Given the hugely successful results of their Prokofiev and Shostakovich recordings, Mstislav Rostropovich and Maxim Vengerov might have been expected to spin similar magic in this pair of mesmerizing but underperformed concertos. It didn’t quite work this time. While Vengerov is a force of nature on the violin, his viola playing does not display the same level of brilliance. Sure, he coaxes some gorgeous sounds out of the instrument, and his technique is as commanding and sure-footed as ever. But his sometimes wiry tone suggests that he is still coming to terms with the viola, especially when compared to the deep-hued, richly nuanced quality engendered by dedicated practitioners such as Yuri Bashmet.
However, the real undoing of Vengerov’s reading of the Walton concerto lies in the performers’ dubious tempo choices–meaning very slow. In the third movement, Vengerov adds nearly three minutes to Bashmet’s recording with André Previn (itself once considered quite spaciously paced) and almost six minutes to Walton’s own performance with Frederick Riddle. Thus, the piquant opening march theme just trudges along (certainly not “perky” as described in the liner notes); the massive orchestral interlude at the midpoint of the movement stretches to Brucknerian magnitude; and the bittersweet epilogue nearly achieves stasis. Having said that, Vengerov does offer a deft pianissimo touch toward the end of the movement, albeit at the expense of the melodic line. While the scherzo is thankfully on the mark and has the right jazzy, syncopated flair, we are first forced to wade for more than nine minutes through the uninspired and torpid first movement, itself almost two minutes slower than Walton and more than a minute beyond Bashmet.
The Britten brings better news, if only because Vengerov is back on familiar instrumental territory. His playing is extremely virtuosic: he tackles Britten’s thorny harmonics and tough second-movement cadenza easily (and the second movement is the true highlight of this disc). But ultimately, this performance also falls short of the competition–in particular, Britten’s stunning account with Mark Lubotsky and the English Chamber Orchestra. From the moment the orchestra takes flight at rehearsal number 2 in the first movement, the differences between Rostropovich (who was quite close to Britten) and the composer become apparent: Britten’s accompaniment is urgent and purposeful, while Rostropovich ends up letting the music lead him.
Similarly, Britten and Lubotsky individually offer more bite in the attacks, thus reinforcing the “Spanish” rhythm that thematically binds the work. The “Russians” play this motif a bit too lightly and without much regard for dynamic variation in the concluding pages of the first movement. EMI’s distant orchestral soundscape and consequent muffled timpani (absolutely vital in this work) do not help the cause. In view of the competition, which also includes excellent modern readings from Lydia Mordkovitch (Chandos) and Rebecca Hirsch (Naxos), this new reading does not persuade.
