Composer: Edward Elgar
Performer: Nicola Benedetti
Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Vladimir Jurowski
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Decca
Size: 1.05 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Edward Elgar (1857 – 1934)
Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 61
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Andante
03. III. Allegro molto
04. Sospiri, Op. 70 (Arr. Violin and Piano)
05. Salut d’amour, Op. 12
06. Chanson de nuit, Op. 15, No. 1
Thoughtful is how I’d describe Jurowski’s conducting…Perhaps the most moving aspect of this performance – also testimony to Benedetti’s knack of getting under the skin the piece – is the finale’s haunting accompanied cadenza…Benedetti shines a beam on [the Concerto’s] reigning quality: sincerity. Nobility too…Although other digital versions have also moved me, none that I can recall has made me more keenly aware of just what a great work this is.
Benedetti’s vibrant, beefy full-throttle tone is made for the concerto, and she’s an assertive soloist, never disappearing into the glowing textures the London Philharmonic weaves around her. Vladimir Jurowski conducts with a clear eye on the work’s huge dimensions, and Benedetti, too, shapes the violin’s restless music into long, sinewy paragraphs.
The first thing to spot is Benedetti’s confident ease and sparkle during the many double-stopped passages, executed at lightning speed across the instrument’s range. Yet beyond sheer agility, Benedetti offers listeners something even more valuable: a dynamic personal interpretation, refreshing and convincing…Jurowski’s forces contribute their own dark passion.