Elgar: Violin Concerto/Vaughan Williams: Lark ascending [CD]

There is no doubt that this is a great CD. The performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams' `The Lark Ascending' is outstanding . The case is made for Elgar's Violin Concerto being the greatest of his major orchestral works; however the performance has a weakness as well as its strengths, as I will explain.

The pairing of Simon Rattle and Nigel Kennedy is inspired. The great conductor anchors Kennedy's playing in a rock solid foundation of perfectly judged orchestral playing. He brings his wealth of experience in giving life to the rich sound worlds of early 20th century composers to the project. The same feeling he has shown for composers such as the better known Mahler, and the more exotic Szymanowski is shown here. Rattle's great gift is be able to conjure great richness of texture from an orchestra, while at the same time bringing clarity to the music. This brings great dividends in these recordings. I have never heard Elgar sound so luxuriant before, or so precise. The effect is most telling as the slow second movement gives way to the third. The last few minutes of the slow movement are succulently beautiful, the musical language appears to move beyond the Elgar we have known and acquires a richness akin to Delius or indeed Vaughan Williams. In contrast the opening bars of the finale are fired with an intensity that equals early Stravinsky. Kennedy gives his all, and the listener is treated to jaw dropping turn of phrase after turn of phrase. What then is missing?

This is a great bringing to life of the notes on the page of music, but it is wafer thin as an interpretation of the work itself. Yes, rip any page of this score from the Violin Concerto and it can be argued that no one could have done a finer job than has been done here. But what about that which the music intends to convey? Elgar wrote `Here is enshrined the soul of .....' on the score. But perfect as it is as abstract music making, this performance has no soul. I keep on comparing it with my favourite performance of the concerto: with Pinchas Zukerman as soloist and Daniel Barenboim conducting. Now, they know how to give life to the soul of this music.

Everything that works well in the Violin Concerto works even better in Vaughan Williams' `The Lark Ascending'. This work, with its almost continuous violin line appears to present the soloist with a choice: to go for the conjuring of the atmosphere of the piece and its descriptive elements, or to revel in a display of virtuosity. Kennedy chooses a different path, sometimes playing in one direction, sometimes in the other. The approach works well, as ever aided by the rock solid playing of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Simon Rattle. The effect on the work is that although the description of the Flight of the Lark is obscured, Vaughan Williams' evocation of the countryside he loved takes centre stage: you can almost feel the heat haze rising from the sun kissed heathland. Vaughan Williams' musical influences are taken up with enthusiasm. This is less folksy that many interpretation, especially in the central faster section, as soloist and orchestra home in on the church mode scales the composer uses to express his melody. Everything hangs together perfectly. Of at least 8 interpretations of this work on CD I have heard, I now count this the best.

So, with one area of reservation this is a great CD. I am left with a problem, how do I rate it? For all the beauty conveyed in this version of the Elgar's Violin Concerto deeper issues of interpretation matter. However, given the many delights in this performance, and the strength of The Lark Ascending here, I am going to give this five stars.

Just take note of this last comment. In no way is this performance of the Violin Concerto definitive. Enjoy it for what it is, but do hear what other, deeper interpretations have brought out of it.

One of the most outstanding recordings I have heard. What a lot of people in an Orchestra; (they are all credited in the sleeve notes), and they all work together to produce a fantastic sound.

Thirty three violins, however one violin stands out; Kennedy is superb, fluid emotion comes from his strings. Throughout the three movements of the violin concerto the audio experience just gets better; the playing drawing you in. An auditory extravaganza which will leave you wanting to play it again, and again. The lark ascending is also superb and stands well on its own or as a follow on piece.

This CD is the best value for money recording you could purchase, because every second of 71:52 available is, well, basically, music to your ears...

This is a delightful and moving rendition of The Lark Ascending. I am not normally a fan of
this violinist but when I heard this played on the radio and knew I must have it. I was transfixed. It is played so lyrically. I consider it to be the best recording of this piece of music I have heard. I would definately recommend it.