Hans GÁL (1890-1987)
Concertino for violin and string orchestra, Op. 52 (1939) [17:59]
Josef KAMINSKI (1903-1972)
Concerto for violin and symphony orchestra [26:31]
Leonard BERNSTEIN (1918-1990)
Serenade, after Plato's Symposium for solo violin, strings, harp and percussion (1953/54) [30:19]
Erez Ofer (violin)
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin/ Frank Beermann (Gál, Kaminski), Omer Meir Wellber (Bernstein)
rec. 2016/17, Saal 1, Haus des Rundfunks, Berlin
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC HC19020 [74:55]
This album on Hänssler Classic played by violin soloist Erez Ofer features three twentieth-century works for violin and orchestra each from a composer of Jewish origins. Undoubtedly the reputation of each composer varies considerably – notably Leonard Bernstein a name of universal renown, then Hans Gál whose works are becoming increasingly better known, to Josef Kaminski an unfamiliar name to me.
Here, violin soloist Erez Ofer is accompanied by the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin. Frank Beermann conducts the Gál and Kaminski works and Omer Meir Wellber the Bernstein.
Once acclaimed by the central European music establishment, Gál’s music experienced a golden period from the end of the Great War to the very early 1930s, championed by influential conductors Szell, Furtwängler, Keilberth, Kleiber, Busch and Weingartner. After the rise of National Socialism, Gál, an Austrian Jew working in Germany, was dismissed from Mainz Conservatory in 1933 and his music banned. Fearful for his life, in March 1938 Gál fled mainland Europe to London. Between his arrival in London and settling in Edinburgh in 1939 Gál wrote his Concertino for violin and string orchestra. The score may have been composed at the behest of Austrian violinist Max Rostal, who was also in exile in Britain. Cast in two continuous movements, on this album the Violin Concertino is contained on a single track. It’s a glorious work full of interest with a substantial cadenza in each movement and at around eighteen minutes it never outstays its welcome, especially with Ofer providing such ravishing playing. Marked Andante tranquillo in the opening movement Ofer excels in the rather introspective mood of sweet yearning which prevails. Engaging is the second movement Rigaudon: Allegro giusto contrasting joyous, dance rhythms on which it ends with a sense of longing and reflection. The only other recording of this work that I know of, is from soloist Annette-Barbara Vogel with Northern Sinfonia, conducted by Kenneth Woods and recorded in 2009 on the Avie label but it doesn’t surmount this account from Ofer who is in compelling form.
Josef Kaminski was born in Odessa but soon moved with his family to Warsaw. A child prodigy, Kaminsky was only fourteen when he appeared as violin soloist with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1922 Kaminsky studied at Hochschule für Musik and two years later in Vienna he was taught by Hans Gál. As concertmaster of the Polish Radio Orchestra Kaminski was experiencing growing anti-Semitism and in 1937 emigrated to Palestine joining the Palestine Orchestra (later Israel Philharmonic Orchestra), becoming concertmaster. The Violin Concerto was written during the time of the 1947-49 ‘Palestine War’ (known in Israel as the ‘Israeli War of Independence’) and Kaminski was awarded the Engel Prize in 1950. This excellent three-movement concerto makes a powerful impact and Ofer’s performance is engaging from start to finish. The stark contrasts of the opening movement Moderato range from an uneasy, brooding mood to one of frantic hostility with a penetrating orchestral climax at 5.27-5.57. Edgy and reflective the character of the Adagio comme una elegia movement is marked, leaving behind an implacable sense of foreboding, patently indicative of the tensions at the time it was written. Standing out is the exciting Molto vivo: Finale with its easily discernable Jewish and Sephardic influences a mainstay of the movement. Standing out here is the climax at 4.29-4.35, followed immediately by the engrossing cadenza at 4.35-7.20 while the rousing conclusion does full justice to this magnificent score.
Leonard Bernstein is known throughout the world as a conductor and also the composer of works for musical theatre, notably his celebrated musical West Side Story, while his other so-called ‘serious’ works are much lesser known. Falling into this category is the Serenade (after Plato's Symposium) a concerto for solo violin, harp, strings and percussion. Written during 1953/54, the work served both to fulfil an earlier commission for the Koussevitzky Foundation and also as a piece for his friend, the renowned violinist, Isaac Stern who premičred the score in 1954 at Teatro La Fenice, Venice. The Serenade resulted from Bernstein’s re-reading of Plato’s philosophical text The Symposium. He explained that it’s ‘a song of praise of love, essentially a hymn in honour of the Greek god of love Eros.’ Each of this series of five movements is titled with names of Greek thinkers (Phaedrus, Aristophanes, Eryximachus, Agathon, Socrates Alcibiades) but it’s not intended as genuine programme music. In my concert going career the only occasion I have attended a performance of the work was last summer at Kulturpalast Dresden, given by soloist Nicola Benedetti with the touring Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Peter Oundjian. Here Ofer grasps the emotional diversity of Bernstein’s writing and navigates around these components with ease. Striking is the opening movement Phaedrus: Pausanias which bursts into life with an uplifting melody which feels like a work from music theatre. There is a frenetic urgency to Eryximachus a very brief and challenging Presto movement and in Agathon is noticeable the degree of longing and sense of contemplation that Ofer generates which increases in weight and tension. I have said before that the Serenade doesn’t rank as one of my favourite concertos and by the time of the final movement Socrates: Alcibiades with its jazz elements I admit to wishing I was hearing the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story instead. Despite the accomplished playing of Ofer I favour the additional sense of engagement from the 2003 account by soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter with the LSO under André Previn on Deutsche Grammophon. Worthy of admiration too is the 1979 account from Gidon Kremer with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the composer also on Deutsche Grammophon.
Throughout the album soloist Erez Ofer, a first concertmaster of the RSO Berlin, is in sparkling form playing with style and assurance producing impressive orchestral colour. The RSO Berlin plays superbly providing plenty of thrust and vitality and no shortage of sensitivity when required. Noticeable is how Frank Beermann gets deep into the fabric of the Gál and Kaminski scores with Omer Meir Wellber conducting the Bernstein with relatively less intensity yet enthusiastically. The recording sessions at the Haus des Rundfunks, Berlin have produced first class sound quality which is pleasingly clear and well balanced. Conspicuous too is Ofer’s violin made by Domenico Montagnana (1729), which emits a gorgeous sound. Jens Markowsky provides the generally helpful essay yet for some reason a comment on the central movement of the Kaminski concerto is absent.
Violin soloist Erez Ofer provides compelling performances of these Gál, Kaminski and Bernstein works making this Hänssler Classic release highly desirable.
Michael Cookson
