Our Summer BAL 8: Schoenberg's Violin Concerto

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Hahn's performance of the solo part is indeed superb, revealing as others have said the full power of this work in ways that leave previous versions looking lost. I'm not as impressed by Salonen and the Swedish orchestra's playing of the "accompaniment", fine as it is. The Philharmonia under Robert Craft is much more to my taste: incisive, clean, rich, imaginative and responsive to the score in a way that makes Salonen seem involved by comparison. (Craft, besides having a piercing ear for detail, also first prepared to conduct this work with the composer himself and his adoration of the intricacies of the score shows.) If only there'd been a Craft & Hahn recording ...

(As it is, Rolf Schulte is pretty impressive, and the Naxos CD is less than half the price of the DG, and has more of Schoenberg's American pieces as "coupling".)

I still occasionally play the Bavarian DG CD; it's an "unlovely" performance, but hearing first-rate Musicians struggling to make sense of the Music has a "seat-of-pants" energy all of its own that Zuckerman & Boulez' dull Erato performance completely avoids. IMHO.

S-A: "My own version of the piece was, I think, taped from a Prom concert some years ago - a superb rendition"
was that the Gyorgy PAUK performance from about 12 years ago? I have that on tape somewhere, too. The first work after the interval was the UK premiere of the teenage Schönberg's Romanza for solo Violin and Strings?

Best Wishes.

[Serial_Apologist]

Ernest Kovacek with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales under Joseph or Josef Swenson, Svenson or even Svensen, Ferney. Sorry about my phonics-based spellings!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

That's the one, S-A! The only other three Proms performances of the work were in the '60s.
(With apologies to messrs Pauk and Kovacek; fine players both!)

Incidentally, does anyone remember the Vox Turnabout recording (the one coupled with Brendel's first recording of the Pno Conc. The first time I heard the work: I didn't like it! Horrible orchestral recorded sound, IIRC)

Best Wishes

[verismissimo]

The Vox/Turnabout you refer to, fhg, is the Wolfgang Marschner/Southwest German Radio SO/Michael Gielen. I mentioned it in M7. It's just as you describe.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Thanks, veri. (I'd forgotten it was such a good orchestra and conductor.)

Marschner must've made something of a speciality of the work in the '60s: he was the soloist in two of the Proms performances!

[Chris Newman]

That's the one, S-A! The only other three Proms performances of the work were in the '60s.
(With apologies to messrs Pauk and Kovacek; fine players both!)

Incidentally, does anyone remember the Vox Turnabout recording (the one coupled with Brendel's first recording of the Pno Conc. The first time I heard the work: I didn't like it! Horrible orchestral recorded sound, IIRC)

Best Wishes

Yes, I bought it just after falling head over heels for Rene Leibowitz's Vox Box of Gurrelieder which must have been back in 1963. The sound was awful on the concerto disc not a patch on Gurrelieder. I must get the Hahn. I am pleased that recently Arnold has really come in from the cold.

[visualnickmos]

Hi verismissimo (msg 19)

Re the above recording (Vox) - I have it, but for some reason it is only excerpts! Why would they do this? It seems nuts, to me. Maybe on the LP it appeared in full. The other works on the CD are the Piano concerto (Brendel) and one other - I forget which, without checking.

I also have the Kubelik/Zeitlin (excellent) coupled with the piano concerto (Brendel) and Berg's violin concerto (Szeryng) - all in all, a great little CD!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Excerpts from the Violin Concerto??? The bog mindles! The Vox LP had the full work: and some very good sleeve notes, giving the Note Rows for both Concertos, which was very handy for an "A"-Level essay I had to write.

I have recently replayed the Kubelik DG disc and it sounded better than I'd remembered: "a great little CD" sums it up nicely, visnic

Best Wishes.

[jayne lee wilson]

The best-recorded version I have, languishing in undeserved obscurity, is Michael Erxleben with Claus Peter Flor /Berlin Symphony, on Berlin Classics in the Christuskirche. Stunning power, spaciousness and tonal beauty, the orchestra very idiomatically Schonbergian. Soloist perhaps a little plain-spoken, but he has the measure of it. It's a few minutes longer than Zeitlin/Kubelik or Amoyal/Boulez but uses the time imaginatively.
Still available on Amazon, sheer beauty of sound and orchestral attack, in one of the finest acoustics anywhere, makes it a must for anyone who loves the piece. Oh, and it's coupled with an equally fine Stravinsky Vn. Concerto - go on, treat yourself.

And yes, another "hear hear" for that Szeryng - Brendel - Zeitlin lunchtime triple! I bought that from Fine Records in Brighton, the guy on the phone clamped his mobile to his ear and flicked through the racks for me, for as much deleted Schoenberg as he could find! The box arrived next day, which was a Saturday. Excellent!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Amoyal/Boulez: not, of course, Zukerman as some idiot suggested earlier! (I refer MBoarders to salymap's "memory" thread elsewhere!

I'd never heard of this recording before now, jlw: many thanks for the pointer.

Best Wishes.

[Thomas Roth]

My first was Israel Baker and Robert Craft on Columbia. A splendid performance if my memory is correct. Today I would probably go for Hahn even though I am not fond of Salonen´s conducting. Or the Schulte/Craft on Naxos.

[visualnickmos]

Hi Ferney (msg 23)

Yes - EXCERPTS! (or Auszug as the label proclaims) I kid you not - the middle movement is ommited!! It is a label I have never heard of ZYX Music Ref: CLS 4412. All rather odd.
It's a handy back-up, I suppose - NOT an essential CD in view of the others available.

[Quarky]

For a long time I thought this a difficult work.

Inspired (?) by this thread, I dug out my copy of this Violin Concerto on Naxos - Schulte/ Craft.

Arnie always demands utmost concentration, so despite several listenings, I am just going to have to persevere on this one.

[verismissimo]

Oddball, I feel your pain! If you invest in the Hahn, all that perseverance will melt away...

[amateur51]

The Hahn/Salonen performance is available to listen to on Spotify and costs just over £6 on Amazon. The Zvi Zeitlin performance is also available on Spotify.

Listening to the Hahn version now, I'm very grateful to all who have recommended it