With only the Prokofiev Visions
Fugitives having appeared previously
on CD, this is an especially interesting
release. The Bartók and Vivaldi
were originally to be found on Decca
LXT 6026, and Marriner’s Hindemith and
Prokofiev recordings would have appeared
on an Argo edition LP. The recordings
have been superbly remastered for this
CD, with a virtual absence of hiss,
and well-preserved tapes having only
one or two very minor blips with regard
to damage over the years. More importantly,
the succulence of the original analogue
recordings seems to have been retained
as good as intact, and it all sounds
very good through my highly expensive
new headphones – ones which make you
look like a partially clad Cyberman.
Paul Hindemith’s Fünf Stücke
are the final set of a number of
educational works designed to advance
ensemble playing, these also being known
as ‘Five Pieces in the First Position
for String Orchestra.’ These works go
far beyond what one might expect from
such titles, and their expressive potential
and sense of vitality are fully explored
by the Academy.
Having already heard the completed
Visions Fugitives on a recent
CD conducted by Yuri
Bashmet, I was fascinated to be
able to compare and contrast the two
versions. There is no real first prize
winner in the end. Marriner is sometimes
more sharply etched in the way solo
lines leap out from the rest of the
string textures, and Bashmet has the
greater sense of refinement when it
comes to nuance and colour in the ensemble
as a whole. I do love the freshly-minted
and sometimes restless feel of this
older recording, even if the ensemble
is marginally less disciplined in the
more hectic moments. If this is you
reason for seeking out this disc, then
you will want both versions.
Moving from the resonant acoustic of
St. John’s, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra’s
sessions were recorded in the more intimate
acoustic of Decca Studio 3. The upper
strings sound brighter and the ensemble
feels closer, but not uncomfortably
so. Written at Paul Sacher’s chalet
in the Swiss village of Saanen, Bartók’s
Divertimento can be seen as a
kind of neoclassical concerto grosso,
with a considerable amount of interplay
between soloists and the rest of the
orchestra. This recording doesn’t over-emphasise
this aspect of the score, and the lighter
outer movements have a reasonably well
integrated feel with plenty of punch
and gritty contrast. The all-important
and nightmarish central Molto adagio
is not without its intonation problems
however. The spirit of the music is
certainly communicated, and I’ve rarely
heard the tremolo textures at around
7:35 as spooky as here. There is an
unfortunate vagueness about the bass
which often disrupts the harmonies however,
and while the middle strings dig deeply
and passionately in the build-up to
6:00 you can’t really make claims for
this as a definitive recording – even
when the spanking final pages of the
concluding Allegro assai could
almost convince you otherwise.
Vivaldi’s Opus 3 concerti are known
collectively as L’estro armonico,
and while these have become familiar
enough in their own right, Concerto
No.10 is also famous in its transcription
for four harpsichords BWV 1065 by J.S.
Bach. Authentic performance theory might
not have been at its height in 1962,
but these concerto recordings still
sound quite fresh in terms of interpretation.
Helped along by a discretely placed
harpsichord, the music has a pleasant
sense of swing in the faster movements,
with plenty of dynamic contrast. The
unnamed soloists are very good as well,
matching tone and vibrato, if not always
attack and phrasing. Op.3 No.11 comes
off least well of the pair, with something
of a four-square opening which never
quite takes off in the first movement.
The slow movement is elegant and well
poised though, and the finale picks
up fairly well to make for a suitably
rousing conclusion. I am grateful to
the alert reader who pointed out that
the booklet and liner mistakenly list
this work as Op.3 No.1.
With excellent sonics and musicianship
and a high score in the ‘first CD release’
stakes this disc is as good as self-recommending.
Decca are to be applauded for keeping
at least part of the original LP programmes
intact, even if it means the Vivaldi
seems a little strange to have alongside
all those 20th century composers.
Whether you are in search of a replacement
for scratchy old vinyl, sheer nostalgia,
or just as a very nice disc of some
superb string music on its own terms,
I think this is a must-have.
Dominy Clements
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields/Neville
Marriner (Hindemith, Prokofiev) 
