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Site review by Polly Nomial February 2, 2008
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Sonics (MC): |
A disc of two halves - the first not so good, the second a delight.
First up is the violin concerto and one in which Swensen is clearly better attuned to the musical sensibilities than in his account of Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Symphony No. 3 - Swensen. Even though the Scottish Chamber Orchestra is a relatively small ensemble for Brahms as those who grew accustomed to the likes of Karajan's titanic accounts from Berlin, their tone is far from lacking and in the not quite ideal acoustic of the Usher Hall in Edinburgh a solid orchestral image is projected. This is clarified Brahms, not undernourished playing from the SCO. It is just a shame that Swensen insisted on directing the account from the violin, for there are moments when the coordination between himself and the orchestra (as well as within the ensemble) is less than tidy; in addition, there are pauses required because of the lack of a conductor that I'm sure Swensen would not sanction were he purely conducting or playing.
After this is a most enjoyable and recommendable selection of Brahms' Hungarian Dances (14 from the complete set of 21). Inevitably one will quibble about the exact selection and ordering of such a collection (they are not presented in numerical order) but the sheer joie de vivre of the playing is winning and guaranteed to put a smile on the face of all but the most jaded of listeners. The smaller ensemble here is a major factor in the success, with a clarity of playing and ensemble in rubato of which the VPO would rightly be proud.
The sound, recorded in the Usher Hall, is a good reflection of the less than perfect acoustic but gives the SCO a certain weight and allure that a more revealing concert hall might not grant.
Almost impossible to rate using the stars: 2.5 for the concerto performance, 5 for the dances.
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Copyright © 2008 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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Review by Audiophilius April 1, 2005 (4 of 4 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
Amazing recording!!!
I've heard many, many versions of this concerto; it's one of my favorite concertos, and Brahms - for me - is one of the greatest composers. This one has become one of my favorite versions (maybe even the most). It's wonderfull to hear a soloist and orchestra play together that well; they're all part of one big spirit. This version reveals a lot of details (even the finest), while the big/main line isn't lost at all. And about the smaller size of the orchestra; I like it! Brahms often sounds 'too heavy' and thick, even sometimes troubled, when performed by some conductors/full orchestras. But using smaller orchestras doesn't mean you're being sure of getting a clear performance. In my opinion, Swensen leaves the version of Sir Neville Marriner e.g. (with Hilary Hahn) far behind, regarding the performance of the orchestra. I really don't like the coloration and style of playing of the orchestra in that recording. Hilary Hahn's playing, on the contrary, is beautiful.
Swensen has succeeded (from my point of view) in making a great and very moving performance and recording of the Brahms voilin concerto. Coloration, choices of tempo, phrasing... in one word: brilliant!
The Hungarian Dances are simply being performed with the same feeling for details and long lines. Whipping 'gypsian' drive being varied with moving lyricism.
About the sonics... The sound of the recording is fantastic. The only thing I would like to have heard is a fraction more acoustic breath in the rear channels. But that's a very small point. From the deapest bass-lines of the basses to the heighest hights; it sounds very natural and clear!
Totally recommended!
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Review by nickc May 14, 2004 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics: |
| Excellent if essentially small scaled reading of the concerto. In the book the orchestra states it is the size that might have been expected in Brahms' day, but, after listening to the Concertgebow play this in a 70s recording it just seems a little light. Surely Brahms would have wanted more than 16 as the violin complement for the vast expanses of the symphonic first movement. Adagio is a touch too fast more my liking as well. The Hungarian Dances seem to come off much better and are a generous makeweight. The recording is clear as a bell but not particularly warm. Muliti-channel is of course an improvement on stereo but even then we don't seem to get a real feel for the hall, unlike my reference concerto recording in MC, Akiko Suwanai playing the Sibelius and Walton concertos on Philips. In MC that recording is overwhelming whereas we always seem to be at a slight distance here. Still highly enjoyable.
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