Vilde Frang - Britten and Korngold concertos

[Barbirollians]

This disc arrived today and it is another stunner from Ms Frang judging by first playing .

The Korngold has never sounded better to me . She has taken much of the schmaltz out that sneaks into other performances and made it seem just much more lyrically beautiful - indeed she has upped the gold and reduced the corn !

The Britten is also perhaps the most beautiful performance of it I have ever heard although I am not quite so sure that one wants beauty all the way in this work - her playing at the end of the finale is extraordinarily accurate. I think I still prefer Dame Ida's recordings especially the enchanting 1994 Proms relay from BBC MM .

More than worth having though - like her previous discs IMO a complete winner .

[Tevot]

Thanks for this Barbs,

Love the Britten. Love the Korngold. Love Vilde Frang. My wallet is aching already

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[Stanfordian]

This disc arrived today and it is another stunner from Ms Frang judging by first playing .

The Korngold has never sounded better to me . She has taken much of the schmaltz out that sneaks into other performances and made it seem just much more lyrically beautiful - indeed she has upped the gold and reduced the corn !

The Britten is also perhaps the most beautiful performance of it I have ever heard although I am not quite so sure that one wants beauty all the way in this work - her playing at the end of the finale is extraordinarily accurate. I think I still prefer Dame Ida's recordings especially the enchanting 1994 Proms relay from BBC MM .

More than worth having though - like her previous discs IMO a complete winner .

Hiya Barbirollians,

I've reviewed this last week and have listended to it a lot. In my view the Korngold concerto is stunning one of the best accounts around if not the best and the Britten concerto is extremly well played. For me the Haendel/Berglund on EMI and Jansen/Jarvi on Decca remain the recordings to have. Certainly Vilde Frang is extremely talented.

[pastoralguy]

Mine was behind the door when I returned from the thrilling adventure that is my work!

Looking forward to my big white cat getting off my knee so I can pop it in the cd player!

I love Ms. Frang's playing and have high hopes for this although, as Barbi says, the Britten will have to be pretty damn good to beat the wonderful Haendel recording. (Still not happy this didn't 'win' BAL!)

[pastoralguy]

Big, white cat has now moved!

[pastoralguy]

Record Review email has just arrived and Andrew has chosen this cd as 'disc of the week'!

[Nick Armstrong]

Is Jonathan Cohen the same as the young chap who used to play the piano on Play School?


.... IGNORE THE ABOVE! Am listening on Apple Music and bizarrely it credits "Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt / Jonathan Cohen" ... but I see that in fact the orchestra is conducted by James Gaffigan....

[pastoralguy]

Record Review email has just arrived and Andrew has chosen this cd as 'disc of the week'!

Well, I've listened twice and, in the case of the Britten, it's 99.7486% as good as Ida Haendel's version. (IMHO!)

The Korngold is superb too.

Don't hesitate, pop pickers!

[Barbirollians]

I shall say something very controversial - I think she even tops Heifetz in the Korngold

[Stanfordian]

I shall say something very controversial - I think she even tops Heifetz in the Korngold

Hiya Barbirollians,

Heifitz was never my top pick in the Korngold violin concerto. I prefer the more recent digital accounts from Gil Shaham, Mutter & Znaider; all top class. Frang can march any of these. It's superb release!

[Barbirollians]

Is Jonathan Cohen the same as the young chap who used to play the piano on Play School?


.... IGNORE THE ABOVE! Am listening on Apple Music and bizarrely it credits "Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt / Jonathan Cohen" ... but I see that in fact the orchestra is conducted by James Gaffigan....

No a rather younger man I think . Mr Cohen and his orchestra do accompany Ms Frang on her equally enchanting Mozart disc from last year .

Stanfordian - I have also just taken delivery of the Jansen as I ordered it as I was so taken with her Brahms and it will be fascinating to compare .

[Nick Armstrong]

Thanks Barb - yes, a different Jonathan Cohen... but both totally irrelevant!

I shall say something very controversial - I think she even tops Heifetz in the Korngold

Heifitz was never my top pick in the Korngold violin concerto. I prefer the more recent digital accounts from Gil Shaham....

I agree - Gil Shaham was my reference point in this piece too. I also have a live performance by the Vienna Phil under Ozawa, with Benjamin Schmid the soloist. I think I bought it on the strength of a review - listening now, having heard the Frang twice, I still very much like the orchestral passages, very well recorded (I always thought the Shaham had a very thick recording, not ideal); however the soloist isn't a patch on Gil - or now Vilde. A ghastly saccharine vibrato in the slow movement, now that the purity of Ms Frang is in the ears

I think the new recording is absolutely terrific in the second and third movements... I'm not wholly convinced (yet) by the first - I do find that the rubato ebb and flow is just a bit exaggerated for my taste, not quite natural somehow. This may purely be in comparison with what I'm used to, so I'm not passing judgment. I'm a bit obsessed these days by music retaining its pulse and overall structure, anyway. It just seems a little pulled about.

But a great performance and recording, there's no doubt.

Do we think it's the best out there of the Britten, too? The French 'blind tasting' critics chose Janine Jansen and the LSO under Paavo Jarvi when they covered the piece in July 2014. Ida H wasn't one of the versions they listened to but she got a most honourable mention at the end of the programme, pastoralguy! So judging by your #3, Stanfordian, you would have been happy with the programme...

[johnb]

I too have the Gil Shaham Korngold and very enjoyable it is - with one proviso.

[Hobby-horse warning]
Perhaps it is something I have become over sensitive to but Gil Shaham's violin often seems to swamp everything else. This is, to me, an all too common problem with concerto recordings, i.e. the excessive highlighting of the soloist. I want to hear a natural balance, a balance in which the conversations between soloist and the orchestra (and especially between the soloist and orchestral soloists) make sense. However, I guess I am in a minority in this view.

[Nick Armstrong]

I too have the Gil Shaham Korngold and very enjoyable it is - with one proviso.

[Hobby-horse warning]
Perhaps it is something I have become over sensitive to but Gil Shaham's violin often seems to swamp everything else. This is, to me, an all too common problem with concerto recordings, i.e. the excessive highlighting of the soloist. I want to hear a natural balance, a balance in which the conversations between soloist and the orchestra (and especially between the soloist and orchestral soloists) make sense. However, I guess I am in a minority in this view.

Indeed, I think that's part of what I recall about the recording, when I called it 'thick' - the soloist and orchestra seemed crammed together, with - yes - the soloist artificially as loud as all the rest, no sense of air between them and no sense of proportion and - as you say - conversation. Looked for the CD earlier, couldn't find it; will try and have a listen.

[Petrushka]

Looked for the CD earlier, couldn't find it...

Perhaps it didn't survive the Great Caliban Clear Out?