MEDTNER • RACHMANINOV
Medtner: Piano Concerto No. 2; Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 Marc-andré Hamelin (piano);
London Philharmonic Orchestra/ Vladimir Jurowski
Hyperion CDA 68145 82:09 mins
Hyperion has previously recorded both these concertos, albeit not in this unusual pairing. Rachmaninov’s Third – a formidable challenge for any pianist, particularly when performed complete as it is here (unlike Rachmaninov’s own version) – is coupled with his friend Medtner’s Second Concerto, a work almost exactly contemporary with Rachmaninov’s Fourth with which it shares thematic echoes. Expectations are inevitably high as Marc-andré Hamelin, who marries phenomenal technique with sensitive musicianship, joins Vladimir Jurowski and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, now truly a world-class ensemble.
Medtner comes first, Hamelin launching this in a portentous, or at least deliberate, manner compared to the fleet-fingered start by his distinguished Hyperion predecessor, Nikolai Demidenko. Yet Hamelin’s playing soon takes flight, and the Concerto works its charm, sparkling with virtuosity and – particularly in the finale – with wit. It also receives the most polished orchestral playing it has enjoyed on any recording.
The emotional temperature is rather cooler for the Rachmaninov, for all Hamelin’s unfailingly deft handling of its challenging passagework. Tempos are notably steadier than in other recorded accounts, which may reflect the fact the present recording was made immediately after live performances (which do not, of course, offer a recording studio’s ‘pit stops’) – so may reflect a more ‘honest’ account of this challenging work. Yet I can’t help feeling rather underwhelmed by the end result. Despite the rousing finale, Hamelin does not blow the cobwebs off this warhorse as did the late Zoltán Kocsis (on Philips), the Hungarian’s electrifyingly virtuosity making even the potentially sprawling fulllength version compellingly dramatic throughout. Daniel Jaffé might have thought it a gimmick, performance after performance proved otherwise and last year the Multi-story Orchestra made its debut at the Proms – or, more accurately, the Proms came to its multi-storey home. Alongside, there’s been another success story: that of Whitley’s own music, which this year saw her commissioned by BBC Radio 3 to set Malala Yousafzai’s 2013 UN Speech to music. Here, NMC’S invaluable Debut Discs series provides a snapshot of a fresh and individual creative voice, sometimes still finding itself, often speaking clear and true.
Like Britten and Maxwell Davies, Whitley values writing for local communities and for children. She’s clearly got the knack: the title track is a stirring look at our place in the natural world, with words by her friend the poet Sabrina Mahfouz and the primary school children for whom it was written. ‘When we are singing it really makes me feel nice inside,’ said one, included in a page of enthusiastic responses in the booklet.
A stubborn, tempestuous Viola Concerto, written for Whitley’s university friend Shiry Rashkovsky opens the disc, played with passion and brio. It’s quite different in mood from the crystalline Three Pieces for Violin and Piano, which Whitley herself performs beautifully with Eloisa-fleur Thomson. Rolf Hind is the excellent pianist in the Haikulike Five Piano Pieces – each named after a mood: declamatory, spacious, aggressive, sad and triumphant.
And with scudding string scales and keenly lyrical lines, Whitley takes us to the edge of silence in the Duo for Violin and Viola. Rebecca Franks