Liza Ferschtman - Korngold: Violin Concerto, Bernstein: Serenade (2018) [SACD]

The recording of this release (SACD Surround) is simply superb, supporting the lushness of Korngold’s 1945 violin concerto perfectly. The achievement here is that Ferschtman does not milk the melodies, letting them speak for themselves, eloquently, while the Prague orchestra is on knife-edge form. The Bernstein is that composer’s reactions to love as reflected in Plato’s Symposium. The five ‘viewpoints’ – Phaedrus, Aristophanes, Eryximachus, Agathon and Socrates – offer a varied journey. Fertschman is massively characterful in ‘Aristophanes’. The power of the final two movements is remarkable.

Tracklist:

ERICH WOLFGANG KORNGOLD (1897-1957)
Violin Concerto, Op. 35
[1] Moderato nobile 9:55
[2] Romanze 8:44
[3] Allegro assai vivace 8:06

LEONARD BERNSTEIN (1918-1990)
Serenade after Plato’s “Symposium”
[4] I. Phaedrus: Pausanias (lento and allegro) 7:02
[5] II. Aristophanes (allegretto) 4:25
[6] III. Eryximachus (presto) 1:30
[7] IV. Agathon (adagio) 7:18
[8] V. Socrates: Alcibiades (molto tenuto and allegro molto vivace) 10:59

Musicians:
Liza Ferschtman, violin
Prague Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jiří Malát (Korngold)
Het Gelders Orkest, conducted by Christian Vásquez (Bernstein)