This disc is a feast
of wonderful music, superbly performed
and recorded. Barber’s concertos are
among the finest of that genre in the
20th century, though only
the Violin Concerto has achieved its
due popularity. On reflection, it is
quite easy to understand why; its effortless
lyricism and beauty of line make it
well-nigh irresistible. The other two
are more gritty, the composer using
a more challenging and contemporary
musical language.
But they are well worth
the effort, and performances such as
these make the process a rare pleasure.
Isserlis characterises the solo part
of the Cello Concerto with the kind
of effortless virtuosity that has long
been his hallmark, yet misses nothing
of the musical variety and interest
packed into this busy, eventful piece.
His tone in the high register during
the first movement’s fine cadenza is
something very special, and he invests
the rhythmical finale and its tortuous
passage-work with great high spirits.
The protagonist of
the Piano Concerto, John Browning, is
no less persuasive; no surprise, as
the piece was written for him and he
gave it its première in New York
back in 1962. This is a fascinating
work, with overtones of Rachmaninov
in its expansive melodic writing for
the piano, yet with an enjoyably hard-edged
modernity to the harmonies and rhythms.
The finale shows Barber’s sly sense
of humour to great effect, with whimsical
solos in the woodwind, and prominent
use of the trombone at one point.
The Violin Concerto
– which opens the disc – is superbly
handled by Kyoko Takezawa. She is completely
equal to its technical challenges, but
her main achievement is to avoid wallowing,
and to allow the music to speak with
a freshness that is quite delightful.
She is helped, as are the other two
soloists, by a recording which seems
to have achieved the perfect balance
between soloist and orchestra.
Leonard Slatkin, despite
the frustrations of his time at the
BBC, is hard to surpass in this kind
of music. The Saint Louis orchestra
play wonderfully well for him, and all
the details of scoring come through
with clarity and character. Some may
not like the sound of the solo oboe,
which is quintessentially American,
plangent, sweet, but with very little
vibrato; that is down to personal taste,
but you cannot fault the musicianship
and stylishness of the playing. Seventy-nine
minutes’ worth of pure musical pleasure
– at this price, what more could you
want?
Gwyn Parry-Jones
Kyoko Takezawa (violin), Steven Isserlis
(cello), John Browning (piano), Saint Louis
Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Slatkin 
