Arnold SCHÖNBERG (1874-1951)
Pelleas und Melisande (1902/03) [38:07]
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 36 (1934-36) [31:16]
Kolja Blacher (violin)
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/Markus Stenz
rec. 2013, Studio
Stolberger Strasse, Cologne
OEHMS CLASSICS OC 445 [69:35]
Markus Stenz’s reputation as a Schönberg conductor
is evidenced in his numerous performances and a fine recording of the
Gurre-Lieder on Hyperion (see review).
Having Schönberg’s eyes glaring at me and making me feel guilty for
putting off reviewing this release for weeks I finally got to grips
with myself, symbolically tearing aside that stripe on the right hand
side that looks like crime-scene tape and diving in to find something
really rather glorious.
There is no shortage of recordings of Pelleas und Melisande,
and Markus Stenz has to tussle with classic versions such as those from
Herbert von Karajan and the “valuable but somewhat contentious” Sir
John Barbirolli, as well as more recent recordings by Robert
Craft and Matthias
Bamert. Having re-oriented my ears onto this huge late-romantic
score I found myself enjoying Markus Stenz’s reading more than ever.
Yes, there is a weight and emotional heft to this performance into which
you can let yourself become immersed, but the overall impression is
one in which the effect of the whole is delivered from a position of
transparency and a sense of revelling in the sheer joyous colour and
magic of the whole thing rather than becoming embroiled in heavy drama
and Teutonic portentousness. The entire piece is presented on a single
track, so referring to particular moments in this tale in music based
on Maurice Maeterlinck’s “wonderful drama” is not as easy as some, but
the transformations of mood and intent of the composer when conjuring
the tender, amorous and fateful are as clear as anything, and the impact
of the climaxes in this rich and vibrant recording hit the spot every
time.
The later Violin Concerto is an entirely different kettle of
fish, and while it has become a significant part of the 20th
century concerto repertoire we are reminded in the booklet as to how
the solo part was originally thought unplayable, and the work’s première
and critical reception were initially mixed, to put it kindly. This
remains a challenging concerto both for listeners and performers, and
while it has been suggested that it should “emerge as ‘quite natural’
after repeated hearings” I confess to finding the more transparent appeal
of Webern easier to locate. Whatever your take on Schönberg’s musical
language, this is a terrific performance and recording. The balance
doesn’t put the violinist in your lap, and all of those expertly played
orchestral details come through nicely. Kolja Blacher, here playing
his ‘Tritton’ Stradivarius, has in the past delighted us with his Bach
on Naxos, playing his father Boris’s
music, as well as in chamber music by Mieczysław
Weinberg.
As with Pelleas und Melisande I’ve had a listen around to some
other recordings of the Violin Concerto and have to come to a
similar conclusion – this one is amongst the best around. Robert Craft’s
recording on Naxos with Rolf
Schulte is over-expressionist to my ears, Schulte’s playing hard-edged
and unrelentingly forceful and heavily vibrato-laden even where the
score would seem to suggest tenderness. Hilary Hahn with Esa-Pekka Salonen
on Deutsche
Grammophon is brilliant and more sympathetic, though there is something
about the recording that makes the violin sound as if it has been carefully
recorded somewhere not quite in the vicinity of the orchestra. In this
regard I prefer the more natural Blacher/Stenz setting, but there is
no denying the stunningly vibrant accuracy of Hahn’s performance. Others
state their case well enough, such as Michael
Erxleben with Claus Peter Flor on Berlin Classics in a powerful
and full-frontal recording, with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra sounding
uncompromisingly monumental and the violin solo rather high in the mix
in an eternal struggle of presence one-upmanship.
All-round, I prefer the atmospheric and dramatic contrasts made by these
Cologne musicians and can find much to admire in Kolja Blacher’s deft
approach to the solo part. The more you hear this work the more its
romantic character emerges, and in this regard its main protagonists
here give it every chance. There are some stunning touches in the central
Andante grazioso, and if you’ve been put off in the past by other
recordings then this certainly has the potential to deliver the sense
of discovery that can turn one on to a work previously held to be too
impenetrable. When I’m feeling a little intimidated by Schönberg I can
always remind myself of the lighter side of his character, as recalled
by his children over on the Cybele
label. This Violin Concerto is not light entertainment by any
stretch of the imagination, but as promised the more you hear the greater
your appreciation grows for what is after all an acknowledged 20th
century masterpiece – especially in such a fine performance as this.
Dominy Clements
