Pamela Frank (violin), Peter Serkin (piano): "Brahms: Violin Sonatas" (Decca)
This is at once one of the most individual and truthfully Brahmsian recordings of the composer's three violin sonatas. Frank and Serkin are clearly players for whom the rise and fall of equable musical conversation is not a lost art. This is not to say, however, that they fight shy of giving full play to moments of heightened argument. It is one of the wonderful paradoxes of their collabo ration that they can make the music so songful while measuring so precisely the stresses of micro-tension within the finely-knitted motivic fabrics which Brahms was so fond of weaving. A slightly boxed-in violin sound image does little to diminish the rewards. You'll search far before hearing these works as fresh-sounding as they are here.
By Michael Dervan
Pieter Wispelwey: "Bach: Cello Suites" (Channel Classics, two CDs for the price of one)
Now in his mid 30s, Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey here offers his second complete recording of those great 18th century peaks of the solo cello repertoire, Bach's six suites. A phrase from Wispelwey's programme notes, "alchemy in dance form", provides accurate orientation for his musical approach, as does his reminder that these pieces are not "unfathomably profound music by a deeply religious composer advanced in years" - Bach was around Wispelwey's age when he wrote them.
Using two period instruments of appealing, grainy tone, and recording in a church setting, Wispelwey opts for articulation that avoids heaviness, and phrasing that's both airy and lightly sprung. And, yes, that spiritual profundity which is so central to the performing tradition of these ever-amazing pieces finds a place, too.
By Michael Dervan
Benjamin Zander conducts the Boston Philharmonic (Carlton Classics)
If you've ever bemoaned the absence of amateurs on the concert platform, the recordings of the semi-professional Boston Philharmonic under Benjamin Zander (mostly live!) are just the thing for you. You certainly can't argue with the ambition behind his repertoire choices. The discs I've heard include Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (pairing a composer-approved version for pianola); Petrushka (coupled with Ravel's Piano Concerto in G); Mahler's Sixth Symphony (at 84 minutes, spread over two discs); and Shostakovich's Fifth, coupled with the First Cello Concerto. Zander is evidently an inspirational motivator and a musician with clear ideas. I enjoyed the music-making for its youth-orchestra-like al fresco spirit. The performances will not satisfy the most fastidious ears but on their own terms they are astonishing achievements.
By Michael Dervan
