SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto; LINDBERG: Violin Concerto – Lisa Batiashvili, violin/ Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Sakari Oramo, conductor – Sony Classical

by | Dec 12, 2007 | Classical CD Reviews | 0 comments

SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto; LINDBERG: Violin Concerto – Lisa Batiashvili, violin/ Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Sakari Oramo, conductor – Sony Classical 88697129362, 58:25 ****:

Lisa Batiashvili is the latest to join Sony’s babe-corral; where do they find them? The 28-year old can play the violin very well, no question, but does she play it well enough to mix it up with the greats gone by? The Lindberg, which we will get to in a moment, is a default here (world premiere). But the Sibelius?

I cannot fault Sakari Oramo and his Finns one bit—they know this music better than anyone, and play with a stunning finesse that is equaled by few but the greats. But the greats are awfully good, and I cannot say that this reading, either in the many dramatic moments or in technical execution meets the highest achievements on disc. Whether one prefers Oistrakh/Ormandy, Salerno-Sonnenberg/Tilson Thomas, Stern/Beecham, or Mutter/Previn (to mention some of my favorites), they all surpass the formidable Ms. Batiashvili in execution. There are simply missed opportunities for dramatic pulse that go unnoticed here. And there are moments (I hate to say) where her over-exuberant manner gets the best of her and she tends to pull certain notes almost to the brink of out-of-tune. The clarity of her passagework cannot compete with Mutter, and her attempts at meaningful emotive content in this piece fail (as do almost every other violinist) next to Salerno-Sonnenberg. It’s not that I don’t like her or what she tries to do here. It’s just that others are doing it so much better, and one can’t help but think that this vision of the work will get rethought in the coming years and improved upon. 

The Lindberg, as I said, is another matter. Forget that this is a marvelous new concerto of masterpiece proportions, but it is played that way too. Magnus Lindberg is often treated as a musical bad boy, and in some cases it is justified. But not here; this is a wonderful concerto that engages the violin to the fullest demonstrations of technical capabilities, and is infused with a glistening, if not exactly warm vibrancy that grips you from beginning to end. Believe it or not, the orchestra he uses is a Mozart tribute, with only two each of oboes, bassoons, and horns, along with the usual complement of strings. But there the comparison ends, and the sound he gets from these forces seems to rival the most glaring passages of Richard Strauss at times. And the lyricism of this work is stunning, something one does not always (ever?) associate with this composer. But, here it is, an audio set down for all to hear. Lisa Batiashvili considers this an amazing concerto, and she is right. And best of all, she seems to understand this work much better than the Slavic-infused chilly warmth of the Sibelius. Sony provides superb sound—again no SACD, so shame on them—but with a performance of a new piece as good as this, one can hardly complain. Four stars then, though it could have been five. Fans of quality new music will have to have this magnificent new concerto.

— Steven Ritter
 

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