Lebrecht Weekly | Ysaye, Busoni, Brahms: violin concertos (Avie, Chandos)

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Writing a violin concerto is no easy matter. Look no further than Beethoven, who composed just the one and turned it into all-out war between soloist and orchestra. Other romantic-era composers took note and never attempted a second concerto – or, if they did, never succeeded. Mendelssohn, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Sibelius, Elgar put all they had to say in one violin concerto. The stock of concertos has remained small as a result, and not for want of trying. Every few months, an ambitious violinist will retrieve a lost score from oblivion in the hope of increasing the supply.

The Belgian Eugène Ysaye (1858-1931), a legendary violinist, made two early attempts – a Poème for violin and orchestra and a full-blown violin concerto. Both have been unearthed by the French virtuoso Philippe Graffin and recorded with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

The results are agreeable, but that’s as far as it goes. After a few minutes of ticking off themes by Mendelssohn and Brahms, the works meander into a no-mans-land where the listener can detect neither purpose nor personality. There is nothing wrong with these scores except a lack of urgency. Maybe that’s why Ysaye left them to be finished by other hands.

Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924), a powerful pianist and mighty intellectual, was an imposing composer of orchestral works. But when he tried to write a violin concerto in the same D-major key as Brahms he fell head-first into an imitative trap. His line of argument is enticing and the instrumental test considerable. There is even an English folksong in the opening movement. But no sooner does the piece start to flow than the shadow of Brahms falls heavy on the hand and Busoni beats a retreat. Francesca Dego plays beautifully for 23 minutes, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dalia Stasevska. They follow up with the Brahms concerto which, even in an under-characterised performance, eclipses all that went before. So it goes.

This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en: Francais (French)

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About Author

Norman Lebrecht is a prolific writer on music and cultural affairs. His blog, Slipped Disc, is one of the most popular sites for cultural news. He presents The Lebrecht Interview on BBC Radio 3 and is a contributor to several publications, including the Wall Street Journal and The Standpoint. Visit every Friday for his weekly CD review // Norman Lebrecht est un rédacteur prolifique couvrant les événements musicaux et Slipped Disc, est un des plus populaires sites de nouvelles culturelles. Il anime The Lebrecht Interview sur la BBC Radio 3 et collabore à plusieurs publications, dont The Wall Street Journal et The Standpoint. Vous pouvez lire ses critiques de disques chaque vendredi.

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