A little Irish has come a long way

Press, 19 April 1982, Page 18

A little Irish has come a long way

RODRIGO. Concierto Pastorale for Flute and Orchestra. Fantasia Para un Gentilhombre. James Galway, flute with • the Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Eduardo Mata. RCA Red Seal VRL 17211. Rodrigo must have composed the Concierto Pastorale with Galway in mind. The Fantasia, likewise, is custom-built for the famous flautist. If ever music suggested the pyrotechnics of a leprechaun, either by accident or design, these pieces give Galway the perfect vehicle for his sprightly flute to express his national characteristics. In all the many recordings made up to this point, Galway has never yet shown this will-o-the-wisp side of his nature so it is a curious coincidence that it is only by favour of a Spanish composer this situation has come about. Both pieces are fascinating. full of life and a joy for any reviewer with a mixed bag of recordings on hand. That the Concierto Pastorale is one of the most difficult concertos ever written is of secondary significance as one is more conscious of the effect rather than technical demands. Such colour,. which exists only in the mind of the blind composer, is even more remarkable under the fine orchestral control of Eduardo Mata and the Philharmonia. It is a pity that Rodrigo is generally associated solely with the overwhelming Concerto d'Aranjuez when such brilliant works as these are waiting in the wings, cherry ripe for someone like Galway to bring them on to centre stage. JEAN SIBELIUS. Violin Concerto in D minor. Finlandia Op. 26, played by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Kara-

jan with Christian Ferras, violin soloist. DG 138 961 (also cassette). The dark, brooding D minor Concerto of Sibelius relies solely on the qualities of purity, refinement and near fastidiousness of Karajan and Ferras. In short, this version is almost too perfect. Ferras’s tone is sweet and elegant and some may find that the cragginess normally associated' with Sibelius is missing. Karajan, too, ’goes along with this approach so that in the end we have a concerto played in tne most lyrical terms possible, yet lacking in the very quality so typical of the composer. The fragility of the soloist also has an ethereal quality which matches the introspection of the music and the sound of both orchestra and violin is warmly opulent, more suited to Brahms than Sibelius. Simply too good to be true. Finally, the old warhorse, Finlandia, comes up pretty well after 25 years, briskly fashioned by Karajan. It is just as spirited as one could wish, full-bodied and as fine as anything produced since from any point of view. JULIAN AND JOHN. VOLUME ONE. Various Duets by Julian Bream and John Williams, guitars, on RCA Red Seal LSC 3257 also released by World Records. I often wondered why volume two of this famous ' partnership always hogged the limelight and now I know. The review set just doesn’t come anywhere near their second session either in quality or style. What this album lacks is the magic of the second, yet the material seems good enough; Ravel's Pavanne, Sor’s L’Encouragement, Suite for Two Guitars by Lawes (a frail composition), or the spirited La Vida Breve Span-

1 review' ’r AttlSas

ish Dance No. 1 by Falla. There is a dispirited, lacklustre air about the playing of the duo,- perhaps not reaching their full potential until the later album, which put the true talents of both guitarists into a more realistic perspective. Where the later recording possibly exceeded expectations this one falls short in more ways than one. DOUGLAS LILBURN. Canzona. Music for Strings and Voices. Schola Musica directed by Ashley Heenan. Patricia Lawrey and Antbea Moller, mezzos. Peter VereJones, narrator. KIWI PACIFIC SLD 67. There is such a lot going on here that available space cannot do justice to all of it. First impressions include noting the maturity of the excellent Schola Musica, the superb solos from Glenda Craven (why not Peter Schaffer?) and Patricia Lawrey and Anthea Moller. Patricia Lawrey has temporarily forsaken her beloved Scarlatti and tackles a new medium with great success; an impressive voice at any time, this recording permits a welcome return to the scene. On the other hand Peter Vere-Jones fails to convince. He is accomplished as an actor, but there is little professionalism in his role as narrator of The Three Poems of the Sea. The major works in the limelight are the four Canzonas. dating from 1934 up to 1980, while the two “lesser lights,” Concerto Overture for Strings and Introduction and Allegro, nicely tidy up the composer’s repertoire.