MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


Support us financially by purchasing this from

Sir Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
Violin Concerto [51:09]
Max BRUCH (1838-1920)
Violin Concerto No. 1 [25:14]
Rachel Barton Pine (violin)
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Litton
rec. BBC Maida Vale Studio No. 1, London, 2017
AVIE AV2375 [76:23]

This is an unusual but thoughtful coupling of two well-loved concertos, and for all the importance of the soloist on the disc cover, I think the plaudits are fairly evenly shared between the violinist and the orchestra.

The BBC Symphony Orchestra has a well known pedigree in Elgar, and you can sense that heritage in the authority they bring to the orchestral sound. The opening tutti of the Elgar concerto, for example, is brilliantly assertive, thanks in no small part to the contribution of Andrew Litton, of course, and to the clarity of sound achieved by the Avie engineers which manages to make the work breathe from within. The orchestral sound always has a sense that it knows where it’s going, but also that it can stop and enjoy the view when it wants to. The first movement’s second subject, for example, has a lovely amount of space around it, breathing sweetly in its clarinet solo, and the strings are wonderful at the opening of the slow movement. There is also just enough presence in the eternally strange accompanied cadenza. In fact, the importance of the orchestra is one of the key features of this recording.

So, too, is Andrew Litton’s conducting, which has a lovely way with the drama and what feels like an intrinsic understanding of the work’s structure. He understands the forthright nature of the first movement and unfailing lyricism of the Andante, but he’s at his best in the finale which, in some hands, can run the risk of sounding patchy or episodic. Not here: every twist and turn feels organic and well controlled, making every nuance count, be it in the hyperactive violin leaps or the more lyrical slower episodes.

Barton Pine herself showcases what she can do very impressively. Interestingly, however, she seeks to eschew effects and fizz for thoughtful lyricism. The violin’s first entry, for example, is deeply lyrical, making the most of the throbbing low tessitura, a pulse of energy surging through the beat. That low register also comes into its own when the second subject of the slow movement appears for the first time, showing that she is an uncommonly thoughtful violinist. There is dazzle aplenty, but it’s effective because it is largely saved up for the finale, which had me repeatedly smiling at the sparkle of what she managed to produce. She also achieves the most wonderful effect as the violin dissolves back into the orchestral line at the end of the cadenza, and the coda has just enough of a swagger to send it boldly over the finishing line.

My previous touchstone among recent recordings of this work has been Tasmin Little’s recording with Andrew Davis and the RSNO (review): this one doesn't quite replace that, but it gives it a run for its money.

It’s more difficult to place the Bruch recording in the pantheon, simply because there are so many more recordings in existence; but this one is very good nonetheless. The violin is a more strident, almost operatic presence in the first movement, but that stops it becoming a mere prelude, and the outpouring of melody in the slow movement is rich and seamless. The quiet playing is particularly ravishing, and that stands in contrast to a finale that is rumbustious and light-hearted, kicking its heels and flicking up sparks in its good humour.

The documentation is good, including an essay from Barton Pine herself, and, as I hinted above, the Avie sound is super. All told, then, a very successful pairing, both of works and of artists.

Simon Thompson

Previous review: Michael Cookson

 

 



Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing