Review Summary: Absolutely entrancing pieces of music from three great composers. Beautfiul.
Reviewing a classical album is a difficult task. I don’t mean modern classical, like Johan Johannson or Philip Glass or any other classical made in the era of recording. Rather I mean classical from the classical period, or the baroque or the romantic. Often times the record contains a mixture of pieces that weren’t originally intended to be sequenced to an album, so it’s hard to make criticisms the same way you would with the most recent rock, metal, hip-hop albums. Essentially, as a reviewer, you must focus on the performances and the music itself. Undoubtedly, the pieces that are recorded in this day and age are all tried and tested masterpieces. Which leaves the reviewer at a loss for words, exactly what I am trying to avoid with this introductory paragraph. You see, at the moment I am listening to James Ehnes, Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performing Violin concertos from Korngold, Barber and Walton. I am at a profound loss as to what exactly I can say about this work, what criticism I can actually find. The truth remains, I really can’t.
James Ehnes is the solo violinist in the performance, the main guy. He is an exceptionally talented musician and handles the pieces gracefully and with passion, exactly what you want from a violinist. He is backed competently by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, who are conducted by Bramwell Tovey. The record contains three different suites; Korngold’s Violin Concerto in D Op. 35, Barber’s Violin Concerto Op. 14, and Walton’s Violin Concerto. The pieces are from the early 20th century and the modernity is recognizable in the amount of dissonance and at times ambience in the pieces. This is particularly evident with Samuel Barber’s concerto. Barber might be more familiar to the average listener as the composer of Adagio for Strings, which was famously used as the theme for the film “Platoon”. Though his concerto is not quite as repetitive as Adagio, the style remains rooted in similar aspects. Lots of tension, and lots of movements between minor and major chords.
The final suite was composed by William Walton and is easily the most somber, and possibly the most beautiful of the three. Even the middle presto section has a haunting air to it, as if it belonged to an old silent horror film. Walton’s rhythmic work is accentuated by a strong presence of harmony and heart tugging romantic melody. In fact, the entire record is full of melodies that just tug on the heart strings. It may be the most consistently beautiful collection of music I have ever heard. It rivals Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations in terms of shear beauty. This is the type of beauty fans of both traditional and modern classical can enjoy. There is enough complex compositional structure and virtuous musicianship to satisfy the traditionalists. At the same time, the pieces hold a certain cinematic grandeur that the modern classical enthusiast will relish. After all, Erich Wolfgang Korngold was an Academy Award winning composer. Though it’s the second movement in Barber’s work that best displays this balance. The first half on the nearly 10 minute piece slowly lays down a sorrowful melody that steadily rises into a crescendo where Ehnes takes over with an impressive descending run, bringing the piece back down to a low rumble.
Well for someone starting the review without an idea of what to say, it sure as come full circle. Though, I shouldn’t be given all the credit, the music really did the talking for me. I just merely had to translate what it was telling me. It was saying, “pay attention to me, I’m beautiful.” Which is true, it is simply an enormously beautiful collection of music; though I’m sure if it could talk, it would not say something so vain. I can not stress how impeccable this record is, it is simply perfect. The selections are some of the best works from three highly regarded composers in Korngold, Barber and Walton. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra brings a stellar performance that is capably helmed by Bramwell Tovey. Finally, James Ehnes is an exceptional talent and displays this talent perfectly. It is a perfect record, really. I recommend it to anyone who likes classical music, or strings, or anyone who likes truly beautiful music in general.
