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Gramophone awards shortList 2015 Concerto Click on a CD cover to buy or stream from qobuz.com Beethoven ‘The Beethoven Journey’ Piano Concertos – No 2, Op 19; No 4, Op 58 Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Leif Ove Andsnes pf Sony Classical F 88883 70548-2 (64’ • DDD) My reaction when asked to review this disc was a somewhat uncritical ‘hurray’, having immensely enjoyed the first volume of Andsnes’s ‘Beethoven Journey’, a view with which my esteemed editor happily concurred when he made it Recording of the Month (11/12). So does the second volume live up to expectations? The answer is a resolute yes. The Second Concerto is sometimes a weak link in cycles of these pieces but Andsnes has two great assets: a highly reactive chamber orchestra of the first rank and an acumen as a Mozartian that stands him in good stead, particularly in the ebullient finale, which ends with some of the most unbuttoned playing I’ve ever heard from this pianist. The wind players are, again, a particular delight but they don’t hog the limelight; every orchestral texture has been considered and you can almost hear them listening to one another and to the strings. It’s in the Fourth Concerto that the strings come into their own, their virtually vibrato-free playing colouring the orchestral response to the piano’s solo opening to striking effect. Andsnes himself is crisper, less veiled than Uchida at the outset, but full of portent for what is to come. Brendel opens with a sigh, Rattle responding with a whisper. The greater clarity of texture of the Mahler CO’s forces is not to imply in any way a lack of gravitas or drama. The contrast between full orchestra, fortissimo, and the most hushed moments in the work is every bit as potent as that achieved by Rattle’s VPO or Sanderling’s Concertgebouw. And such is the clarity of thought that I find myself noticing details I’ve never heard before. Andsnes’s cadenza in the first movement of the Fourth is so full of incident and subtlety, as well as an unobtrusive virtuosity, that it would be possible to devote the whole review to it. Better to hear it for yourself. Nothing would persuade me to part with Gilels and Ludwig – ever – but Andsnes gives them a real run for their money, especially in the emotional pacing of the slow movement. And here again the nextto-no-vibrato colouring of the strings is very effective. The lolloping pace set for the finale feels just right and the interplay between pianist and orchestra is as sharply focused as you’d expect. Another extraordinary achievement from all concerned, sound engineers included. Hurray indeed! Harriet Smith (June 2014) Pf Concs – selected comparisons:  Uchida, Bavarian RSO, RCO, K Sanderling     (5/96R, 4/98R) (PHIL) 475 6757PB3  Brendel, VPO, Rattle (5/99) (PHIL) 462 781-2PH3  Pf Conc No 4 – selected comparison:  Gilels, Philh Orch, Ludwig (3/59R, 4/97) (TEST) SBT1095 Beethoven Piano Concertos – No 3, Op 37; No 4, Op 58 Maria João Pires pf Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Daniel Harding Onyx M ONYX4125 (72’ • DDD) Even with a neverending stream of Beethoven piano concerto recordings, few performances come within distance of Pires’s Classical/Romantic perspective. In her own memorable ‘artist’s note’ she speaks of that knife-edge poise between creator and recreator, of what must finally be resolved into a ‘primal simplicity’. And here you sense that she is among those truly great artists who, in Charles Rosen’s words, appear to do so little and end by doing everything. Not since Myra Hess have I heard a more rapt sense of the Fourth Concerto’s ineffable poetry, whether in the unfaltering poise of her opening, her radiant, dancing Vivace finale or, perhaps most of all, in the Andante’s nodal and expressive centre, where she achieves wonders of eloquence and transparency. Never for a moment does she over-reach herself or force her pace and sonority. Others such as Arrau may speak with a weightier voice but even that great pianist would surely have marvelled at the purity and sheen of Pires’s playing. Few pianists have ever been more true to their own lights and it is hardly surprising that her many performances of this concerto in London and elsewhere have become the stuff of legends. Much the same could be said of her way with the