As is the case with several recent Britten
discs from Naxos, these recordings were originally released
by Collins Classics, and are now available again at bargain
price.
Instrumental music
was not Britten’s forte, although there are some noteworthy
exceptions such as the Frank Bridge Variations,
the Purcell Variations and the Sinfonia
da Requiem; and one should not forget his beautiful
orchestral song-cycles. The rarely heard Canadian
Carnival is not likely to contradict this view
of mine. I have never been able to warm to this rather trite
piece of “musical jobbery”, to quote Nielsen’s phrase. The title
suggests some sort of folksy romp ŕ la Copland, which
the music never achieves in spite of the use of some folk songs
(the well-known Alouette for example).
Britten’s concertos,
too, do not qualify to be among his finest works, but I firmly
believe that the Violin Concerto remains his finest
essay in the genre, maybe because it does not aim at superficial,
vacuous virtuosity, in the way the Piano Concerto
does. The Violin Concerto is a mostly elegiac outpouring, sometimes
close to Berg’s Violin Concerto or Prokofiev’s Second Violin
Concerto. Structurally, it is laid-out in three parts with two
weighty slow movements framing a devilish Scherzo. It is also
more overtly symphonic in conception. The important and demanding
violin part is integrated into the musical argument developed
and sustained throughout with some remarkable stylistic consistency;
something that cannot be said of the Piano Concerto. Lorraine
MacAslan’s playing is superb throughout. She has the full measure
of the emotional content and the technique to achieve it most
satisfyingly. Hers is one of the finest readings that I have
ever heard.
As is well known,
Mont Juic was composed jointly by Britten and
Berkeley who had met during the ISCM days in Barcelona where
they heard the tunes used in this colourful suite. For quite
a long time, the authorship of each movement remained concealed.
Only much later did Berkeley confide to Peter Dickinson that
the first two movements were “mostly by him”, whereas the other
two were “mostly by Britten”. The suite as such is an enjoyable,
unpretentious piece of superior light music, although the third
movement is weightier and more serious in intent. Some will
remember that Berkeley conducted an earlier recording of the
piece for Lyrita (SRCS 50 nla) that remained the only one available
for many long years.
The reservations
that I have expressed do not in any way concern the actual performances.
Quite the contrary, for it is good to have these fine readings
available again. You need not hesitate if you do not know any
of these pieces. This release is well worth having for MacAslan’s
superbly poised, committed and convincing reading of the Violin
Concerto alone.
Hubert Culot
Lorraine McAslan (violin)a;
