A VIOLIN FOR ALL SEASONS

Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; R Panufnik: Four World Seasons Graham Bradshaw (Tibetan singing bowl), David Wright (harpsichord); BBC So/tasmin Little (violin)

Chandos CHSA 5175 (hybrid CD/SACD) 62:38 mins

With so many recordings of The

Four Seasons around, a new one has either to be very special, or provide unique added value to stand a chance of being noticed. Although Tasmin Little isn’t a Baroque specialist there is some influence from historically informed performance: rubato is used discreetly, and vibrato, although more present than might be expected from an ‘authentic’ performance, is subtly varied. Linking passages are especially imaginative, not least because of the way Little and harpsichordist David Wright respond to each other; and Wright’s solo link between the first and second movements of ‘Autumn’ is a delight. In some of the faster passages, there could be more precision of ensemble in the orchestra – a result of Little’s wish to use a larger ensemble than usual, perhaps – but these are engaging performances, captured in warm but detailed sound.

Added value comes in the shape of Roxanna Panufnik’s recent take on the seasons, commissioned by Little as a companion for the Vivaldi, and visiting four countries, with a flavour of their traditional music. The opening ‘Albanian Autumn’ dances vigorously, then subsides into a soulful love song, before a Tibetan singing bowl heralds Winter: a subdued, thinly scored movement. ‘Spring in Japan’ gradually burgeons into blossom and birdsong, while the ‘Indian Summer’ has a colourful opulence inflected by raga modes. Panufnik draws the disparate elements together with inventive musicality, and Little and the orchestra clearly enjoy the rich variety she provides.