Third Concerto, where she is equally attuned to Beethoven’s ‘C minor of that life’ (EM Forster). Few have achieved a greater translucency in the central Largo or more subtly poetic virtues elsewhere. All this makes it difficult to celebrate the ‘interpretations’ of pianists such as the not always endearing Glenn Gould, Pletnev or Mustonen. Pires’s performances are quite simply of another order. She is well balanced and recorded, and Daniel Harding and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra are more than warm and sympathetic partners. It is my dearest wish that this will become a complete cycle. Bryce Morrison (October 2014) Britten . MacMillan . Vaughan Williams Britten Suite on English Folk Tunes, ‘A Time There Was’, Op 90a MacMillan Oneb. Oboe Concertoc Vaughan Williams Oboe Concertod Nicholas Daniel cdob/acor anglais/dcond Britten Sinfonia / abcJames MacMillan Harmonia Mundi F Í HMU80 7573 (65’ • DDD/DSD) The Britten Sinfonia’s latest offering launches with a deeply understanding performance of Vaughan Williams’s Oboe Concerto from Nicholas Daniel. It was with this very work that he first made his mark as winner of the 1980 BBC Young Musician of Year competition and, to judge from the present display, it’s a piece that still means a very great deal to him. Not only do his flawless discipline, liquid tone, exquisite chiaroscuro and seemingly superhuman breath control ravish the ear, he also encourages his colleagues to give of their polished and raptly committed best. Time really does seem to stand still as the evening hush descends towards the end of first movement; and when the pace slows to Lento for the work’s final full flowering at 18 GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 2015 gramophone.co.uk
page 17
Gramophone awards shortList 2015 eight after fig V (or 7’01”), it distils an unforgettable sense of blissful wonder here. Daniel proves just as convincing an advocate of the 24-minute concerto that James MacMillan fashioned for him in 2010. At its core is a substantial reworking of an earlier piece for solo oboe entitled In angustiis (‘In Distress’), penned as a cathartic response to the horrific events of 9/11, and whose raw emotion and sorrowful anguish throw into bolder relief the motoric rhythms and feisty humour of the shorter movements. It’s a strongly communicative, sincere work that continues to lure me back, and Daniel’s contribution is past praise in its virtuosity and eloquence. MacMillan himself partners with sympathy and also secures finely chiselled accounts of his own pithy One for chamber orchestra (2012) as well as Britten’s haunted and haunting 1974 Suite  on English Folk Tunes – the latter both more sharply focused and, in the valedictory ‘Lord Melbourne’, daringly spacious than either Rattle’s CBSO or Bedford’s Northern Sinfonia versions (EMI, 6/86; Naxos 12/98). Excellent sound and truthful balance throughout: this anthology merits a strong recommendation. Andrew Achenbach (May 2015) Bruch . Prokofiev Bruch Violin Concerto No 1, Op 26 Prokofiev Violin Concerto No 2, Op 63 Guro Kleven Hagen vn Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra / Bjarte Engeset Simax F PSC1266 (49’ • DDD) Guro Kleven Hagen, at 20 years old, already plays with great assurance and true artistry. Her account of the Prokofiev stresses its romantic side, the first movement giving the impression of organic unity, fostered by well-managed transitions and well-engineered orchestral balance. This is very different from Patricia Kopatchinskaja’s recent recording, where we’re made vividly aware of all the music’s unusual, even eccentric juxtaposition of ideas. In the following Andante Hagen produces a warm, sweet tone from the start; Kopatchinskaja’s fragility, enhanced by the spare accompanying arpeggios, only gradually gives way to a more overtly expressive manner. It’s not that Hagen’s performance is lacking in variety but the contrasts occur within a narrower tonal spectrum. In the finale, she plays with irresistible vigour and momentum. A convincing, persuasive performance. It seems to me that performances of the Bruch have become slower as violinists strive to extract every ounce of expression from the unforgettable melodies. Hagen, however, achieves similar timings to those of Fritz Kreisler in 1924-25, and without any expressive deficit. For the first