Szymanowski: Violin Concertos 1+2/Britten: Violin Concerto

Frank Peter Zimmermann's move from EMI to Sony Classical has allowed listeners to follow his performances from afar. For those of us who do not live in the major musical capitals of Europe and the US, Zimmermann's ongoing but infrequent recordings are especially welcome.

I had the privilege of hearing Zimmermann perform the first Szymanowski concerto in Chicago with Boulez conducting in March 2009. I was totally unfamiliar with the concerto but was an avid fan of Zimmermann's recordings of all the standard violin repertoire from Baroque to early 20th century. As well, this was the first occasion that I was to experience hearing Zimmermann live. Thus, an exciting event on more than one level.

The performance of the Szymanowski was magically enchanting with an incredibly amazing sense of fantasy and improvisatory music-making. As is his trademark, Zimmermann performed with his supreme technical finesse and command that served to communicate an incredibly long thread of musical ideas and emotions. The chamber-music rapport between the soloist and Chicago Symphony was wonderful such that Zimmermann at times blended into the soundscape of the orchestra while at others rising above with either full singing lines or virtuosic pyrotechnics. And such elegance and beauty of sound also belied great wit and intelligence in his entire reading. The cadenza was an amazing spectacle of violin-playing that had the audience in complete silence and focus. And when Zimmermann concluded the concerto with the trill and harmonics, the audience immediately understood the wit and sparkle of this work and provided a rapturous applause.

This recording offers all of the above-mentioned traits and unique strengths that are so characteristic of Zimmermann's integrity as a true, dedicated musician. The recording balance on all three of the concerti is excellent which, again, allows for the blending and emergence of Zimmermann's sound both with and above the orchestra(s).

The Warsaw Philharmonic and Antoni Wit conducting are superb collaborators with Zimmermann on the two Szymanowski concerti. Again, there is energy and supreme virtuosity which are deceptively non-apparent as they serve to bring the works to life. Zimmmermann is masterful at varying his tone-colors, vibrato, bow speed/pressure/strokes while never losing the singing quality to all the passages. The complete control of pitch and marriage with the most perfect bow-arm is unbelievable. Such purity of violin-playing with a genuine musical purpose is the constant of Zimmermann's performance aura and identity.

The Swedish Radio Symphony with Manfred Honeck conducting is also beautifully supportive and engaging with Zimmermann in the Britten Violin Concerto. The chamber music rapport coupled with the soloist's absolute concentration and lively exchange with the orchestra, again, combine to provide the listener with a real performance that is unfolding bar-by-bar. Zimmermann converses 'in the zone' with the timpani and bassoons in several passages; the recording engineers have beautifully captured a gorgeous orchestral sound that is full, deep, rich, brilliant and real as in a concert hall.

Zimmermann has never been an autopilot virtuoso or incomplete musician who has yet to form or convince a musical purpose in the works he performs. If you have never heard these violin concerti previously, the performances will reach you such that there is no other choice but to enjoy them and marvel at the artistry of Zimmermann. And to appreciate the composer's creations. Another rewarding offering by this violinists' violinist.

This fairly new release gives us the two violin concertos by Karol Szymanowski, plus the single violin concerto by Benjamin Britten. Our fiddler is Frank Peter Zimmermann. Antoni Wit leads the WarsawPO in the Szymanowski. Manfred Honeck leads the Swedish RadioSO in the Britten.

If I imagine for a moment that I am part of an A&R department meeting, perhaps enriched with lightly sprinkled members of our very opinionated and research-savvy marketing department staff, then maybe our freewheeling discussion turns to brainstorming about what repertoire and what artists would give us a strong shot at this year's annual classical music awards. Suppose that, further, we all are surprised to agree that the markets are just heaving for fiddles and fiddle music.

One can imagine many different suggestions for repertoire with wide, strong, predictable market appeal. One can also imagine any number of jet set fiddle, brand name fiddle players that could aptly staff such an awards-garnering vehicle. But all of that would turn out to be off the mark.

This disc, and these performers ... surely surprise us by immediately asking to be vivid front runners for any recognition of one of this year's best releases to date.

Now I've followed Zimmermann's fiddle releases on EMI, and though he is always a strong and musical player, I have never heard a release that seemed to rise so high for so long that I knew during its first movement that it belonged on the fav shelves. Now Zimmermann is released on Sony, and from the playing on this disc, it seems clear that he is still growing, musically. If Zimmermann plays like this, from this point onwards, he will likely be named a fiddle god in our hapless pantheon?

Another winning aspect of this release is its musical partnership. Antoni Wit has an existing strong recorded catalog, mostly on Naxos to date; though he, too, has often sounded attractive and reliable without being a sure-shot fireworks keeper. Manfred Honeck is now leading Pittsburgh, and is yet another musical name that does not immediately spring to mind for jet-set marketing cache. Whatever. All three musicians, and the two bands involved, are here doing their best ... very best musical work to date ... and then some, in my view.

Zimmerman, Wit, and Warsaw take to the two Szymanowski concertos with allure, technique, and a sophisticated gusto that one does not readily associate with this modern Polish composer. All are digging into the post-Debussy chromatic polytonal mix with polish, ease, conviction. We listeners might be forgiven for thinking that these concertos were over-exposed, war horse concert hall fare. The first concerto immediately gathers and speaks and stands up and unfolds.

This reading is extrovert yet also inwardly touched and deepened. Even an unfamiliar or under-exposed Szymanowski listener may be swept up. Wit and the band simply have seemingly immersed themselves in the challenging, non-obvious orchestra writing, to an extent which let's us begin to hear orchestral textures, shapes, and narratives in fitting musical perspective. Zimmermann holds forth as if doing a Szymanowski concerto were the most facile or predictably populist repertoire choice at hand. His fiddle is vivid and deeply eloquent. His singing or dramatic musical line always moves, uncannily at one in purpose with what Wit and the band are doing. One can hear, can sense, can nearly always be engaged and carried along. A listener knows, then ... from whence all musical origins arise, what shape is forming at any given moment, and towards what narrative points the composer would have us go.

The second fiddle concerto goes equally well, which is to say, very well indeed. All three make nary a mis-step. If ever Szymanowski in his fiddle concertos were going to leave us spanked, awed, and a bit breathless with surprise buckets full of luxury, not to say, glamor, this disc would be it?

So thanks, Sony for bothering with this unlikely treasure of both concertos?

Then, to wrap up the disc we get Britten's fiddle concerto as well.

The reading is strong, big boned, and dares to be insistent or even fierce at times. Again, Zimmermann is playing richly and very deftly. He lays out Britten's fiddle music, strikingly etched; again beautifully wedded to what Honeck and the band are doing. Every player sounds connected, on the same musical pages. Of course we more or less expect this from performance; though a rare grasp of fiddle and orchestra is boldly on display. The solo fiddle's spotlight manner never outdoes or detracts from anybody else.

From the sounds on this disc, everyone was having a very good day in the studios, and Sony for once has been fortunate enough to capture it and release it in a timely manner. Zimmermann is apparently an artist who will still discover something to say, even in off-beat fiddle repertoire like Szymanowski and Britten. If he brings a similar energy and insight to the rest of the fiddle music he has already recorded for EMI, we will be very, very happy indeed to hear him at work again.

Bravo, Zimmermann, Wit, Warsaw, Honeck, Swedish RSO. Thanks lots, Sony. I knew you could do it, still. PS. Sound is about as good as standard PCM stereo gets.