Beethoven
Violin Concerto; Kreutzer Sonata (Trans. Violin & Orchestra)
Nemanja Radulović (violin); Double Sens
Warner Classics 5419774339 83:41 mins
Nemanja Radulović doesn’t mention it in his brief booklet note, but his transcription of the ‘Kreutzer’ sonata for violin and string orchestra may well have been prompted by Beethoven’s own description of the work as being written ‘in a very concertante style, almost like that of a concerto’. The arrangement works quite well in the more excitable moments of the outer movements, particularly given the stunning virtuosity not only of Radulović himself, but also of the members of his regular ensemble, Double Sens. (Their break-neck speed in the finale has to be heard to be believed.) But when it comes to the slow movement, the initial theme is taken so slowly as to sound mawkish, and although the tempo increases exponentially in the first two of the variations that follow (the second of the pair actually sounds almost comically fast), the piece never really recovers. There are some jarring tempo changes in the first movement, too, where the chorale-like second subject again lingers unduly, impairing the music’s momentum.
The Violin Concerto comes off rather better, not least in the hushed account of the slow movement, where the delayed arrival of the contrasting second theme is effectively played by Radulović with almost no vibrato. It’s hard to know, though, why he allows the oboe a miniature cadenza in the rondo finale: this isn’t, after all, the opening movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, where there is such a moment. Nevertheless, the mastery of Radulović’s playing is always a pleasure to listen to. It’s refreshing, too, to hear a natural-sounding recorded balance that doesn’t place the soloist unduly close, allowing him instead to interact fully with the orchestral players throughout. Misha Donat