movement’s second subject, the tempo only slackens significantly at the point where Bruch writes un poco più lento, creating a touching effect of reluctance to relinquish a beautiful moment. And in the Adagio the melodies flow easily, clearly distinguished from the more decorative passages. Hagen’s finale breathes youthful vitality, the chords of the main theme accomplished smoothly and effortlessly. She’s an outstanding musician and I eagerly await her next recording. Duncan Druce (August 2014) Prokofiev – selected comparison:  Kopatchinskaja, LPO, Jurowski (1/14) (NAIV) V5352  Bruch – selected comparison:  Kreisler, Royal Albert Hall Orch, Goosens     (8/09) (EMI) 265042-2; (NAXO) 8 110925 Dvořák Cello Concerto, Op 104 B191a. Lasst mich allein, Op 82 B157 No 1 (arr Lenehan)b. Rondo, Op 94 B171b. Goin’ Home (Theme from Symphony No 9, arr Fisher/Lenehan)b. Songs my mother taught me, Op 55 B104 No 4 (arr Grünfeld)b. Silent Woods, Op 68 No 5 B173b. Slavonic Dance, Op 46 B172 No 8b Alisa Weilerstein vc bAnna Polonsky pf a Czech Philharmonic Orchestra / Jiří Bĕlohlávek Decca F 478 5705DH (67’ • DDD) How disarmingly unforced and personable the Czech Philharmonic sound in the concerto’s introduction, Ji∑í B∆lohlávek providing a quietly authoritative, glowingly affectionate launching pad for Alisa Weilerstein’s superbly articulate entry. Not only does Weilerstein possess a flawless technical address, lustrous tone-production and intrepid range of dynamic, her playing evinces a captivating candour and risktaking flair that not only succeed in activating the goosebumps (always a good sign) but also make you hear the music with fresh ears. For all the red-blooded temperament and freewheeling spontaneity on show, though, it’s in the concerto’s softer, frequently chamber-like passages that Weilerstein and those inimitably songful Czech winds really come into their own, the music’s intimacy and sense of loss conveyed with the most raptly instinctive poetry imaginable. Just occasionally the prominent solo balance masks detail within the generous acoustic of Prague’s Rudolfinum. No matter: among the leading digital contenders, this conspicuously commanding and characterful new partnership must rank alongside Steven Isserlis’s recent version. I also greatly enjoyed the remaining items, which find Weilerstein striking up a tangibly communicative rapport with Anna Polonsky (whose quick-witted pianism is a constant pleasure). Both Silent Woods and the Rondo are essayed with genuine aplomb, whereas the slightly clunky arrangement of the vivacious G minor Slavonic Dance doesn’t entirely come off. However, everything else here most certainly does, adding up to a disc worthy of the highest plaudits. Andrew Achenbach (July 2014) Vc Conc – selected comparison:  Isserlis, Mahler CO, Harding (10/13) (HYPE) CDA67917 Mozart Violin Concertos – No 3, K216; No 4, K218; No 5, K219 Arabella Steinbacher vn Festival Strings Lucerne / Daniel Dodds Pentatone F Í PTC5186 479 (78’ • DDD/DSD) In the booklet Arabella Steinbacher writes: ‘These concertos have been with me since early childhood…I feel they are very close to my heart.’ Anybody tempted to dismiss this as a marketing ploy will soon change their minds on listening to these performances – they really do give the impression of a project backed by an unusual degree of sympathetic understanding. Steinbacher has a way of searching out what gives each passage, each phrase, its individuality, getting it to speak to us through slight changes in dynamic or emphasis. Nothing is forced: the quick movements are fast enough for the passagework to sound brilliant but always with space for elegant shaping. The Lucerne Festival Strings are a small enough body to allow even accompanying lines to be played in a positive, lively manner. A top-class recording enhances the sensation of keen participation. Steinbacher finds her sweetest tone for the slow movements; elsewhere, there’s a strong awareness of the sense of fun that pervades many parts of these youthful masterpieces. The purist in me noticed occasional over-smooth articulation and, at the other extreme, very short spiccato bow strokes. But these are minor issues, within these highly individual, deeply satisfying accounts. Duncan Druce (August 2014) gramophone.co.uk GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 2015 19

