Alberto GINASTERA (1916-1983)
Violin Concerto Op.30 (1963) [30:51]
Leonard BERNSTEIN (1918-1990)
Serenade for solo violin, strings, harp and percussion after Plato's "Symposium" (1954) [31:24]
Samy MOUSSA (b.1984)
Violin Concerto 'Adriano' (2019) [14:57]
Andrew Wan (violin)
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal/Kent Nagano
rec. Maison symphonique de Montréal, February & November 2019
ANALEKTA AN28920 [77:12]
Given the increasing appreciation of the works of Alberto Ginastera, it is something of a surprise that his substantial and impressive Violin Concerto has received so few recordings - by my reckoning this is just the third. Perhaps not quite so surprising when one realises the ferocious difficulty of the concerto which makes unrelenting demands on the soloist throughout its thirty minute duration. The other two violinists to tackle this musical Everest were Ruggiero Ricci and Salvatore Accardo - both players famed for their virtuoso techniques. Here we have Andrew Wan and it is a statement of his calibre and skill that he sits very comfortably in such exalted company. Wan is one of two Violin solo/Concertmasters of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the fact that all three works offered here were recorded in concert increases my appreciation of the insightful and authoritative interpretations. Ricci's recording of the Ginastera was also given live and frankly it suffers for it. Ricci was a great and valued guide in many recordings of rare virtuoso repertoire back in the days of LP and also the first performer of this concerto, but to be honest he is far from his best in this Ginastera recording. Add a rather harsh and less than ideally detailed recording and his disc must be put to one side. Salvatore Accardo in his pomp was justly famed for the easy, almost nonchalant, virtuosity of his playing and that is on display in his recording - another live performance. But Wan gives little if anything in purely technical terms to the older master and again, the orchestral contribution - always important in Ginastera's richly detailed scores - and the actual recording are much, much better.
So in effect, for those seeking a recording of Ginastera's concerto, this is the version to go for. As for the work itself it dates from 1963 which puts it firmly in the third phase of Ginastera's compositional development - "Neo-Expressionism" (1958-1983). In simple terms these phases plot a progression by the composer from the early explicitly nationalistic scores through to the later works where the folklorisitc elements have been absorbed and remodelled into more abstracted forms. On one level this can be seen as a standard three movement concerto with a central Adagio and a closing virtuosic finale. But Ginastera toys with the listener's expectations. The soloist dives in with a six minute cadenza of terrifying difficulty. Whereas a cadenza will normally allow the composer to reflect and expand on musical material already presented, Ginastera lays out all of the key motivic elements from which the work will be built. From the very first bars Wan's bravura playing and unflinching security is a marvel. I also appreciated his willingness to play with a very wide tonal and expressive range. If possibly Accardo occasionally sounds even more relaxed - not better just fractionally freer - than Wan, this comes at the price of not being as expressive. Perhaps Wan's front desk experience of the orchestra means he plays with an awareness of the overall demands of the music rather than serving simply the God of Virtuosity? But make no mistake, Wan plays with unflinching brilliance and rock solid intonation throughout.
After this compelling cadenza the orchestra enters and here another major virtue of the entire disc becomes clear. The Analekta recording captures the breadth and depth of the sound-stage with excellent fidelity. This is of particular significance in a score where, in addition to the large/standard orchestra, Ginastera requires seven percussionists - although as the liner points out the largest number of players is required for the skittering and hushed opening of the finale - beautifully and atmospherically caught in this recording. In the first movement Ginastera employs a form of serialism using a tone-row in the cadenza which is then varied through a set of six studies as they are described in the score. Most of these sections are brief but clearly defined. The central Adagio is titled "for 22 soloists" although there is more of a sense of a chamber group supporting the violin although the flute amongst the other players does have passages where they lead the musical argument. The closing movement is in two sections; a Scherzo pianissimo of roughly five minutes length before a coda-like two minute Perpetuum mobile. This movement very much occupies the sound world of Ginastera's haunted night-music that occurs in many of his works of this third period. Again the fidelity of the recording allied to the brilliance of the playing from all concerned reveals the complexity and beauty of the writing as no other recording has.
In many ways this violin concerto is a companion piece to Ginastera's Cello Concerto No. 2 in the demands they make of the soloist and also the knotty and angular style of the writing. Interesting therefore to juxtapose it against Bernstein's Serenade after Plato's Symposium. If the Ginastera still struggles to be accepted by players and audiences alike, the Bernstein seems to be becoming one of his most recorded and performed absolute works. The roster of leading players who have recorded this work includes many of the most famous violinists of the last half century from Isaac Stern to Perlman, Mutter, Kramer, Hahn, Gluzman and Joshua Bell just to name the first who spring to mind. Written in 1954, this is the still-youthful Bernstein in full creative and melodic flood. Whereas Ginastera seems determined not to beguile the ear with anything as explicit as a lyrical melody, Bernstein simply cannot help himself. It is almost as if he sets off determined to write a wholly serious piece but is suddenly caught by a melting phrase or delicious harmony that simply cannot be denied. Again, Andrew Wan proves to be fully the equal of any of the above players. Likewise conductor Kent Nagano has been a long-time advocate of Bernstein's music and his empathy and understanding of the score shines through. Bernstein's conceit with this work was to find musical parallels for the participants in the titular Symposium by Plato although apparently this notion arrived rather late in the compositional process and prior to it the piece was simply called "Concerto". For me that is the preferable description as this is a sequence of beautifully wrought, well-contrasted movements that do not require any extra-musical 'explanation'. Nagano and Wan are very good at pointing these contrasts and I like the way Wan shapes his playing to suit the more overtly sensual lyricism of this work as opposed to Ginastera's athletic muscularity.
Given the number of fine performances this work has received, it is not possible to declare any one version better than the rest in the way that Wan's recording of the Ginastera does lead the current field but this new version is certainly very good indeed. The disc is completed by the first, and therefore only, recording of Samy Moussa's
Violin Concerto "Adriano". Moussa was born in Montréal and this work was an OSM commission with its premiere in November 2019. Given that this month is given in the liner for the live recording, I assume, what we hear is the actual first performance. As such, it is superbly assured and convincing in a way that any composer would be delighted with. The "Adriano" of the title is the ancient fire god said to live under Mount Etna although I cannot discern anything in the actual music that could be termed especially "firey". In some ways the musical material offered here is more conventional and the writing for the solo violin - although harmonically quite contemporary if tonal - uses gestures that are familiar in terms of standard concerto/virtuoso writing. That said it is still effective and atmospheric - I particularly enjoyed the ghostly accompanied cadenza which is almost a study in harmonics. Moussa occasionally writes at the very highest extreme of the violin and again Wan displays imperious control and pin-sharp accuracy. Running to just around fifteen minutes this is a compact but well-structured work that makes a good companion piece to the consciously 'bigger' works on offer here.
Overall an enjoyable and impressive disc. The unique coupling and the excellence of the musical and technical aspects of the programme add to its appeal. The disc is presented in a simple cardboard slip with the booklet - in French and English only - tucked into the left hand side. The liner is brief to the point of terseness as far as the music is concerned, but that is a minor concern. A disc well-worth hearing by any interested in 20th & 21st Century concertante violin music, but a must for Ginastera collectors.
Nick Barnard
