This disc isn’t perfect,
but it comes nearer than most. First
things first. The recording is astonishingly
truthful. The balance is close, giving
us an involving sense of ‘being there’
in the midst of this small group of
exceptionally fine musicians, as well
as affording a huge amount of detail.
And yet there is an agreeable ambience,
with a sense of space and perspective
which allows us to experience the music
as if from afar. It’s seldom we can
have it both ways, but this disc really
does enable you to enjoy the music from
the front row of the stalls as well
as the back row of the circle - even
simultaneously! The dynamic range is
huge! Just listen to the contrast of
the pianissimo trills opening
Les Illuminations, and the bustling
viola arpeggios which burst in moments
later!
Happily, the polish
of these performances means we have
nothing to fear from observing the proceedings
from such close quarters. The Scottish
Ensemble plays with rare refinement
and precision. Everything is beautifully
articulated. And, though you might think
the Variations on a Theme of Frank
Bridge unlikely to benefit from
being played by so few instruments,
in fact the dramatic impact of their
articulation more than makes up for
any nominal lack of tonal weight. So
we get the full expressive range in
this wide-ranging music. They have nothing
to fear from comparison with their multitudinous
‘competitors’ in this repertory.
I’m afraid you can’t
say the same of the tenor and horn soloists,
fine though they are. Toby Spence has
an admirably fresh voice - youthful,
but with a wide pitch and dynamic range,
and excellent diction. His delivery
is facilitated by taking time clearly
to enunciate key phrases, rather than
by varying his tonal palette, in which
respect the best of his rivals are a
notch or two ahead of him. Similarly,
Martin Owen, the horn player, is a fine
musician: I can’t honestly fault him
on a single detail, and he’s equal to
every one of the near-impossible tasks
set him by Britten. But in terms of
sheer tonal control and dexterity -
especially in extremes of registers
- I’d say he plays second horn to Brain
and Tuckwell.
I’m not going to indulge
in my usual comparisons, partly because
the catalogue is full of appealing alternatives,
and partly because - in a very real
sense - there are no competitors:
this coupling is unique, and the immediacy
of Linn’s recording puts this disc in
a class of its own.
Peter J Lawson
Toby Spence (tenor) 
LINN CKD 226 [72:45]