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Gramophone awards shortList 2015

Concerto

Click on a CD cover to buy or stream from qobuz.com

Beethoven ‘The Beethoven Journey’ Piano Concertos – No 2, Op 19; No 4, Op 58 Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Leif Ove Andsnes pf Sony Classical F 88883 70548-2 (64’ • DDD)

My reaction when asked to review this disc was a somewhat uncritical ‘hurray’,

having immensely enjoyed the first volume of Andsnes’s ‘Beethoven Journey’, a view with which my esteemed editor happily concurred when he made it Recording of the Month (11/12). So does the second volume live up to expectations?

The answer is a resolute yes. The Second Concerto is sometimes a weak link in cycles of these pieces but Andsnes has two great assets: a highly reactive chamber orchestra of the first rank and an acumen as a Mozartian that stands him in good stead, particularly in the ebullient finale, which ends with some of the most unbuttoned playing I’ve ever heard from this pianist. The wind players are, again, a particular delight but they don’t hog the limelight; every orchestral texture has been considered and you can almost hear them listening to one another and to the strings.

It’s in the Fourth Concerto that the strings come into their own, their virtually vibrato-free playing colouring the orchestral response to the piano’s solo opening to striking effect. Andsnes himself is crisper, less veiled than Uchida at the outset, but full of portent for what is to come. Brendel opens with a sigh, Rattle responding with a whisper. The greater clarity of texture of the Mahler CO’s forces is not to imply in any way a lack of gravitas or drama. The contrast between full orchestra, fortissimo, and the most hushed moments in the work is every bit as potent as that achieved by Rattle’s VPO or Sanderling’s Concertgebouw. And such is the clarity of thought that I find myself noticing details I’ve never heard before. Andsnes’s cadenza in the first movement of the Fourth is so full of incident and subtlety, as well as an unobtrusive virtuosity, that it would be possible to devote the whole review to it. Better to hear it for yourself.

Nothing would persuade me to part with Gilels and Ludwig – ever – but Andsnes gives them a real run for their money, especially in the emotional pacing of the slow movement. And here again the nextto-no-vibrato colouring of the strings is very effective. The lolloping pace set for the finale feels just right and the interplay between pianist and orchestra is as sharply focused as you’d expect. Another extraordinary achievement from all concerned, sound engineers included. Hurray indeed! Harriet Smith (June 2014) Pf Concs – selected comparisons:  Uchida, Bavarian RSO, RCO, K Sanderling     (5/96R, 4/98R) (PHIL) 475 6757PB3  Brendel, VPO, Rattle (5/99) (PHIL) 462 781-2PH3  Pf Conc No 4 – selected comparison:  Gilels, Philh Orch, Ludwig (3/59R, 4/97) (TEST) SBT1095

Beethoven Piano Concertos – No 3, Op 37; No 4, Op 58 Maria João Pires pf Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra / Daniel Harding Onyx M ONYX4125 (72’ • DDD)

Even with a neverending stream of Beethoven piano concerto recordings,

few performances come within distance of Pires’s Classical/Romantic perspective. In her own memorable ‘artist’s note’ she speaks of that knife-edge poise between creator and recreator, of what must finally be resolved into a ‘primal simplicity’. And here you sense that she is among those truly great artists who, in Charles Rosen’s words, appear to do so little and end by doing everything.

Not since Myra Hess have I heard a more rapt sense of the Fourth Concerto’s ineffable poetry, whether in the unfaltering poise of her opening, her radiant, dancing Vivace finale or, perhaps most of all, in the Andante’s nodal and expressive centre, where she achieves wonders of eloquence and transparency. Never for a moment does she over-reach herself or force her pace and sonority. Others such as Arrau may speak with a weightier voice but even that great pianist would surely have marvelled at the purity and sheen of Pires’s playing. Few pianists have ever been more true to their own lights and it is hardly surprising that her many performances of this concerto in London and elsewhere have become the stuff of legends. Much the same could be said of her way with the Third Concerto, where she is equally attuned to Beethoven’s ‘C minor of that life’ (EM Forster). Few have achieved a greater translucency in the central Largo or more subtly poetic virtues elsewhere. All this makes it difficult to celebrate the ‘interpretations’ of pianists such as the not always endearing Glenn Gould, Pletnev or Mustonen. Pires’s performances are quite simply of another order. She is well balanced and recorded, and Daniel Harding and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra are more than warm and sympathetic partners. It is my dearest wish that this will become a complete cycle. Bryce Morrison (October 2014)

Britten . MacMillan . Vaughan Williams Britten Suite on English Folk Tunes, ‘A Time There Was’, Op 90a MacMillan Oneb. Oboe Concertoc Vaughan Williams Oboe Concertod Nicholas Daniel cdob/acor anglais/dcond Britten Sinfonia / abcJames MacMillan Harmonia Mundi F Í HMU80 7573 (65’ • DDD/DSD)

The Britten Sinfonia’s latest offering launches with a deeply understanding performance of Vaughan Williams’s Oboe Concerto from Nicholas Daniel. It was with this very work that he first made his mark as winner of the 1980 BBC Young Musician of Year competition and, to judge from the present display, it’s a piece that still means a very great deal to him. Not only do his flawless discipline, liquid tone, exquisite chiaroscuro and seemingly superhuman breath control ravish the ear, he also encourages his colleagues to give of their polished and raptly committed best. Time really does seem to stand still as the evening hush descends towards the end of first movement; and when the pace slows to Lento for the work’s final full flowering at

18 GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 2015

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