This is a very good disc of some really beautiful violin playing.
Matthew Trusler has recorded this for his own record label and
as the liner-note makes clear the programme choice is very much
of music close to his heart. It is, however, entering a very
crowded field. Certainly as far as the Korngold Concerto is concerned
barely a month goes by without a new recording appearing from
a major international soloist. In this month’s list of
releases there was one from Pavel Šporcl on Supraphon (SU
3962-2) and before that Philip Quint on Naxos (8.570791),
Nikolaj
Znaider on RCA (710336
) and
Renaud
Capuçon
on Virgin (6945890) - fine players all. Given the decades of
relative neglect of this achingly romantic and beautiful score
one wonders whether the composer would be delighted or bemused
by its relatively sudden restoration to the repertoire.
All of the discs mentioned above are variously coupled but I
think Trusler scores heavily with his choice of the Miklós
Rózsa Concerto for several reasons. Both of these concertos
were written for Jascha Heifetz and knowingly or otherwise his
spirit imbues them. As is well known both composers were heavily
involved with writing scores for Hollywood movies whilst at the
same time trying to pursue composing careers in the “serious” concert
hall. Korngold was the only composer from Hollywood’s golden
age who was allowed to retain copyright over the thematic material
he composed for films. This allowed him to draw upon some of
those films for material he used in the concerto. Conversely,
Rózsa based a film score -
The Private Life of Sherlock
Holmes on themes from his concerto. Though the concertos
are only separated by a few years in compositional terms they
occupy very different spiritual worlds and that juxtaposition
too makes for fascinating listening.
The shade of Heifetz looms over all violinists and I think this
can be both a compliment and a curse. A compliment because just
to be mentioned in the same breath as such an extraordinary artist
and musician is praise indeed but a curse because any performer
will wish to be considered on their own merit. There is an extra
hurdle to consider here too; Heifetz’s recordings of both
concertos are still readily available (RCA 09026 61752) and they
remain the benchmark against which other performances have to
be judged. I cannot think of many other performances over fifty
years old which still can be considered the best regardless of
any “historical” allowances. Because I do think it
illuminating I have included here a table of relative timings.
Of course timings are just one element of a performance but at
least they are absolute and for these two concertos I do feel
they also reflect the essential character of the performances
to which they relate.
| Korngold |
Heifetz |
Trusler |
Shaham |
Mathé |
Juillet |
Hoelscher |
|
I. Moderato Nobile |
7:47 |
10:14 |
9:03 |
9:43 |
10:05 |
8:41 |
| II. Romance Andante |
7:09 |
8:56 |
8:41 |
9:04 |
8:54 |
8:37 |
| III. Allegro assai
vivace |
6:30 |
7:47 |
7:22 |
7:15 |
7:23 |
7:16 |
|
TOTAL |
21:39 |
26:57 |
25:06 |
26:02 |
26:22 |
24:34 |
Normally I would consider such an exercise to be all but worthless
but here I feel it highlights some interesting details. I should
say all six of these performances of the Korngold are very fine
- technically assured and with many musical insights. An instant
obvious fact is that Heifetz is the quickest by some considerable
margin and Trusler the slowest. Some reviewers consider Heifetz
to be all technique and little emotion. Possibly elsewhere, but
I have always believed this recording to be one of his most passionately
ardent. Because of his extraordinary technique it does not sound
fast regardless of what the stopwatch might say. Allied to that
the close-miked sound and trademark fast intense vibrato make
this a high-powered hyper-romantic reading.
Trusler completely
reconceives the concerto. Take the very opening; Heifetz immediately
playing to the hilt but Trusler with his immaculate lighter and
more reflective tone (and all importantly obeying the dynamic
direction of p) creates an atmosphere of nostalgic reflection
that is wonderfully compelling. This for me is the key to Trusler’s
interpretation - even down to the use of a variant of Korngold’s
favourite “motif of the cheerful heart” - the concerto
becomes a nostalgic reflection on better times past. Interesting
to note that Korngold wrote of the reception to the premiere
in 1947, “A success just as my best times in Vienna….” Not
to imply for an instant that Trusler isn’t able to produce
violinistic fireworks when they are required it just is that
he does not choose to emphasise that aspect of the concerto.
