Leonidas Kavakos and Enrico Pace in Beethoven sonatas

Every violinist worthy of the name (and some unworthy) has played the violin part of the ten sonatas for violin and piano by Beethoven. Even I have played them. Many violinists have recorded the complete set, starting with Kreisler and Franz Rupp in the 1930s. They are, in the main, genial works and not too typical of Beethoven in tub-thumping mood. My favourites are the second (op.12 no.2 in A major), the eighth (op.30 no.3 in G major) and the last sonata (op 96 in G major). To be heard at their best on record, they demand two exemplary partners, plus a realistic balance between piano and violin. Though as a violinist I hate to admit it, in most of the sonatas the pianist is even more important than the violinist. On my shelves I have eleven complete sets of the sonatas, starting with the classic Kreisler set. My latest re-listening has been to the complete set recorded 2011-12 by Leonidas Kavakos and Enrico Pace (re-issued recently by Sony).

I have been an admirer of Kavakos's playing for many years, and I have also developed a healthy respect for Enrico Pace as a duo partner. The pair do not disappoint in these Beethoven sonatas, and the recorded balance is excellent and the balance between the two musicians exactly as wanted. What more can one ask? Even the re-issue price is a real bargain. With my eleven sets, I really, really do not need more, but when I want to listen again to the Beethoven violin and piano sonatas, my hand will always stray now towards Kavakos and Pace. They are both so musical !

Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, and Vasily Petrenko

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade is a wonderful, colourful orchestral suite in four movements. To be heard at its best, it needs a first-class orchestra and either a first-class concert hall, or a first-class recording. Recording a full symphony orchestra is a tricky business, with no surrounding concert hall reverberation and audience to round-off the sound, and no visual clues as to who is playing what. Some sound engineers go for multi-channel spotlighting to bring out individual instruments; others rely on just a few microphones to give a “natural” balanced sound. Both techniques are open to miscalculation.

As an admirer of Vasily Petrenko, and of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, I bought a new CD where Petrenko conducts the excellent Oslo Philharmonic in the work. The sound is “natural”, with little spotlighting, so that the work comes over in pastel colours rather than bright oriental. To listen to Scheherazade (the solo violin) the sultan would at times have needed a hearing aid. Heaven forbid that Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade could ever be just a little bit boring and monochrome; but it is here. We need a little more colour!

No shortage of competitors: I have Beecham and the RPO (1957), Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra (2001), Kletzki and the Philharmonia (circa 1958), Markevitch and the LSO (1962), plus a few others. The next company to record Scheherazade needs to think carefully about orchestral balance, spotlighting, and recording craft. In this work, an inspirational conductor is not the primary asset; the composer, the orchestra, and the sound take priority, for once.The conductor just needs to make sure that things work.

Igor Stravinsky: a Fading Star

In the 1950s and 60s when I was growing up, Igor Stravinsky was a “great composer”. I recall going to a concert some time in the 1960s at the Festival Hall in London where the great man himself conducted his Oedipus Rex – at midnight, since that was the only performing slot available, even for a great man. In the early 1960s when a student at Oxford, I recall buying a recording of his “advanced” works Threni, and Agon. Dodecaphonic, no less!

His star has faded, over the decades. He is now remembered, affectionately, for his early Russian ballets The Firebird, Petrushka and ... from time to time .. the Rite of Spring. His pastiche of themes by Pergolesi (arranged with Samuel Dushkin) is also often played by violinists. Apart from that, Igor has been eclipsed by his near-contemporary, Sergei Rachmaninov, whom he once described as “a six foot six scowl”. Nowadays, his compatriots Prokofiev and Shostakovich out-play old Igor any month of the year.

More Vieuxtemps from Naxos and Reto Kuppel

My personal catalogue of recorded music that I possess lists no less than 147 pieces of music by Henri Vieuxtemps; probably par for the course for a lover of violin music. A friend added six pieces with a new CD from Naxos on which Reto Kuppel plays a selection of works for violin and orchestra. Most of the works are highly lyrical and not overtly virtuosic, except for the Hommage à Paganini, and the variations on a theme by Bellini. Agreeable music, not challenging, and good for sitting back for enjoyable listening. Kuppel is an excellent violinist – stylish and sophisticated, as befits this 19^th century Franco-Belgian composer. There is an interesting mini- double concerto for violin and cello (duo brillant) in which Kuppel is joined by cellist Kirill Bogatyrev. Two of the pieces on the CD — the Souvenir de Russie, and Old England — are something of pot-boilers, however.

