Brahms • Busoni
Violin Concertos
Francesca Dego (violin);
BBC Symphony Orchestra/
Dalia Stasevska
Chandos CHSA 5333 61:25 mins
Busoni has never been a popular composer, despite the advocacy of some distinguished performers over the years – Joseph Szigeti in the Violin Concerto, among others. Dalia Stasevska sets the lyrical atmosphere in the brief introduction, and Francesca Dego enters with yielding tone – although her sound could be bigger, and intonation more secure in the higher reaches. She’s more in her element in the wistful slow movement, where the legato line is finely spun, but, despite the overall romantic style and harmonies, the tunes just aren’t that memorable. Which means the listener has to do more work to get the most out of the music’s undeniable intellectual qualities. The impetuous nature of the finale conjures more coherence from Busoni, impelling Dego to greater technical and musical assurance.
Performances of the Brahms tend to divide between those that favour the lyrical, and those that give the music a kick. It’s clear from the orchestral introduction that this is going to be on the relaxed side, and Dego’s first entry doesn’t have the eruptive energy to push the music forward. The same laid-back approach is consistent throughout the movement, but makes more sense when we come to the cadenza – not the familiar Joachim or Kreisler, but by Busoni, with underlying timpani and the orchestra creeping in at the end. There’s an eloquent oboe solo in the slow movement, but on the whole the music needs a firmer rhythmic backbone: this tends to meander. The finale begins with guts, but pulse and momentum aren’t always maintained. A pity that such an interesting coupling hasn’t more going for it. Martin Cotton PERFORMANCE ★★★
RECORDING ★★★★★