February 13, 2017

  • An Expressive, Yet Careful, Tchaikovsky Reading

     Tchaikovsky: Works for Violin and Orchestra
    Moonkyung Lee
    London Symphony Orchestra/Miran Vaupotic
    Navona Records 6079
    Total Time:  57:44
    Recording:   (*)***/****
    Performance: (*)***/****

    One of the great warhorse concertos for violin is Tchaikovsky’s 1878 work.  Maligned from its premiere in Vienna by Adolph Brodsky, the work soon took its place in the repertoire for many of the reasons it caused such a stir at first, its brimming romanticism and seemingly insurmountable pyrotechnics.  It is coupled here with two other works for violin by the composer.

    These studio recordings were made last August in London with members of the London Symphony Orchestra.  Soloist Moonkyung Lee enters a very crowded field with this release (there are over 180 recordings of the work currently in the catalogue—not counting the many others that are now OOP).  It then becomes necessary to see what she brings to what will probably be one of several traversals of the work over time.  At first glance, the timings of the three movements seem to align very well with standard practice (coming pretty close to Itzhak Perlman’s classic recording with Ormandy).  This is not the breezy rush that one gets in Heifetz-Reiner.  Fans of the latter approach will find the first movement feels a bit restrained and held back.  The energy seems to bubble more under the surface and the orchestra also just feels a bit small and constrained at times.  The view seems to be to let this serve its function as an opening movement not a finale with a couple of encores.  This does allow for a sense though of greater expressiveness and the sort of detail to intonation that often gets glossed over.  One might argue as well that it also makes these seasoned players think more about not just playing along in autopilot.  Lee is known for her warm playing and in the opening movement this becomes one of the striking aspects of her performance which carries over into the gorgeous central “Canzonetta”.  Once we head into the opening first theme though of the final movement we feel this sense of excitement just explode as we get a real “finale” that pushes forward well and creates a nice contrast to second lyrical idea.  The orchestra also seems to come alive.  But it is the way Lee shapes her own solo interjections and ideas that creates a sense of line even when the gestures are purely virtuosic.  Her interpretation reveals the sort of tension between the need to focus just on the virtuosic demands that too often call attention to themselves and take away from the inner beauty of the concerto (this is something like Ann-Sophie Mutter’s approach as well).  She is helped in this decision then by a measured accompaniment that allows for greater detail in the music.  One tends to want this big orchestral sound with the violin striving against it for supremacy, but here the orchestral string section feels a bit smaller, closer to a chamber orchestra which brings a better balance across the ensemble.  Again the intonation and general quality of Lee’s playing certainly make for stunning results.  In some of the slower moments of the work, the attention to detail pays off as the wind solos of the third movement feel more aligned with Lee’s own interpretive approach and not just little motifs tossed off in the background.  These sorts of details will be welcome to many listeners giving this a fresh approach perhaps.  What it does it give the concerto a more traditional sense of balance across the entire work.  My sense is that this will grow on listeners over time and I do wonder what extra edge might occur in a live performance.

    There are two additional works on the album that allow for more of Lee’s gorgeous expressive playing.  The first is Glazunov’s arrangement of the Meditation in d from Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir d’un Lieu Cher, Op. 42.  One of the composer’s more gorgeous and heart-wrenching melodies, it comes from a three-movement work for violin and piano.  Originally intended as the central movement of the concerto, it finds a place here in a beautiful performance.  The album concludes with the earlier Serenade Melancolique, Op. 26.  Leopold Auer was the original dedicatee, but after his criticism of Tchaikovsky’s concerto, the composer wanted to remove the virtuoso’s name only to find it too late to change the published score.  The melodic content and style of the work is perfectly matched here to Lee’s sensibility and makes a fitting close to the disc.

    The tentativeness at times makes this a hard call.  Lee’s expressive quality and interpretations certainly make a case for the sort of measured and careful approach taken here but somehow one wants just a bit more fire and energy.  A sense of carefulness seems to pervade the concerto especially in its opening movement and this is hard to overcome despite the truly engaging quality Lee brings to the more lyrical moments of the work and especially in the two shorter pieces on the album.  Would some of this been overcome with a live performance recording?  Hard to tell, but there are enough lovely moments here to warrant considering this recording which seems to open up more in the two fillers and the middle concerto movement the most.