Latest CD releases reviewed
RACHMANINOV: PIANO CONCERTOS NOS 1 & 2
Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Berlin Philharmonic/Antonio Pappano EMI Classics 474 8132 ****
Leif Ove Andsnes's approach to Rachmaninov's first two piano concertos with a splendidly on-form Berlin Philharmonic (the Second recorded live) is poised and level-headed. The pacing is judicious and the careful grading of climaxes highly effective. His avoidance of overstatement is in no way a compromise - the thrills of virtuosity are all there when most needed, though it may strike some listeners as odd that it's usually the orchestra which seems the more likely to swoon. It's all in the nature of the partnership with Pappano. Roles are freely exchanged, and musical priorities judged in favour of the composer. www.emiclassics.com Michael Dervan
MOZART: VIOLIN CONCERTOS 1-5; SINFONIA CONCERTANTE IN E FLAT K364
Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin), Yuri Bashmet (viola), London Philharmonic Orchestra Deutsche Grammophon 474 2152 (2 CDs) ***
German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter gives the impression of doing nothing by halves. Her new, heavily romanticised set of the Mozart violin concertos, with Yuri Bashmet matching her all the way on viola in the Sinfonia Concertante, seems to be predicated on the premise of if you've got it, flaunt it. Mutter is one of the most tonally resourceful of violinists, and she lavishes on Mozart a range of colouristic refinements of bowing and vibrato which grew out of the music of the later 20th century. The playing she secures from the LPO is beautifully groomed. The problem arises when as soloist she lurches into those trademark special effects of haziness, pitch-bending, super-penetrating sweetness or abrasive grit. Then she seems like a Ferrari driver in city traffic who just can't resist the lure of throwing the car into some attention-grabbing manoeuvres. www.dgclassics.com Michael Dervan
MOZART: VIOLIN SONATAS 1781
Andrew Manze (violin), Richard Egarr (harpsichord) Harmonia Mundi HMU 907380 ***
On the one hand, Andrew Manze and Richard Egarr's set Mozart sonatas from the year 1781 (K377 in F, K380 in E flat, K403 in C, K376 in F) is at the opposite end of the interpretative spectrum from Anne-Sophie Mutter. After all, they're playing period instruments in historically informed style. Yet, on the other hand, they've taken a slant in their stylistic approach which won't be to everyone's taste. If you find yourself wondering, for instance, about the rasping coarseness the duo bring to the opening of K377, you'll find the obvious explanation in Manze's note about this "explosive" movement sounding "almost Beethovenian". It's a Beethovenian Mozart which Manze and Egarr seem to want to deliver. Rude vitality of expression is the order of the day on a disc where the recorded balance in a rather swimmy acoustic favours the violin, the one which Mozart actually regarded as providing the accompaniment in these works. www.uk.hmboutique.com Michael Dervan
RAMEAU: SUITES FROM PLATÉE, PIGMALION AND DARDANUS
European Union Baroque Orchestra/ Roy Goodman Naxos 8.557490
Jean-Philippe Rameau was France's greatest composer of the 18th century. The suites recorded here are drawn from three of his stage works: Platée, a comédie lyrique; Pigmalion, an acte de ballet; and Dardanus, a tragédie en musique. Rameau wrote some of the most invigorating music of his age; sample the three overtures here if you have any doubts. The four and a half minutes that open Pigmalion are so uniquely sharp and bracing, one can only regret that the pattern of Rameau's career meant he didn't leave a body of self-standing orchestral works. The European Union Baroque Orchestra under Roy Goodman deliver this appealing music with a strong sense of vitality.
