Michael Dervanreviews four new releases
LEOPOLD MOZART: 5 SYMPHONIES
Toronto Chamber Orchestra/ Kevin Mallon
Naxos 8.570499
How would a composer like to have his or her work taken to be that of the great Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? Quite a lot, in normal circumstances, but perhaps not so much in the case of the great man's father. Leopold Mozart, a composer and violinist, suffered the misfortune of becoming well remembered for a Toy Symphony which might not have been written by him. That famous work, and two symphonies attributed to his son, are included in this selection of five from his known tally of 70.
They're better than you might expect if not quite as good as you might wish, and are played with equable grace by the Toronto Chamber Orchestra under Belfast-born Kevin Mallon. Cliff Eisen's notes give strong arguments in Leopold's favour.
www.naxosdirect.ie
MICHAEL DERVAN
BRAHMS: HORN TRIO;
VIOLIN SONATA IN G; FANTASIAS OP 116
Isabelle Faust (violin), Teunis van der Zwart (natural horn), Alexander Melnikov (piano)
Harmonia Mundi HMC 901981
Brahms specified a natural horn for his Horn Trio, published in 1866, even though that instrument had long been superseded by the valved horn.
Teunis van der Zwart here uses a natural horn made in 1845, Isabelle van Keulen a Stradivarius with gut strings, and Alexander Melnikov a Bösendorfer piano of 1875. The rewards are greatest in the trio, not only because of the way the horn's mixture of dark strength and silvery weakness on different notes perfectly matches the music, but also because of the way the three instruments' distinctive sounds flow together and apart with such ease. The violin sonata and piano fantasias are equally fascinating if not quite as persuasive.
www.tinyurl.com/6mchwb
MICHAEL DERVAN
BEETHOVEN: PIANO CONCERTOS
Evgeny Kissin, London Symphony Orchestra/Colin Davis EMI Classics 206 3112 (3 CDs)
Evgeny Kissin has long been famous for breath-taking and often unmatchable-seeming brillianc. He has also in recent years collected critical brickbats for what is interpreted as coldness and superficiality in his playing. Beethoven's piano concertos, then, might not seem like natural territory for Kissin.
Yet the playing in this new complete survey, with octogenarian Colin Davis a wise and unfussy force at the helm of the London Symphony Orchestra, has nothing of the stiff perfection that can afflict a pianist's approach to Beethoven. The manner is that little bit freer and more natural, the finish less self-absorbed than has been Kissin's wont. If anything surprises here, it is the reflectiveness rather than the dynamism.
www.emiclassics.com
MICHAEL DERVAN
CHOPIN, LISZT, RAVEL, DEBUSSY, MARTIN, KAPUSTIN
Sophie Cashell (piano)
UCJ Music 476 6549
Just under year ago, Irish pianist Sophie Cashell was in the news as the winner of BBC2's Classical Starcompetition. Now she's making waves again, with the debut CD that came as part of her competition prize.
The slightly cramped acoustic of the recording won't be to everyone's taste, and the disc sleeve, which comes with no performer biography, also omits mention of the final track, a dashing, showy, jazzy number by Nikolai Kapustin.
Philip Martin's Two Variations on Irish Airs are also done with cheeky good humour. Cashell is better in Liszt than in Chopin and the French impressionists, where the momentum sometimes slips too much. The general impression is of a spirited personality who is confidently ploughing its own course.
http://tinyurl.com/3qjtwo
MICHAEL DERVAN
