The Arts Desk’s classical music writers this week take a look at some sterling CD releases and a
Prokofiev concert at the Royal Festival Hall.
Graham Rickson’s first recommendation in his weekly classical CD
round-up was a barnstorming recording of Handel’s early opera Agrippina,
under the baton of René Jacobs. It’s an attempt to reconstruct the composer’s
original intentions and the result is a roaring success. Despite the opera’s
convoluted plot, this slightly trimmed-down version is thrillingly theatrical
and energetically powered along by Jacobs. The entire cast give full-throttle yet
believable performances, particularly Alexandrina Pendatchanska as Agrippina
(whose acting chops outweigh the odd shrill note), Marcus Fink as Claudio and
Neil Davies as Pallante, and the fun they are all having is both evident and
infectious.
Next was Vasily Petrenko’s new Rachmaninov recording with the Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic, which is typically superb according to Rickson.
Petrenko chooses the oft-overlooked Symphony No 3, and unveils it as an
underrated classic, with its energy and memorable tunes reminiscent of the
great Symphonic Dances and its action-packed cinematic feel. He also leavens
the darkness of the piece by adding his own modern touches of wit, gloss and
affirmation where necessary. The sweet but not sickly Vocalise and
the Caprice bohémien make superb additions to finish.
Andy Findon, photo by StudioTime Photographers |
And finally Rickson recommends flautist Andy Findon’s new CD, Density
21.5: Unaccompanied Works for Flute, a seemingly effortless disc comprising
contemporary works by Edgard Varèse, Michael Nyman, David Cullens, Geoff Eales
and Dave Heath, with a Bach partita thrown in as well. Findon can produce a
wonderful range of sounds on the instrument, from winsome to percussive, and
adds alto flute, piccolo and baritone sax to add depth and variety. The results
are never monotonous or tiresome, and always enjoyable.
Meanwhile Alexandra Coghlan headed to the Royal Festival Hall to partake
of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s current season, “Prokofiev: Man of the
People?” which aims to explore the humanity behind the music’s glossy façade.
In this concert, Prokofiev’s ballet music was under scrutiny, particularly the
lavish, lurid and knowingly grotesque Chout and the more
constrained, mainstream Cinderella. A highly controlled Vladimir
Jurowski conducted an exquisitely precise orchestra that itself had an
abundance of humanity, though pianist Leon Fleisher attacked the problematic
Fourth Piano Concerto with slightly more aggression than it could withstand.
There was certainly plenty of impressive showmanship on display here, but
Prokofiev’s soul remained somewhat elusive.
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