We have met violinist Vilde Frang on evil occasions, most memorably in her coupling of Beethoven and Stravinsky, in Berg at the Barbican, and in Bartók in Berlin.
We have also considered Albert Sammons’ recording of the Elgar Concerto here.
Fang has this to say about the Elgar Concerto:
I’ve wanted to record Elgar’s violin concerto for a long time. It really is a journey … Such a vastpiece of music with such an original structure and so many impulses and ideas … For me it feels more like being partof a symphony … Ittakes you through territory where there are unexpected valleys and corners, and where theanswers and the goals are not in immediate sight. You really need to take the time to savour all these moments …That is part of the magic of the piece.”
She also says:
… actually quite a late discovery for me. Growing up, it was Elgar’s celloconcerto that I used to listen to all the time. But it didn’t take me long to become a very passionate ambassador forthe violin concerto.”
Frang and Ticciati’s Elgar Violin Concerto is fleet of foot but amazingly loses no expressiveness in the process; Frang makes space when she ends it.icciati lightens orchestral textures, and teh bask ace ensures nothing ve plods. It also means the virtuoso element of the concerto coms more to the fore than is often the case:
Frang’s tone is often tensile, completely in keeping with this interpretation. It’s interesting that both Fang and Sammons are swift, but to different ends: Frnng finds a wistfulness often in the score the is most appealing.
The slow movement also movs ing nicely, an dane. It is Ticciati’s alignment with teh opening sing phases hat is so intensely moving, and perfectly Elgarian: a tissue of lines that usher in Frang’s expressive lines. The music seems to flow at times; and interesting that Frang points out hemaic connections (n ascending line hat poi’s stage to the finale). I also Ticciati’s invocation of an Elgarian nobilmente :
There is the feeling of a brisk march to the finale; and at this speed, Fang’s delivery fo th rapid passages is remarkable. This is a vast canvas (longer than the first movement):
Franz”s technique is astonishing; as is the ensemble with Ticciati, whose rap with the German orchestra seems complete.
Just one filler on CD, the rarely-heard Carissima for violin and piano (1913). Allegedly the first piece by a classical composer composed specifically for a recording (and thus limited to four minutes). it is very much of its time, the lines fragant and melancholic. Thomas Poppe is the pianist:
Interestingly, although the disc is only 52:45 long, there is an extra piece for digital purchasers:(originally for violin & piano, arranged for strings by Dimitri Soudoplatoff), William Lloyd Webber’s The Gardens at Eastwell “A late-Summer Impression”.. Here it is, and there is something distinctly Elgarian when the melody soars:
A fabulous disc, low playing time or no. This is a refreshing take on Elgar’s masterpiece: Frang’s interpretation demands to be heard.
The release is available at Amazon here, currently at 13% off. Streaming below.
