This well-filled disc contains extremely distinguished performances of all three works, particularly the Lalo, a piece that so often winds up being merely annoying but here charms exactly as the composer intended. The secret lies in Maxim Vengerov’s ability to assume a thoroughly Gallic sensibility and treat the music with the necessary lightness of touch. The second movement (Scherzando) flows like a cool spring breeze, and neither Vengerov nor conductor Antonio Pappano sweats overmuch in the opening movement or the Andante, which is all to the good. Lalo seems to think that here and elsewhere (the first movement of his Cello Concerto for instance) the drama of sonata form consists of four-square tunes in moderate tempo punctuated by heavy orchestral thuds, but Vengerov never sounds hemmed in by the rhythmic regularity. As for the winsome finale, this is as fine a rendition as any, which basically goes for the entire thing.
The current competition is a bit tougher in the other two works. In particular, I’d be loathe to part with Perlman/Martinon (also on EMI) in the Ravel, or the same soloist with Barenboim (DG, also with the Lalo) in the concerto, but Vengerov more than holds his own. Once again his fabulous technique pays huge dividends both in the big unaccompanied section at the opening of the Ravel and in the long finale of the Saint-Saëns, which never once bogs down or degenerates into mere note-spinning. Vengerov also enjoys a finer recording in both works than does Perlman, though even here I might have enjoyed a touch more presence to the orchestra. Certainly Vengerov can stand up to anything these three composers throw at him in terms of balance against the ensemble without requiring assistance from the engineers, though he’s nowhere near as closely miked as Perlman typically is. In sum, a terrific disc in just about every way.
