We have detected that you are using an adblocking plugin in your browser.

The revenue we earn by the advertisements is used to manage this website. Please whitelist our website in your adblocking plugin.

LEBRECHT LISTENS | Alisa Weilerstein's "Transfigured Night" Should Be A Top-Drawer Recommendation

By Norman Lebrecht on July 27, 2018

Alisa Weilerstein: Transfigured Night
Alisa Weilerstein’s first album with Pentatone and the Trondheim Soloists should be a top-drawer recommendation, but it lacks the power needed for a convincing exploration of Viennese musical heritage.

Haydn: Cello concertos (Pentatone)

★★ (out of five)

There’s a debate going on among agents as to whether it is better for an artist to have an exclusive record contract or to work across several labels. Alisa Weilerstein, who has made outstanding recordings of the Elgar, Dvorak and Shostakovich concertos for Decca, has now popped up on a Dutch label with the two Haydn concertos and Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night. Pentatone is a terrific label, run by former Philips professionals. This ought to be a top-drawer recommendation. Why it isn’t is a matter of some perplexity.

Weilerstein dispenses with a conductor for these pieces, which is not unusual. But her tempi at the opening of the D major concerto are not crisp, and the ensemble is not powerful enough to challenger her into a stronger course. The C major concerto, slightly snappier, sags a bit in the Adagio.

As for the Schoenberg, it warbles along in a convivial blur without ever suggesting it is telling a compelling story of love and death. The Trondheim Soloists make all the right noises, mostly together, but I get no sense of urgency in this enterprise. There are stronger accounts of the concertos by Rostropovich, Isserlis, Maisky, Caucon, Du Pre and Yo-Yo Ma.

Haydn: Cello concertos (Pentatone) is available from Amazon and iTunes.

Share this article
lv_toronto_banner_high_590x300
comments powered by Disqus

FREE ARTS NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX, EVERY MONDAY BY 6 AM

company logo

Part of

Terms of Service & Privacy Policy
© 2024 | Executive Producer Moses Znaimer