Jarvi: Glazunov – The Seasons op.67, Violin Concerto op.82 (FLAC)

Composer: Alexandeer Glazunov
Performer: Oscar Shumsky
Orchestra: Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Conductor: Neeme Jarvi
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Chandos
Size: 254 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

The Seasons; Ballet Op.67
01. Introduction
02. L’Hiver
03. L’Hiver: Variation 1, “Le Givre”
04. L’Hiver: Variation 2, “La Glace”
05. L’Hiver: Variation 3, “La Grele”
06. L’Hiver: Variation 4, “La Neige”
07. Le Printemps
08. L’Ete
09. L’Ete: Valse des Bluets et des Pavots
10. L’Ete: Barcarolle
11. L’Ete: Variation
12. L’Ete: Coda
13. L’Automne: Bacchanal
14. L’Automne: Petit Adagio
15. L’Automne: Variation, “Le Satyre”

Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor Op.82
16. I. Moderato
17. II. Cadenza
18. III. Allegro

The best “Seasons” ballet available today

Let’s dispense with the Violin Concerto #2 quickly. It’s performed well here by Mr. Shumsky. But the work isn’t particularly special, and it doesn’t linger in the memory for long. The real story here is the ballet “The Seasons.” There have been some interesting and idiomatic treatments of this score recorded over the years, including Manuel Rosenthal/Paris Philharmonic and Antal Dorati/Dallas Symphony in the very early years of LPs. Later on, the Ernest Ansermet/Suisse Romande recording on London/Decca was the one to have. Today, we have numerous readings to choose from — most of them utterly bland and formulaic.

And then there’s this Jarvi performance. Idiomatic yet swifter than most — one wonders how the dancers on the stage could ever keep up with him — the conductor breathes fresh new life into the score, bringing forth its icy magic and glittering orchestration like no other recording currently available (compare it with the disappointing Vladimir Ashkenazy and Edo de Waart readings and you’ll see what I mean). With Jarvi, the 30-minute score is over before you know it, and you’ll swear the music is as good as Tchaikovsky’s ballets. (It isn’t, but the fact that it sounds that way speaks volumes about Jarvi’s special way with Glazunov.) This recording merits 5 stars on the basis of the “Seasons” score alone.