It’s hard to work out
why the
Dvořák Violin Concerto has failed
to establish itself in the repertoire
to quite the extent of other romantic
concertos by Brahms, Tchaikovsky or
Bruch for example. It is tuneful, splendidly
written for an instrument the composer
played well (though he probably
preferred to play the viola) and entirely
typical of its Czech creator. However,
there are signs that it is now being
recognised for the glorious work it
is, and here is another fine recording,
this time by a notable young Czech performer.
Unusually, Martin Válek
– an interesting musician who also indulges,
we are told, in jazz and punk – has
his father, Vladimir, as conductor on
this CD. There is no doubt that there
is a thoroughly harmonious partnership
here between father and son, and that
is of some importance in a piece in
which the orchestral part is so full
of detail, and into which the solo part
is often integrated in an almost concertante
manner. The finale, with its furiant
rhythms, is probably the most successful
and memorable movement, and seems to
bring out the best in the performers.
The orchestra find the right ‘village-band’
sound for its episodes, and Válek
junior shows great sensitivity, allowing,
for example the delicious version of
the main theme in the low flutes around
9:30 (track 3) to come through with
complete clarity.
The other two movements
fare well enough too, though for my
money, the lovely Adagio ma non troppo
needs just a little more sense of
space than it is given here. On the
other hand, the contributions from the
wind soloists in the Prague Symphony
Orchestra are sensitive, with beautiful
shaping of individual lines in flute,
oboe and bassoon. Overall, a stylish
and tasteful performance of the work
rather than one to persuade one to fall
madly in love with it.
What of the Barber?
Here’s another piece that has begun
to appear more regularly in concert
programmes and in CD catalogues in recent
years, owing to outstanding modern recordings
such as that of Joshua Bell, and the
reissue of Isaac Stern’s première
recording of 1964. Again, the Váleks,
with their Prague musicians, provide
a musical and thoughtful rather than
intoxicating performance. But I certainly
don’t wish to damn with faint praise,
and there are many lovely things to
relish, such as the jaunty orchestral
tutti at the climax of the first movement
(track 4, around 5:20), the impassioned
appearance of the Andante’s main theme
in the solo violin (track 5 4:30), or
the splashes of piano and woodwind tone
in the frenetic finale.
All these and more
are picked up faithfully in the excellent
recording, even though I failed to track
down any information on the case or
in the booklet about exactly where and
when the sessions were held. If the
coupling of these two lovely concertos
is for you, then you won’t go far wrong
with this issue.
Gwyn Parry-Jones
Martin Válek (violin) 
for
details
