Vilde Frang plays Elgar

Edward Elgar's only violin concerto is echt late 19th century romantic music, superbly written for the violin (Elgar was a violinist ). Arguably, it is over-long at around 45 minutes and suffers from the late-Romantic bloat that afflicted many works of that era; the solo violinist must demand overtime payment for playing it, especially since the long cadenza comes right at the end of the finale. It is one of only three notable British violin concertos, the others being by Walton and Britten (though I have never cared for the Walton concerto, written with Heifetz). Now, in my late years, it is one of those concertos where I find the music over-familiar, and I listen to the work more for the soloist than for the music itself.

The latest incarnation on my shelves does not disappoint: Vilde Frang is at one with the work. I love listening to her playing, and she gets everything right, not over-sentimalising the sentimental passages in the manner of Igor Oistrakh who made the work sound like Puccini in a melancholy mood. Ms Frang obviously likes the concerto, and this is the third recording I have in which she plays the solo part. Here, she is accompanied by the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin conducted by Robin Ticciati. Previous recordings saw her with the Oslo Philharmonic conducted by Vasily Petrenko (to which I gave three stars) and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra conducted by Krzysztof Urbanski. Obviously a concerto for which Ms Frang feels an affection. I can't remember the previous two recordings, but this third is perfectly satisfactory and I enjoyed the violin playing immensely, especially in the second movement where the violinist exhibits real feeling and empathy. Balance between soloist and orchestra is excellent in this recording.