A
fine disc. Krysia Osostowicz has only previously been known
to me for a middling disc of Brahms Violin Sonatas on Hyperion
Helios (CDH55087) although a glance at her discography will
reveal a distinct leaning towards the music of the present composer,
Rubbra.
As
it happens, Osostowicz is an ultra-sensitive interpreter of
Rubbra's music, something which comes through right from the
evocative, sneaky line that opens the Improvisation for
violin and orchestra. This piece is a reworking of an earlier
Fantasia from the mid-1930s. Osostowicz's tone is aptly
ruminative although my personal preference would be for a touch
more sweetness. Yet she can be throaty later in the violin's
lower register. Rubbra's dark side is frequently in evidence
here. The music unfolds slowly and despite more agile passages,
the work ends in hyper-gentle fashion, enough, certainly, to
make one hold one's breath. Lovely.
The
Violin Concerto is a large-scale work, its dark and stormy opening
sets the tone. The most serious work on the disc, it is also
the most uncompromising from the composer's viewpoint. Osostowicz
digs in to the challenges magnificently - the first movement
cadenza is remarkably tough. The emotional pivot around which
this work turns, the middle movement (Poema – Lento ma non
troppo) is a very personal statement indeed. Warm and inviting,
this is highly evocative and the recording has just the right
amount of space and ambience to realise the music's merits fully;
step forward for a bow Producer Mike Purton and Engineer Tony
Faulkner. The finale, which sounds to me a first cousin to Stravinsky's
Soldier's Tale!, is active and superbly pointed.
Talking
of Stravinsky, Rubbra indulges in some Pulcinella-like
antics for his Improvisations on pieces by Farnaby; Malcolm
MacDonald also makes this point in his notes. There are five
movements listed in the heading. This is fairly big-boned stuff,
with more than a touch of fun around - especially the playful
third, that invokes Malcolm Arnold! Loveliest of all, possibly,
is the solo viola of Loth to Depart. Barbirolli recorded
this with his beloved Hallé, available on EMI CDM5 66053-2,
but Yuasa and his Ulster band do themselves credit.
A
lovely disc.
Colin
Clarke
see also Reviews
by Jonathan
Woolf, Gary
Higginson, Kevin
Sutton and Rob
Barnett
