This CD offers a generous playing time and starts with the well-known
Carmen Fantasy. One is immediately aware of the brilliant recording
quality. Violin and piano are well balanced and the violin has a “reach out
and touch” realism that is most impressive. The downside to such realism is
that the violinist is positioned under a bright spotlight that cruelly
emphasises the smallest slips in execution. Players in the Heifetz league
would have had no problems in this environment. Unfortunately, Ralph
Reinhold - admittedly a fine player - isn’t quite in this super class.
The opening of the Bizet, performed rather aggressively, demonstrates
those minor limitations. The
sul G intonation isn’t perfect and the
fearsome double-stopping passages don’t possess the kind of perfection that
you can hear from the amazing
Tianwa Yang in her
Naxos Sarasate series. Yang throws off the virtuoso
passages with little or no apparent effort. There’s more to it than that,
though. Her tone remains creamy, clear and warm throughout and not once is
there the slightest hint of strain. Her artistry is never in doubt. Volker
Reinhold by comparison does sound stretched at times and under technical
pressure the violin tone suffers. With Yang everything sounds easy. With
Reinhold you are aware that this is technically difficult music to play and
not everything is comfortable to listen to.
Musically, all these fantasies have their attractions but played one after
another an element of monotony sets in. The Bizet is more successful in its
orchestral version. Sarasate’s piano part is dull and uninspired, offering
little by way of tonal contrast compared to a symphony orchestra. Throughout
the CD the piano is very much treated as a supporting accompanist rather
than an equal partner but this isn’t a reflection on Ralph Zedler, more a
comment on the parts he has been given to play.
Der Freischütz is
an inventive and interesting piece. Listeners who don’t know the opera will
immediately recognise many of the themes used by Sarasate in his Fantasy
They are taken from Weber’s well known overture. I enjoyed
The Magic
Flute best of the lot. Sarasate resisted the temptation of including
the
Queen of the Night arias. Heaven forbid what they would have
sounded like on a violin. Instead, he wisely concentrated on the wonderful
melodies given to us by Tamino, Pamina and Papageno, in turn melancholic and
playful. The result is a delight.
Martha is rather touching with
its inclusion of two well known, timeless melodies - the tenor aria
Ach,
so fromm and the beautiful
Last Rose of Summer.
This is an enjoyable CD but on repeated listening the intonation problems
and patches of insecurity become too obvious. As a recording it is
exceptional. If it’s the music that comes first — as it surely must — I
recommend
Yang’s Naxos series with no reservations whatsoever.
Reinhold is good, Yang is in a class apart.
John Whitmore
