Berlioz (viola), Mendelssohn (violin)
The problem of this disc is not David Aaron Carpenter (viola) or Ashkenazy directing Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, nor the slightly distant sound of the recording. The problem is Berlioz. Succintly put, the Harold in Italy is an uninspiring piece of music, despite the fact that repenting Paganini said some good words about the composition (originally it was his commission, but he refused to play it for the reason that it didn't allowed him to show his talent). As far as I am concerned, the composition suffers from Berlioz' inflated romanticism, heroism, poetism, all in a logically strange orchestral mix. The music is too grandiose and theatretical, for a modern ear, anyway. But the disc is not entirely without merits: the score is the original one (the first that Berlioz offered to Paganini), interpretation is fairly tense, and occasionally certain curious things do happen in the music: eg. the second movement ("Procession of Pilgrims singing the evening hymn") has sections that sound like Philippe Glass 150 years before Philippe Glass. Paganini's Sonata per la Gran Viola e Orchestra is a nice bonus, and an obvious addition in that he wrote it for himself after having abandoned Berlioz' proposal.
Here the problem is not the composer, not the music, not the performance. The obvious problem is that Mendelssohn's Violin concerto in E minor (op. 64) has been recorded for who knows how many times (more than 100, anyway). As always, it is hard to conceive what essential content any new recording can bring along. I have no major complaints about Christian Tetzlaff's version together with Helsinki Philharmic Orchestra conducted by Paavo Järvi. It's a fluent performance and well-balanced between romantic aspirations and more universal and eternal values. But suppose that one already has his or her Milstein, Heifetz, Oistrakh etc. - not to forget Leonid Kogan's highly emotional interpretation - what would be the rationale to buy this or any other new recording of Mendelssohn's concerto? Well, perhaps Schumann's Violin concerto in Di minor, on which there are much fewer recordings. Also added to this disc is Schumann's Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra. The fact that there already are some unsurmountable recordings of a piece does not, of course, deprive the newcomers the right to give their view on it. Still I'd say that this recording serves best those who're just about to find Mendelssohn's and Schumann's concertos, and care more about the music itself than the best (vintage) interpretations.
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