despite the teenage
Menuhin's profound advocacy, this was not
an uncommon view. Remarkably, it was notuntil the late 1970s and early 1980s, when
Zukerman, Perlman and Kennedy made
their various recordings, that the concerto
acquired a truly international status.With his probing musical intelligence
and lithe, silvery sound, Thomas Zehetmair
produces a version like no other.Avoiding any hint of cloying, Victorian
sentimentality, he uses expressive
portamentos to intensify Elgar's ripely
opulent melodies without sounding(as was Menuhin's wont) as though
he is virtually breathing his last with
every phrase. If the majority of players
tend (often suffocatingly) to place the
concerto squarely in the Brahmsiantradition, Zehetmair points up the
music's Mendelssohnian whimsy and
open-air freshness. This works wonders
in the finale's protracted cadenza, itsfine-honed, sinewy, darting emotional
reflexes a million miles away from the
almost apocalyptic trajectory so often
forced upon it. The Halle and Mark Elder
provide highly sympathetic and sensitivesupport, the engineering clarifies Elgar's
imposing textures magnificently, and thefillers are an absolute delight.
JULIAN HAYLOCK
FAURE Piano Quartets no.1 in C minor
op.15 & no.2 in G minor op.45, Nocturneno.4 in E flat major op.36
Hermitage String Trio, Kathryn Stott (piano.CHANDOSCHAN 10582
Gabriel Faure was an
emotionally reserved
figure of exquisite taste
and eloquence, and always
insisted that his musicshould be played absolutely straight if his
immaculately crafted scores were to achievetheir maximum effect. This is something that
Kathryn Stott, one of the most outstanding
of Faureans, demonstrates to skin-tingling
effect throughout this outstanding disc.She could hardly have wished for more
sympathetic and responsive partners than
the members of the outstanding HermitageString Trio. In the six years of its existence
- 1982 Paganini Competition winner and
100 THESTRAD MAY2010 www.thes:'5~ ;: ~