Paris
Ernest CHAUSSON (1855-1899)
Poème Op 25 (1896) [16:57]
Sergei PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
Violin Concerto No 1 Op 19 (1923) [21:27]
Einojuhani RAUTAVAARA (1928-2016)
Deux Sérénades [14:27]
Hilary Hahn (violin)
Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra/Mikko Franck
rec. Auditorium de Radio France, Paris February 2019 (Rautavaara), June
2019 (Prokofiev, Chausson)
Reviewed from digital press preview
DEUTSCHE
GRAMMOPHON 4839847
[53:51]
In reviewing this disc, I made the error of looking at the packaging before
listening to the music. Everything about it screams that this release is a
star vehicle. An impression compounded by the violinist’s own vapid
reflections on the inspiration for the album which read like the script of Emily in Paris. Mercifully, the music contained in the packaging
is an entirely different matter.
I can’t say, though, that I was particularly convinced by the Paris theme,
which seemed tangential at best. These disparate works may be meaningfully
linked in Hahn’s head but they weren’t in mine. A more serious gripe is the
short measure on offer. By my estimation, there is enough room on this CD
for the second of Prokofiev’s violin concerti. Or, since it is mentioned
twice in the liner notes, ought this not to have been the opportunity to
record the Rautavaraa violin concerto she tells us she has been
championing?
Enough with complaints for now. Hahn is a wonderful violinist and that is
very much in evidence here. Throughout her approach is cool and elegant and
she makes some absolutely bewitching sounds. Chausson’s Poème,
written in 1896, is a vivid product of Fin de Siècle Paris, inspired by a
Turgenev story about a ménage a trois. Personally, I prefer it a bit riper
and more sensual but Hahn still ravishes the ear. If we were talking French
film stars this is more Catherine Deneuve than Brigitte Bardot. It made me
think about this music, which is what the best performances do. Mikko
Franck’s French forces match the soloist’s approach with playing that is
restrained and classy.
An unhappy premiere in the city seems to be the main link between Paris and
the Prokofiev first violin concerto. It is, nonetheless, the best thing on
the record and stands up to comparison with the very best. Putting her
alongside Vengerov, a recording I had a very high opinion of when it came
out, the Russian sounds both staid and heavy handed. There is a Mendelssohnian agility to Hahn’s playing throughout, making light of its
immense technical difficulties. In a recent interview, Hahn described the
concerto as “impossible”. You wouldn’t know that here. Her way with the
long opening melody is particularly winning. She allows it to breathe
naturally where Vengerov and Chung with Previn sound a little rigid.
A word, briefly, about the sound. It is absolutely lovely and registers the
tiniest details of Prokofiev’s orchestration but without artificial
spotlighting. The placing of the soloist is more first amongst equals than
it is on something like Oistrakh’s legendary recording with Matacic, which
mikes the Russian maestro very closely indeed. Hahn clearly enjoys a
productive rapport with the orchestra and conductor and it shows in
passages such as the close of the first movement where the composer weaves
a diaphanous texture of harps and strings. Hahn remains the centre of focus
here but never at the expense of her colleagues. This is one of many
moments where the beauty of her playing stopped me in my tracks.
Mendelssohn was again on my mind listening to the scherzo-like middle
movement. I want to return to Oistrakh to make a point about the approach
to this work. To my ears at least, Hahn is not particularly Russian in this
work, especially not in this movement. Oistrakh very definitely is. This
will be a matter of taste. Both approaches work. What I mean by Russian is
a kind of earthy soulfulness that oozes out of Oistrakh’s violin. For the
Russian, the ethereal opening theme descends into much more forthright
passion. Likewise, the quicker music sounds more like the work of Prokofiev
the enfant terrible of modernism. In the liner notes, Robert Kirziger
locates this work in the lyrical tradition of the Classical Symphony and I
feel that Hahn probably does, too. Hahn does not lack bite but her interest
seems mostly coloristic. There is, however, nothing shallow about her
interpretation. The effect is quite dazzling and I was quite persuaded by
her way with this music.
I can’t say I was overly taken with the two Rautavaara pieces, both
recorded live at their premiere. Rautavaara has always seemed a pleasant
enough composer, writing in an accessible, consonant style but he has never
grabbed my ear with anything like excitement. These pieces did little to
change that view. If I can be forgiven the worst sort of snobbery, I can
see them going down a storm on Classic FM. The second of these pieces, both
of which were written for the violinist, has a little more to it and I’m
sure many will enjoy them both more than I did. They were the last
compositions Rautavaara worked on and were left incomplete on his death.
The Finnish composer, Kalevi Aho, a Rautavaara pupil, completed the
orchestration. The performance is everything one could want for –
dedicated, intense with lashings of Hahn’s inimitable beauty of sound.
It is a pity that this review contains as many caveats as it does, as this
is a very fine disc. The Prokofiev is a thoroughly wonderful performance,
but I
am left with a feeling of slight dissatisfaction as though all of the
ingredients don’t quite add up. Some of this will depend of how much one
enjoys the Rautavaara. I would be very keen to hear these forces in the
second Prokofiev concerto but I do not wish to pour cold water on more
imaginative programming, especially when it includes contemporary music.
Perhaps it is as simple as, faced with such sumptuous violin playing, I
just wanted more.
David McDade