Tonally too he does not try to compete with Heifetz. Gil Shaham’s
justly praised recording on DG with Previn and the LSO is quite
magnificent with fabulously rich and polished playing and a sound
that is closer to the older player’s. One aspect that no
other performer achieves quite like Heifetz - and the reason
why if forced I would have to stick with the original - is the
miraculously flexible phrasing he employs. Korngold’s music
is dominated by a vocal quality and the performance of his instrumental
music needs to reflect that - Heifetz plays the first two movements
almost as concert arias with extended recitatives; utterly unbeatable.
Having been greatly impressed by the first two movements I was
fractionally disappointed by the finale from Trusler. Technically
it is superb but I find the contribution from the Dusseldorf
orchestra to be relatively wan. Nothing is wrong but it lacks
the muscular heft and vigour of the best performances. Also,
the engineering is shown up to be somewhat synthetic with undue
spotlighting of solo woodwinds at the expense of a well integrated
orchestral sound. Curiously the solo violin is realistically
mixed into the orchestra.
| Rózsa |
Heifetz |
Trusler |
| I.
Allegro non troppo ma passionato |
11:21 |
13:29 |
|
II. Lento Cantabile |
7:30 |
9:27 |
| III. Allegro Vivace |
7:46 |
9:00 |
|
TOTAL |
26:48 |
31:56 |
If the Korngold concerto can be characterised as essentially
looking back nostalgically then the Rózsa is more forward
looking. Not that it is “contemporary” but the abiding
impression is of an athletic forward momentum. It is another
cracking piece that deserves to be much more widely played and
known. Again Trusler is lean and nimble and technically totally
in control. However I feel that Heifetz’s wild gypsy fiddling
is surely closer to the true heart of this work. The timings
above are very revealing - a difference of 5 minutes in a 30
minute work is huge. I don’t have access to a score so
I can’t be certain that no passages are cut (it does not
sound like there are) so I’m assuming it really is just
down to speed. Also, Heifetz’s Dallas orchestra (and here
the rather harsh old mono recording almost adds to the sound-picture)
seem more willing to take up the gauntlet the music throws down.
In Dusseldorf the orchestral playing sounds efficient without
being committed. The central movement is a Bartókian night-scene
and here Trusler scores with elusive and spectral playing. But
either side during the Hungarian Symphonic Dances that frame
it (my description not Rózsa’s!) although it is
really very very good it is not as good. Linking this
back to one of the other violinists mentioned earlier, having
been astounded by Pavel šporcl’s Gypsy Way album
I can imagine him playing this concerto superbly. On the other
hand I would love to hear Trusler’s Elgar which I imagine
might be in the vein of my favourite performance by Hugh Bean.
The disc is completed by three utterly redundant versions of
versions. Really what the point was in transcribing miniatures
which were already transcriptions I have no idea. Again beautifully
played but after the red meat of Rózsa and the high romance
of Korngold they seem like a pointless mint at the end of a marvelous
meal - you eat it but wonder why you bothered. All the more frustrating
because there is other repertoire which could have enhanced the
value and interest in this disc further. For interest of the
other versions of the Korngold listed above; Juillet on Decca
is probably the least compelling although interestingly coupled
(as part of the Entartete series), Mathé on Dorian has
a great coupling with Korngold’s Sinfonietta and
is a beautifully controlled performance. The Hoelscher dates
from the early 1970s before any real kind of Korngold rehabilitation
and is a buried gem - committed and moving although lacking the
last ounce of technical perfection that seems de rigueur these
days - but I love it. Korngold, I guess, would just love the
idea that his work was the focus of so much attention and high
quality competition. If you need your recordings in modern digital
sound then buy this - as a coupling it is hard to beat - otherwise
seek out the masterly Heifetz, truly one of the great discs of
the gramophone.
Nick Barnard
Athletic forward momentum ... see Full Review
Masterwork Index: Korngold Concerto
Matthew Trusler (violin) 
