Word: concertos
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...have the somewhat dubious distinction of owning the entire discography of Midori on compact disc, from Bartok to her two recital collections. Naturally, for completion's sake, I picked up her latest offering on Sony Classical--a coupling of the Sibelius violin concerto and Max Bruch's Scottish Fantasy, Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra providing the accompaniment...
...engineering by Sony, which seemingly has Midori buried in the middle of the wood-winds. Without fail, Mehta produces the polished yet superficial orchestral veneer that one has come to expect from him, not helping matters at all. I suspect that Midori is attempting a subtler rendition of this concerto than normally heard, but if so, her efforts are not obvious enough for my taste. I do not encounter the "Nordic winter landscape" that Sibelius was said to strive for, so much as a vast sonic wash of gray...
...look elsewhere. Rather than the incessant, almost primitive drive of Heifetz or even Oistrakh, one finds a laid-back and almost casual interpretation here, with Midori deferring almost immediately. Is she willing to take on the orchestra in a head-to-head battle? Has she forgotten that the term concerto translates more or less as "a contest...
...based on Oliver Sacks' best-selling book about neurological disorders. On a recent tour of North America with his 10- piece chamber orchestra, the Michael Nyman Band, the 50-year-old composer drew hip audiences and packed houses for programs of his recent works, highlighted by The Piano Concerto, a concert version of the film score...
...second movement of the concerto highlighted the orchestra's skills, as they played pizzacati remarkably in unison for close to the entire Adagio. Lin's treatment of the cadenza appeared to mention Schumann's Fourth Symphony, though it might have come unconsciously. He and Yoo then led the orchestra jovially through the Presto. The Haydn, though not the flashiest work written for violin and orchestra, benefited immensely from Lin's thoughtful and decorous performance...