The orchestra, recorded in Doha, is the Qatar Philharmonic, a new one to me; one does not readily associate Arabs with the music of Vieuxtemps; the orchestra here plays a very subservient part to the solo violin. However, all goes well and the orchestra acquits itself impeccably. The recording is good, and Naxos once again puts lovers of violin music in its debt (despite it renaming Vieuxtemps as "Henry"). Despite my 147 pieces of music by Vieuxtemps, the six pieces here have no duplicate recordings in my collection. Never tired of listening to the music of Henri Vieuxtemps

Gut Strings

Many things conspire to raise my blood pressure (which is why I take pills): Donald Trump, “environmentalists”, the current British “government” – and music commentators going on about “gut strings”, as if a gut string for a violin, viola or cello gives access to a different sound altogether. In my youth, I used only gut strings (made by the same company that also offered tennis racket strings). Jascha Heifetz used gut strings (D, and A) as, I suspect, did most of the 19^th and early 20^th century violinists. Gut strings can give a warmer sound than metal-covered strings. But not when played senza vibrato, as so often in “baroque” bands. What gut strings do not do, however, is create a different sound world. It depends on the player (viz, Heifetz). Which is why music critics and commentators breathing “gut strings” raise my blood pressure.

Alina Ibragimova and an All-Russian Shostakovich

Prior to around 1945, many big orchestras often had a distinctive sound. Thus the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Leningrad Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra ... In the decades following 1945, orchestral sound began to standardise and homogenise, until distinguishing one orchestra from another started to become difficult. What differences there still are began to be cultural rather than purely sonic. To this day, Russian orchestras often sound more at home in Russian repertoire compared with their international rivals, just as British orchestras often sound more at home in Elgar, French orchestras in French repertoire, and Germans and Austrians in Wagner, Strauss and Bruckner. Here analysis stops; music can rarely be described in words. And conductors can make a difference: it is often remarked how Vasily Petrenko can make even British and Norwegian orchestras sound “Russian”. And it is recounted how once when a conductor was rehearsing the Berlin Philharmonic and Furtwängler stepped into the hall to listen, the orchestra's sound changed to a more bass-rich “Furtwängler” sound. Homogeneity does not extend to composers, however. Mascagni and Puccini can only be Italian. Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky can only be Russian. Berlioz and Debussy can only be French. Bruckner and Brahms can only be Germanic.

I first heard Shostakovich's first violin concerto in the late 1950s when the British premiere (played by David Oistrakh, I think) was broadcast and a BBC “expert” explained it was not really a modern piece of music, but probably worth hearing. (The BBC said much the same thing when someone played Khachaturian's tuneful concerto. These music experts ... ) Rightfully, Shostakovich's Opus 77 in A minor has become almost popular, and has attracted some superb recordings since the days of Oistrakh and Kogan, including Lisa Batiashvili, James Ehnes, Ilian Garnetz, Leila Josefowicz, Leonidas Kavakos, Sergei Khatchatryan, Alexis Michlin, Stoika Milanova, Vadim Repin, Christian Tetzlaff, and Maxim Vengerov. I have 40 different recordings of the work, and the only real dud is one by Michael Erxleben where everything is played adagio di molto. Competition in recordings of this work is thus ferocious, and I listened with anticipation to my 41^st recording with an all-Russian cast with Alina Ibragimova and a Moscow orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski (a birthday present from a good friend). Ibragimova has always been one of my favourite violinists; no “violin babe” she appears to play only music that appeals to her. In this brand new recording of the two Shostakovich violin concertos she displays all her strengths: an impeccable technique, a deep immersion in the music she is playing, a wide variety of dynamics, a demonstration-class use of vibrato. Her interaction with the ever-changing moods of Shostakovich's music, and with the Moscow orchestra, inspires constant admiration. To cap it all, the recording (Hyperion) and the all-important balance between orchestra and violin, are also demonstration-class. Out of 41 recordings of such quality, there can be no “best”. But I know that, whenever I want to listen to Shostakovich's Op 77 again (which is often), my fingers will stray towards this Ibragimova version. Three stars, and gold medal standard. I have only ever heard Ibragimova once in person (playing unaccompanied Bach in a small hall in Bath) but for me, she never fails. It appears that her next recording venture will be the 24 Paganini capricci – unusual repertoire for her. I'll be in the queue for the first copy