Played by German violinist Antje Weithaas, this is the third and final
volume in the CPO cycle of Bruch’s complete works for violin and
orchestra.
Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor continues to take centre stage.
It headed the Classic FM “Hall of Fame” top three hundred chart for several
years, and is still enduringly admired on record and as a regular feature in
the concert hall. The only other concertante work by Bruch to come anywhere
close in esteem is
Kol Nidrei for cello and orchestra. Still
admired is the
Scottish Fantasy for violin and orchestra, which
remains well represented in the catalogue.
Bruch’s magnificent pieces for violin and orchestra have been recorded
several times. Most notable is the set by Italian virtuoso Salvatore Accardo
with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under Kurt Masur. Recorded in the late
1970s at the Gewandhaus on Philips, Accardo has virtually had the field to
himself with his stylish and warmly characterful playing. Now, with these
recent recordings on CPO, Accardo has stiff competition from soloist Antje
Weithaas and the NDR Radiophilharmonie.
The earliest work on the release is the
Romanze
from 1874, a piece that for some evokes the music of Robert Schumann,
especially the
Fantasy in C major. Bruch had completed the first
movement in A minor of a projected second violin concerto. In the event he
decided to leave it as a separate single work marked
Andante
sostenuto, known as the A minor
Romanze. As was his custom,
Bruch took advice from the renowned soloist Joseph Joachim on the violin
writing, with some polishing from Robert Heckmann to whom the work was
dedicated. Bold and assertive, the playing by the assured Weithaas has a
compelling intensity. Clearly knowing this virtuoso showpiece inside out,
Weithaas ensures no nuance is missed or detail left untouched.
Composed in 1891, almost twenty five years after the famous G minor
concerto, the
Violin Concerto No. 3 in D minor is dedicated to Joachim.
It was Joachim who persuaded Bruch to expand into a full violin concerto the
Concert Allegro in D minor he had recently written. Joachim also premièred
the D minor Third Concerto at festival concert in Düsseldorf. It was
described as a triumph by the delighted Bruch. Displaying extremes of
expression, it feels as if Weithaas is exploring deeply the core of the
score. Striking in the
Allegro energico is the undertow of yearning
with which she infuses her playing, together with the aching tenderness of
the
Adagio. In the
Finale:
Allegro molto, the
degree of buoyancy Weithaas provides has an infectious charm.
Bruch finished his
Konzertstück (
Concert
Piece) in 1910, a work he dedicated to soloist Willy Hess. As
concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Hess had performed the A
minor
Serenade to acclaim before moving to Berlin. The
Konzertstück is cast in two connected movements. It seems that
Bruch originally planned it as his fourth violin concerto. The work was
premièred the following year by American violinist Maud Powell at the
Norfolk Festival in Connecticut, USA. Played with clarity and virtuosic
assurance, the opening movement
Allegro appassionato is laden with
dramatic incident. The second movement, an engaging
Adagio ma non troppo
lento, substantially uses the theme from the Irish folk song “
The
Little Red Lark” and strikes a tone of affecting yearning.
Throughout this release, Weithaas has the advantage of first-class support
from conductor and orchestra. Hermann Bäumer paces marvellously well and
receives stylishly expressive playing in return. The recording was made at
Großer Sendesaal des NDR in Hannover. The engineering team has provided
fairly close sound, warm with good clarity and satisfying balance. CPO lives
up to its usual high standard of presentation with an extremely helpful and
interesting essay.
Antje Weithaas displays her remarkable prowess in these glorious Bruch
works with stunning performances that can stand firmly alongside the finest
in the catalogue.
Michael Cookson
