Libor Pešek demonstrates an uncanny flair for Britten’s complex and distinctive idiom. Take his reading of the Sinfonia da Requiem, for example, in which his greatest skill is in his exemplary control of large forces. That’s crucially important, since the piece requires that the conductor carefully gradate crescendos and reserve maximal sonic impact for Britten’s most fearsomely destructive climaxes, most notably in the second movement (Dies Irae). Here the effect is more telling than on Britten’s own recording, made in 1964 with the New Philharmonia Orchestra, even if Pešek’s strings don’t quite have the lustre of the London Symphony under Richard Hickox, whose Chandos recording of 1991 is superior in this respect but lacks Pešek’s deeper insights into the score.
Britten’s Young Person’s Guide affords the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic every chance to show its mettle, and it doesn’t disappoint. Very impressive indeed, for instance, are the cellos in their difficult variation, the sonorous brass section, and the episode highlighting the percussion, whose effect owes much to the detailed recording. Pešek also negotiates his team through the final fugue with skill and conviction, so the closing pages are gripping even if the cumulative effect never attains the adrenaline levels of Bernstein’s virtuosic New York Philharmonic recording on Sony, my first choice here.
If there is one weakness associated with this Virgin disc, it’s an insignificant one. You’ll notice it at the very start of “Dawn” from the Four Sea Interludes. There is a certain shrillness about the high-register violin lines, and this is one of few moments throughout this otherwise fine production that sounds less than convincing. Compare the more assured unison violins of Bernstein’s NYPO to hear what I mean. On balance, though, Pešek is superb, and, for the hi-fi minded, the “Storm” interlude not only should test your nerve, but will fully test the capabilities of your sound system.
