Marin Alsop and the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra continue
their highly successful Barber series
with this interesting programme of shorter
works.
The excellence of enterprise
is established by the opening item:
Knoxville. This recollection of childhood
innocence is among Barber’s most captivating
and enchanting compositions, and the
partnership of these musicians captures
the tone admirably, The recording too
is particularly fine, from Henry Wood
Hall in Glasgow. Karina Gauvin is deserving
of special praise, moreover, for her
combination of faultless, warm timbre
and tightly articulated rhythmic control.
A rare combination, perfectly suited
to this music.
The two Essays for
orchestra bring other features of the
composer to the fore. Both pieces are
strongly crafted, and Marin Alsop sees
this as her priority in performing them.
Accordingly one senses an overview of
direction rather than an indulgence
of phrasing in the shorter term. Maybe
this is why the Second Essay seems a
finer work than the Third; maybe it
is true of the music itself.
The final item, the
appropriately titled Toccata Festiva,
was recorded in the ample acoustic of
Paisley Abbey, where Thomas Trotter
could add the richness and weight of
organ tone. The drawback is that the
acoustic has less definition and impact
than that of Henry Wood Hall, and some
of the brilliance of the organ part
is probably lost. Be that as it may,
the results are still impressive, and
this is undoubtedly an excellent addition
to an already distinguished collection
of Barber performances.
Terry Barfoot
see also review
by Rob Barnett