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Max BRUCH (1838-1920)
Violin Concerto No. 1 (1868) [24:17]
Romance in F (1911) [8:30]
String Quintet in A minor (1918) [24:05]
Vadim Gluzman (violin)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Andrew Litton (Concerto; Romance)
Vadim Gluzman, Sandis teinbergs (violins), Maxim Rysanov,
Ilse Klava (violas), Renis Birznieks (cello) (Quintet)
Rec. Grieg Hall, Bergen, Norway, October 2009 (Concerto; Romance);
Schloss Nordkirchen, Orangerie, Westphalia, Germany, September 2009
(Quintet). Hybrid SACD
BIS-SACD-1852
[58:04]
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Most collectors will already possess a recording of Bruch’s
First Violin Concerto so for many the items of interest here
will be the Quintet and the Romance. The Quintet, first of all,
is a work of 1918, written towards the end of the Great War
and of the composer’s life; it’s a real gem. Its deceptively
gentle opening lulls the listener into a false sense of ease
before plunging headlong into a full-on passage of Sturm
und Drang. The rest of the movement contains a mix of beauty
and stress but it shows that the composer had complete mastery
of the Quintet form for this, his only excursion into the genre.
The extra viola makes all the difference, adding a rich mellowness
to the middle of the sound and creating something for the listener
to bask in. In contrast to the opening movement, there is an
underlying warmth and good humour to the Scherzo which is merry
while remaining understated. The slow movement is gorgeously
rich, thanks to the prominent role given to the middle strings.
It’s an unapologetically lush four minutes and its brevity makes
it feel like a beautifully transient moment, snatched before
it disappears. The finale is then more restrained than one might
expect, almost like an energised Minuet. For most of the movement
it retains its elegance and mask of formality before breaking
into a hell-for-leather coda, but not before a central section
that reminds us of earlier stresses. This is a work well worth
exploring, and the performance given here is superb. Gluzman
has assembled a cast of players with whom he clearly has a close
working relationship and it shows. There is a sense of collective
joy in the music-making that works wonderfully. There’s that
palpable feeling of introducing a new musical discovery into
the world. For this, if nothing more, the disc deserves to do
well.
The Romance is another delight. Originally scored for
a solo viola with orchestra Gluzman arranges it for violin after
the composer’s own version for violin and piano. As its title
suggests, it is wonderfully luscious with a main theme to wallow
in and sumptuous orchestration to boot. It feels much more like
Massenet’s Méditation than Beethoven’s Violin Romances
and it oozes Romantic decadence from every pore. A guilty pleasure!
As for the concerto itself, Gluzman and Litton provide a performance
which, to my ears, can stand comparison with any of recent years.
The first movement contains playing of proper vigour, making
the music sound energetic and exciting. For once this – almost
- prevents it from being a “mere” prelude to the slow movement
which here unfolds in one endless, breathless line of legato
beauty. The finale then bustles with energy without feeling
rushed. Gluzman’s unashamedly Romantic playing makes this a
version to cherish, and BIS’s recorded sound is first rate,
close and immediate without losing its bloom. This disc is a
great Bruch package, combining the most familiar with something
new.
This recording can also be downloaded from eclassical.com
Simon Thompson
see also review by Christopher
Fifield (June 2011 Recording of the Month)
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