Though he may well be remembered for his choral music and his eleven symphonies,
Rubbra nevertheless composed a handful of concertante pieces and concertos
of which the most important are the Piano Concerto Op 85 (1956), the Violin
Concerto Op 103 (1958) and the Viola Concerto Op 75 (1952). They have all
received very little exposure, at least as far as commercial recordings are
concerned. Some members possibly still cherish Matthews' fine recording of
the piano concerto (EMI HQM 1103 and more recently - 1977 - SLS 5080 both
nla). The violin concerto was recorded some time ago by Unicorn and recently
reissued in CD format (DKPCD 9056) while there is no current recording of
the viola concerto nor for that matter of the Improvisation for violin and
orchestra Op 89 (1957). Thus the present record certainly fills a gap and
(hopefully) paves the way for a new recording of the piano concerto and of
the much earlier Sinfonia Concertante Op 38 (1936, rev 1943) which is still
unrecorded and very rarely heard. The Viola Concerto Op 75 was written in
1952 for and dedicated to William Primrose who gave its first performance
in 1953. It is quite a sizeable piece in three movements displaying many
Rubbra fingerprints and the solo part, though very demanding, calls for
musicality rather than virtuosity. On the whole the Viola Concerto is a rather
introspective work and its music generally slow moving. There is however
a rather nervous Scherzo at the centre of the piece which ends with a more
sectional movement titled Collana musicale (musical necklace) that provides
for some contrast in a rather single-minded work. The Violin Concerto Op
103 was written in 1958 and is another fine piece. Again it is a work that
calls more on musicality than on virtuosity although Rubbra knew the violin
well for having long partnered his wife and for having long played in a trio
with William Pleeth. Rubbra's familiarity with the instrument certainly helped
him avoiding technical "tricks" and concentrating his creative energies more
on an inward-looking solo part than an outward-dashing virtuosic one. Rubbra's
music is never superficial and it makes its points slowly which is why Rubbra
is sometimes referred to as the perfect record composer in that his music
necessitates repeated hearings only made possible by recordings. Both the
violin and the viola concertos are important works within Rubbra's symphonic
output and the present excellent performances and recordings allow us to
discover and enjoy the many riches displayed (or rather buried) in these
pieces.
There is very little to complain about. The performances and the recordings
are of the highest quality and certainly serve the music well. Vernon Handley
and his orchestra are obviously in sympathy with the music and their involvement
is evident throughout. A minor quibble though: The total playing time is
a bit on the short side and might thus have allowed for the inclusion of
the Improvisation for violin and orchestra Op 89 which would have been a
perfect 'fill-up'.
Hubert Culot
Tasmin Little,
violin, Rivka Golani, viola RPO/Vernon Handley
