HAYDN: Violin Concertos 1-3 – Elina Vahala, violin/ Virtuosi di Kuhmo – Alba multichannel SACD ABCD 272 (Distr. by Albany), 63:44 *****:
Elina Vahala’s style is as radiantly golden and classically brave as her portrait. In her hands and in the hands of the Virtuosi, each of Haydn’s shy concertos assumes an intimate relationship with the listener, fired by a sophisticated desire to flirt. The cadenzas are the violinist’s own and in some cases, most notably in the exquisite slow movement of the C Major concerto, rise to a level which responds to the music uniquely and beautifully, and in a totally 21st century way, which is to say: informed by a wide musical background with an appetite to match.
Consisting of Finland’s finest young string players, the Virtuosi di Kuhmo (an eastern town of 10,000, located near the border with Russia, and celebrated for its annual chamber music festival), matches the soloist at every step and measure.
The musicians’ commitment to artistic spontaneity follows them into the recording studio, Hattula Church. The sound is warm and rich in stereo, and incomparably so in multichannel mode. Somehow, in a multi-dimensional way, the balance engineer favors both the luscious soloist and orchestra in a blend that makes total musical sense! Lots of little nips and bites on the strings, too, from the soloist’s high reaches to the double basses’s low, low groans.
In the entertaining program notes, Antti Hayrynen claims that relatively few of Haydn’s concertos have survived. In fact, Haryrynen says that "Haydn often wrote his concertos for players he knew, who then made off with the music, never to be seen again."
– Laurence Vittes
