Schumann Violin Concerto

[Barbirollians]

I took delivery the other day of the much praised in IRR coupling on Hyperion by Marwood with BBCSSO/Boyd of the Schumann Violin Concerto coupled with the arrangement for violin of the cello concerto and of the Fantasy for violin and orchestra .

I am afraid I am very disappointed with it . The performance of the Violin Concerto rather illustrates why perhaps the work needs a top rank soloist and orchestra to shine. It is frankly boring , the first movement is too slow to my ears and Marwood's rather wispy tone does not make the most of the themes . The slow movement is rather prosaic considering how beautiful it is and the finale all a bit middle of the road. Taking down Kremer and Muti from the shelf - a far more characterful recording with a lovely account of the slow movement was enough to confirm me in my views - let alone Menuhin and Barbirolli from 1938 .

I struggle to see the point of the arrangement of the cello concerto- what is gained by what can be heard in the lower orchestra is lost in the substitution of violin for cello .

The performance of the Fantasy is the best thing on the disc- but even that pales besides Mutter on DG .

Sadly, a disc to be avoided in my opinion

[Thropplenoggin]

Barbirollians: for future reference, they have quite long music samples on the Hyperion site - 40 seconds' worth...might help avoid such rogue purchases i'the future.

Speaking of "wispy tones", what was that Beethoven Violin Concerto at the Proms all about the other night? Appalling!

[Pianorak]

. . . Speaking of "wispy tones", what was that Beethoven Violin Concerto at the Proms all about the other night? Appalling!

If you want "wispy" look no further than Midori's Walton VC at last year's proms - assuming anyone managed to actually hear it.

[visualnickmos]

I have a Supraphon vinyl of this which I find an excellent "listen" - a real sense of energy (for what my opinion is worth, being that I am not a musician myself)

Vaclav Sintil (?) with the Prague Sym Orch conductrd by Libor Hlavacek again - ?

[Barbirollians]

Barbirollians: for future reference, they have quite long music samples on the Hyperion site - 40 seconds' worth...might help avoid such rogue purchases i'the future.

Speaking of "wispy tones", what was that Beethoven Violin Concerto at the Proms all about the other night? Appalling!

Tetzlaff.

As for Hyperion's site thanks for that info- I am disappointed because Marwood's chamber music playing has a real feeling for Schumann .

[Ariosto]

I'm afraid Marwood is totally off the radar as far as I'm concerned. Why? A most boring player with dodgy technique and lack lustre sound. Very third rate.

Someone mentioned Midori in last years prom, playing the Walton. I agree, absolutely terrible!

[Richard Tarleton]

I have a coupling with the Sibelius, by Gidon Kremer with R Muti (on LP). No doubt a Britannia punt a few years ago. This thread has prompted me to have another listen.

[Barbirollians]

I'm afraid Marwood is totally off the radar as far as I'm concerned. Why? A most boring player with dodgy technique and lack lustre sound. Very third rate.

Someone mentioned Midori in last years prom, playing the Walton. I agree, absolutely terrible!

Rather harsh in Marwood but it does strike that he is an example that just because you are a very fine player of chamber music that does not make you a soloist . Hyperion would have been much better off asking Chloe Hanslip to have recorded it of their roster .

[Ariosto]

Rather harsh in Marwood but it does strike that he is an example that just because you are a very fine player of chamber music that does not make you a soloist . Hyperion would have been much better off asking Chloe Hanslip to have recorded it of their roster .

Can't quite go with you there, he's pretty poor in chamber music too. (My opinion). Not sure about CH either, she is not on my radar either ...

[Barbirollians]

I am a fully paid up member of the florestan trio fan club !

Hanslip is a very intelligent young player and a protege of Ida Haendel.

[Ariosto]

SO ...

[Barbirollians]

Try her Adams Violin Concerto on Naxos or her glorious Vieuxtemps No 2 .

[jayne lee wilson]

Rather fond of the Schumann, with its darkly obsessive first movement, the lovesong of the 2nd and the joyful polonaise finale.

Best I've ever heard is a live 1969 mono one from Igor Oistrakh, Rozhdestvensky and the USSR RTVLSO, stunningly tight, urgent and dramatic with a startingly quick finale. IO has a declamatory passion in (i), sings out of a full heart in the langsam. Overall timing is 25'04 (compared to say, Harding/Capucon's 31'09!)

Despite its 60s Soviet provenance, the mono sound is good - full and dynamic. I think it was available long ago on BMG, the one I have here is Venezia CDVE 04323 but, yes, its Japan only for these....

[Dave2002]

Try her Adams Violin Concerto on Naxos or her glorious Vieuxtemps No 2 .

Her = Chloë Hanslip I presume. Has she done much else that's really good? I have a couple of her recordings. Some are really unusual/unknown works.

http://www.chloehanslip.com/music/index.htm

[PJPJ]

Rather fond of the Schumann, with its darkly obsessive first movement, the lovesong of the 2nd and the joyful polonaise finale.

Best I've ever heard is a live 1969 mono one from Igor Oistrakh, Rozhdestvensky and the USSR RTVLSO, stunningly tight, urgent and dramatic with a startingly quick finale. IO has a declamatory passion in (i), sings out of a full heart in the langsam. Overall timing is 25'04 (compared to say, Harding/Capucon's 31'09!)

Despite its 60s Soviet provenance, the mono sound is good - full and dynamic. I think it was available long ago on BMG, the one I have here is Venezia CDVE 04323 but, yes, its Japan only for these....

And so am I fond of it, though with lingering thoughts that it's not a great work however well it's played. Perhaps Joachim was right. I thought I'd borrow a copy of this new release as I'd not listened to the work for a good while.

A "startlingly quick finale" is what this piece needs I think - Marwood and Boyd seem agreed that the marked tempo should be slower than many take it, but the music just struggles to survive and sounds tired and laboured. The rest of the disc is no better.