Never too much of a good thing

Press, 27 September 1982, Page 18

Never too much of a good thing

i ANTONINI VIVALDI. Oboe I Concertos RV 458, 462, 534, I 535 and 536. “I Musici” with I Heinz Holliger and Maurice | Bourge, oboes. PHILIPS 9500 i 742. Virtuoso Mandolins. VIVALDI, SCARLATTI, ! BEHREND, EDELMANN. DG 2535 249. i If the amount of undis--1 guised enthusiasm is anything to go by, every week must belong to the ex-priest, Vivaldi, the composer no-one wants to be without. Small wonder. The amount of high1 quality recordings, coming to hand speaks volumes for the i inventiveness of the com- ( poser. The latest pair is no exi ception to the rule. Both , Philips and DG have got i their interests served to the I mutual benefit of all concerned with enticing sounds : guaranteed to capture. the hearts of everybody. In the first instance, Philips has produced its I thoroughbred group, the “I i Musici,” with the virtuoso

oboist. Heinz Holliger, plus Maurice Bourge in five concertos of sheer magic. Two of the Concertos, RV 458 and 462, are set for one .oboe only. -

But what about the earlier recording of the same personnel playing what must be simply repeats of all the old warhorses? Not so. There are no fewer than 21 concertos featuring the oboe, 10 as solo, and the remainder with other instruments or in arrangements from three bassoon concertos. The recording you may be referring to is the 1976 Philips account on 9500 044 which contains the P 42, P4l, Op. 11 No. 6 and the P5O.

Graceful and delightful works as they all are, Holliger has widened and deepened the course of invention since then and what we have now is a series of the'more mature products of the composer’s pen. Holliger has the trick, of allowing the notes to die

Classical records review ALLAN FRANCIS

away, a device which apparently is very difficult with certain notes on the oboe, and his style is as attractive with this sort of playing as it is with Richard Strauss or other modern composers. The delicious harmony, engendered by the addition of the second player, who also has the proper musical understanding of Vivaldi, and the romantic flavour of the concertos are fully exploited in the most charming manner.

As a contrast, DG has resurrected its 1971 version of- widely varying works, the almost over-familiar and the relatively unknown. Those who came to Vivaldi by means of the film, “Kramer v. Kramer,” will be at home with the Concerto for Two Mandolins, but some of those courtly dances and ballet suites, engineered by Siegfried Behrend, may not be quite so enchanting, at least for the average listener. The perpendicular stance taken by Behrend is directly opposed to that of Holliger and the I Musici. Courtly dances are fine, and the Sarrland Mandolin Orchestra does capture the spirit of the times in which they were conceived, but an unbroken listening spell of the entire recording fails to sustain the interest.

This is certainly not the fault of the very proficient mandolin players, Silvia and, Takashi Ochi, or the very immediate sound, but most works lack the substance of the opening Vivaldi Concerto for Two Mandolins and the

interpretation is quite impersonal.

No-one could possibly quibble over the assumption that the two soloists are anything less than what the record cover declares, as they have been featured to good effect on other DG recordings (DGG 2530 211), with other groups and unquestionably are at the top of their art.

COLIN DAVIS. Last Night at the Proms. Volume 2.8.8. C. Symphony Orchestra playing Cockaigne Overture Op. 40, Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, “Fantasia on British Sea Songs” and “Jerusalem” recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall on September 13, 1969. PHILIPS 6529 022.

After the immensely popular initial recording of part of Colin Davis’s transition as leader of the 8.8. C. Symphony, it was inevitable that the cry for more would not go unheeded. And so volume 2 was launched,'much to the delight of the many fans. Here, as only on very rare occasions, is the spirit of a live concert captured, with all the verve and extrovert excitement so unexpected, at the time. Never has a record sounded less like a record. One is there, and all the old warhorses have never sounded so good, even if their plumage is now slightly fusty. It is back again, by popular demand. RUDOLPH SERKIN PLAYS BRAHMS. Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel Op. 24. Three Intermezzi and Rhapsody Op. 119. CBS SBR 236019.

Unbelievable! Seeing (and hearing) Rudolph Serkin once more when one is faced with the embarrassment of find-

ing out that someone is still alive and well, after thinking; that his obituary notice; appeared years ago. * Yet here is his impish; face, defying all the perils of age. peeping from the cover of his latest, highly regarded issue of Brahms’ pieces. Ser-j kin was 77 and Brahms was 60 when the Opus 119 pieces, were recorded and composed respectively, so it could be' said that these are mature; works lovingly played by a J mature pianist. ; By contrast, the Handel« Variations are quite — youthful pieces in the; classical tradition and, ac-; cordingly, Serkin adjusts his; attitude too. The sound is; natural and the playing'■ superb. t ■■