Sonoko Miriam Welde: Bruch, Vaughan Williams & Barber (Lawo) Review

   

Sonoko Miriam Welde: Bruch, Vaughan Williams & Barber 

Length: 61 minutes
Label: Lawo Classics
Soloist: Sonoko Miriam Welde

Conductor: Tabita Berglund
Orchestra: Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra

    This new album released by Lawo Classics has possibly the worst recording of all three pieces featured on this album I had ever heard. Violinist Sonoko Miriam Welde's debut album really does not make me excited for her as a performer I will be honest.

    I don't think there is any real introductions necessary for the pieces included here since they are all stables of the violin repertoire. German composer Max Bruch (1838 - 1920)'s Violin Concerto No 1, English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958)'s Lark Ascending, and finally American composer Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981)'s Violin Concerto.

    Out of these three, the Barber is possibly my favorite violin concerto of the early half of the twentieth century, and the Lark is very closely behind it; and although I am not the biggest fan of the romantic era, the Bruch's first violin concerto (and all of his other concerti and other works) are wonderfully beautiful, and this performance is so bad it literally made me chuckle at how bad it was when I was listening to it earlier.

    Lets first start with the Bruch. For some reason, maybe trying to sound different, all of her phrasings was just strange and unnatural. Notes held too long, too short, weird articulations, and tempo changes. And most importantly, and this goes for her performance of every other piece on the album, is that she seems to be playing only in fortissimo, no higher and no lower. The orchestra accompanying her play was excellent, at least in this piece (it goes down hill in Lark,) and it really felt like the orchestra was the only ones giving a damn, and she did not. It really felt like she never practiced the piece, seen the sheet music for it, or even heard of it before. 

    Words can't describe my pain, the only way is for you to listen for yourself, and I suggest you get some better recordings because if you don't listen to those afterward the piece might just be ruined for you. Some suggestions including Ray Chen with London phil and conductor Robert Trevino on Decca, Maxim Vengerov with Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Kurt Masur on Teldec, or hell, any of the old Jascha Heifetz recordings on Sony.

    Moving onto Vaughan Williams's Lark, which is one of the most beautiful, tranquil, and pastoral music in the repertoire of the instrument. Some people might think the piece is too unmoving and what not, which is completely fine since it is all subjective; but what I think is not subjective is you cannot play Lark the same way you play something like, oh I don't know, Schnittke? 

    This performance didn't sound like Lark Ascending, it sounds like a lark got shot by a hunter, fell on the ground, and is getting choked. The violin sounds crunchy, which is not what you want in Lark; every phrasing in this recording was so unnatural and unlyrical, as if she was playing Paganini or some virtuosic piece, which first of all the Lark Ascending is not that, and second of all her Barber showcased that she also couldn't play the more virtuosic pieces. And that issue of dynamics from the Bruch carries on to this one, and in this one it sounds like she was playing the whole piece at an even louder dynamic than the Bruch which like COME ON, THE LARK ASCENDING IS A PASTORAL TONE POEM, NOT A VIRTUOSIC SHOW OFF! 

    What is more is that the orchestra seems to have either given up, or brainwashed by Welde, since they played the entire piece's orchestral tutti with intensity and aggression, which might have worked in Bruch's 1st movement, but certainly not here in the Lark. The flutist seems to try and match Welde's intensity in this piece, but his common sense seems to be holding him back which just made it feel so jarring and uncomfortable.

    Once again, some much better recordings: Hilary Hahn with London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Colin Davis on DG, Iona Brown with Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Sir Neville Marriner on Decca, or seriously just any other recordings. I really didn't know that it was possible to ruin the Lark Ascending, but Sonoko Miriam Welde managed to do it somehow, so congrats? I guess?

    Lastly, Barber Violin Concerto. Same issue was the previous pieces: weird phrasing, always fortissimo even in the slow movements; one of the most ridiculously slow and awful last movement I have heard, and it seems like the orchestra finally lost it. They played this piece like they were playing Shostakovich 9th, a joke.

    At this point, I urge you to listen to this recording just for how bad it is. It is actually helpful in some ways, that is it makes you appreciate the other recordings so much more. Here is a few great Barber recordings: Hilary Hahn with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Hugh Wolff on Sony, Gil Shaham with London Symphony Orchestra and André Previn on DG which also has in my opinion the best recording of Korngold's Violin Concerto, and there is many other great recordings.

    Jesus Christ.