What’s a critic to say? There are so many really excellent recordings of Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto that any newcomer has to be little short of amazing to challenge the status quo. James Buswell plays a mean fiddle, offering a nicely singing opening Allegro, a rapt Andante, and an impressively brilliant finale. Conductor Marin Alsop stays with him all the way, fashioning an appealingly fresh and rhythmically spirited accompaniment. Still, the performance lacks the Romantic ardor of Isaac Stern in the first two movements and the insane virtuosity of Hilary Hahn in the finale (both performances are on Sony). This means that there ought to be a good reason to acquire this disc aside from the Violin Concerto, however good it may be (and make no mistake, it is very good).
Happily, Alsop and the Scottish National Orchestra furnish just such a reason in the form of an energetic rendition of Souvenirs and a sensitive reading of Barber’s very rarely heard Serenade for Strings (his Op. 1). Music for a Scene from Shelley receives a less richly upholstered interpretation than most others, with plenty of revealing inner detail to compensate and a climax capped by a massive stroke on the tam-tam. Naxos’ recording team captures all of it in clear, well-balanced sound with excellent depth and a wide (but not irrational) dynamic range. Taken as a whole, this disc makes a worthy addition to Naxos’ ongoing Barber series, even if you do wind up with yet another fine recording of the Violin Concerto along the way.
