Baiba Skride, violin = Violin Concertos by SHOSTAKOVICH (No. 1, Op. 77) and JANACEK (“The Wandering of a Little Soul”) – Baiba Skride, violin/ Munich Philharmonic/ Mikko Franck (Shostakovich) and the RSO Berlin/ Janowski (in the Janacek) – Sony Classical

by | Dec 4, 2007 | Classical CD Reviews | 0 comments

Baiba Skride, violin = Violin Concertos by SHOSTAKOVICH (No. 1, Op. 77) and JANACEK (“The Wandering of a Little Soul”) – Baiba Skride, violin/ Munich Philharmonic/ Mikko Franck (Shostakovich) and the RSO Berlin/ Marek Janowski (in the Janacek) – Sony Classical 73146, 51 mins., ** (Shostakovich), **** (Janacek):

2001 Queen Elisabeth prize winner Baiba Skride’s third release for Sony fails where it is most ambitious, and succeeds winningly only in the encore.

The disappointment is Shostakovich’s enormous First Concerto in which the young Latvian virtuoso is simply no match for the recorded competition – which, admittedly, is staggering – ranging from David Oistrakh, who gave the first performances in both Leningrad and New York, to a host of modern-day virtuosos led by Hilary Hahn and Leila Josefowicz. Although Skride’s technique is up to the task, and her passion is often thrilling, the balance the engineers have given her is simply up too close to produce collaborative music making, and the accompaniment by the Munich orchestra is simply too humdrum.

By contrast, the lovely little Janacek Concerto, a reconstruction by Czech musicologists Milos Stedron and Leo Faltus which deserves to be heard more often, provides a glimpse into the composer’s workshop and a taste of the many influences which Janacek brought together in his music. Recorded with a considerably more sympathetic conductor and orchestra (note the beautiful wind solos), and with a more musically understanding production team, the performance is a real charmer.

– Laurence Vittes
 

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