My first encounter on disc with Baiba Skride took the form of
her highly impressive recording of the Brahms Concerto (review).
Here she essays vastly different music in the shape of two important
twentieth-century concertos for her instrument.
Stravinsky’s neo-classical concerto receives a keenly alert
reading – from the orchestra as well as from the soloist. The
musicians impart an appropriate tang to the music in the opening
Toccata. I found the performance of the third movement,
Aria II, particularly engaging; Miss Skride’s tone
is lovely hereabouts. The vigorous Capriccio is despatched
with relish. Both the soloist and the orchestra, under Thierry
Fischer’s adroit direction, offer very clean and sharply profiled
playing. The music making is light-footed and characterful and
the orchestra’s leader – Lesley Hatfield, I presume – earns
a share of the plaudits for duetting so seamlessly with the
soloist. This is not a work to which I warm instinctively but
I admired this very good performance.
The Frank Martin concerto is much less well-known than the Stravinsky
piece but it’s an intriguing work that deserves much more exposure.
The first of its three movements, an Andante tranquillo,
opens with a magical, resourcefully scored orchestral introduction.
As this intriguing movement unfolds the soloist’s part mixes
lyrical passages with opportunities for display, the latter
including an extensive and stretching cadenza near the end.
It seems to me that Baiba Skride is completely on top of all
the technical and interpretative demands that Martin places
on his soloist and Thierry Fischer guides his orchestra most
skilfully. The highly atmospheric way in which the orchestra
delivers the movement’s hushed ending typifies their fine contribution.
The second movement, Andante molto moderato, wears
a serious countenance. Much of the music is subtle and subdued
though there are a few powerful but brief episodes along the
way. The performance is full of sensitivity and all the musicians
shade Martin’s music very well. The passionate climax near the
end of the movement has great weight and dramatic thrust. The
Presto finale is often light-textured and, by the standards
of this essentially serious composer, the music is outgoing
if not exactly high spirited.
Baiba Skride offers a vivacious account of it and, as ever,
she’s ably supported by the orchestra. As I said earlier, this
concerto deserves more exposure and the present performers make
the best possible case for it.
The three short orchestral pieces by Honegger, the first two
of his Symphonic Movements, and Stravinsky make well-chosen
‘fillers’ and all of them are very well done by Fischer and
his orchestra. These complete an enterprising and well-executed
programme.
The performances are captured in good sound and Chris Walton
contributes a useful programme note.
This disc is another fine achievement by Baiba Skride and I
see that her admirers can look forward to a forthcoming Schumann
disc.
John Quinn
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Baiba Skride (violin)