Visions of the future
The Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, conducted by Markus Poschner, performs works by the young Richard Strauss: a grandiose discovery!
Written at the age of eighteen, the Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 8, is rarely performed on stage, and scarcely more so on record, perhaps because of its length and formidable technical demands. The young Richard had learned to play the violin and wrote his concerto in 1882, four years after Brahms'! On this CD, Robert Kowalski has the requisite technical prowess, though without completely concealing the cruel difficulty of the rapid double-notes in the first movement! But with his beautiful tone, he constantly charms, without false sentimentality, and dazzles with virtuosity in the last movement.
The composer's progress at the age of twenty-two is clearly evident in his Aus Italien op. 16, in which we sense the promise of future symphonic poems and great operas for the next sixty years! Much later, Strauss disparaged some of the works of his youth: he never intended this musical journey to be descriptive, despite the movement titles (Auf der Campagna; In Roms Ruinen; Am Strande von Sorrent)like the surprise of Neapolitanisches Volksleben. The interpretation ofOrchestra della Svizzera italiana (OSI) under the baton of German-born conductor Markus Poschner, is grandiose, lyrical, brilliant and wisely constructed. It also benefits from an extraordinarily transparent sound recording, chiseling out all the subtleties and nuances of the orchestration. The position and timbre of each musician are well defined in theAuditorio Stelio Molo RSI from Lugano. No sound manipulation here!
This CD is therefore highly recommended, and I can't resist mentioning a DVD video of the complete four Brahms symphonies with the same phalanx (Rileggendo Brahms, Sony 88985388869). What a wealth of culture on this side of the border "with" Italy, but not Aus Italien!
Richard Strauss: Violin Concerto; Aus Italien. Orchestra della Svizzera italiana; Markus Poschner; Robert Kowalski, Violin. cpo 555 126-2
Rileggendo Brahms, The complete Symphonies. Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, conducted by Markus Poschner. Live recording Teatro LAC. DVD sony classical 88985388869
