Violin Concerto*; Scherzo à la Russe; Apollon Musagète; Orchestral Suites
*James Ehnes; BBC Philharmonic/Andrew Davis
Chandos CHSA5340 69:56 mins
Kudos to Andrew Davis, the BBC Philharmonic and Chandos for so intelligent a programme, two very different masterpieces framing a quirky divertissement. Yet where Davis so often excels is in concerto partnerships, and that’s the big attraction here. His Elgar Violin Concerto with James Ehnes was the deepest I’ve encountered in live performance, and there’s perfect dialogue throughout this most concertante of works, every cue and change of colour picked up with perfect focus.
It helps that the sound brings the woodwind as much up front as the violinist; there are wonderful contributions from the BBC Philharmonic, bassoons especially. But when Ehnes needs to take centre stage, in the second Aria he does so magisterially. It depends what you want from Stravinsky’s first ballet for Balanchine, Apollon Musagète. There’s a not inappropriate remoteness which comes into its own for the framing beauties and the exquisite ‘Pas de deux’.
Otherwise, for me it’s a slightly faceless middle way between sprightly, very danceable chamber versions – more élan needed in two of the variations – and the lushness of full orchestral strings. I thought for one moment we might get the luxury of Ehnes in the significant violin solo, but it’s taken with similar poise by BBC Phil leader Zoë Beyers. Combinations of instruments register ideally in the shorter pieces, though I’ve always found the Second Suite surplus to need.
