Vilde Frang reviews

Every year the Berlin Philharmonic marks its birthday (1 May 1892) with a concert. In 2016 the world-renowned orchestra headed to Norway for the occasion – to the town of Røros, where there’s a light, airy Baroque church whose interior, with its balcony tiers above the pews, is rather reminiscent of a small theatre.

Korngold and Britten may appear odd bedfellows: Britten’s style is as spare and lean as Korngold’s is lavish. Both violin concertos, though, were conceived around the same time, 1936-7 – Korngold’s opening melody was written well before it found a home in a film score, Another Dawn – and both were written by Europeans far from home in North America.

The First Concerto is immediately captivating: light, energetic and brightly coloured, setting the scene perfectly for Vilde Frang’s entry. It’s an early indication of the integrity of these performances, where soloist, conductor and orchestra are at one. Frang has the knack of breathing life into every note, whether by variations in phrasing, attack, tone or dynamic – just a few of the weapons in her impressive musical armoury.

 Chopin’s Cello Sonata is so assured, one can only wish he’d returned to the form. It bridges the substantial, formal sonatas of Mendelssohn and Brahms on one side, and the soul and wildness of Rachmaninov’s Sonata on the other. Written for the great French cellist Auguste Franchomme, it may not be vastly virtuosic but holds precious rewards for a cellist willing to dig deep.