There seems to be no shortage of fine violinists and (Polish) orchestras ready to display their talents in the music of Szymanowski, the greatest Polish composer after Chopin. His two violin concertos are both masterpieces–major contributions to the 20th century literature for the instrument. They have enjoyed impressive representation on disc but are still far too little heard in concert, at least outside of Poland. The performances here are noteworthy for their precision and clarity, both from the soloist and her colleagues in the Opole Philharmonic.
Alena Baeva, a native of Kazakhstan, has a very secure technique, and the ridiculously high positions that Szymanowski often requires hold no terrors for her. In the largely lyrical First concerto, and in the more rhapsodic episodes of the folk-inflected Second, she manages a warm espressivo without her tone becoming excessively vibrato-ridden. At times, though, it seems that tempos are a touch over-deliberate. Tension sags in a couple of spots in the slower sections of both pieces (for example, about eight minutes into the Second concerto). For this reason I still prefer the benchmark recording by Danczowska and Kord on CD Accord, but it’s difficult to imagine anyone being seriously disappointed by this well engineered release.
