Koch’s booklet-note tells us that, by performing all the solo parts of the works involved, “Isabelle van Keulen fulfils a long-cherished ambition”. A ‘fascinating challenge’, that I could accept; but a ‘long-cherished ambition’ seems to me somewhat immodest – especially considering the countless fine young players who could have provided van Keulen with stimulating musical partnership.
Of course Heifetz, Grumiaux, Rosand and Mordkovitch have all, at one time or another, ‘double-tracked’ with themselves (Grumiaux on violin and piano) but only Josef Suk has, to my knowledge, experimented with a work as big as Mozart’s great Sinfonia concertante, K364 (Panton, with the Czech PO and Vaclav Neumann). Van Keulen’s performance is spruce, well drilled and articulated rather along the lines of ‘period’ performances (especially with regard to the trills and grace-notes in K364). The upwardly-leaping tune that skips in at 3'56'' into the Sinfonia concertante’s first movement is sweeter on the violin than on the viola, but the dialogic crossfire between instruments is remarkably tight and the Prague Chamber Orchestra’s accompaniments – directed by van Keulen – offer a nicely-graded accompaniment. I was a little less sure about an Andante which, for all its clean lines and tapered phrasing, seemed just a little too cool. I know that nowadays the very idea of two players ‘crying on each others’ shoulders’ as they might have done years ago (Stern and Primrose, for example) is deemed interpretatively ‘incorrect’, but I still would have welcomed a shot or two of extra warmth.
The finale is lively rather than exuberant but the two-in-one formula works far better in the relatively lightweight Concertone, especially as van Keulen’s bright, chirpy playing style sits more comfortably on the violin than it does on the viola – or so it seems. Here van Keulen’s tone mirrors itself perfectly, though she does occasionally vary her phrasing between, say, ‘question and answer’. Again, the orchestra cope well, and so does the recording.
As to selected comparisons, none is strictly relevant, given the unique nature of the performance. However, for my money, there is no substitute for two players responding to – or bouncing off – each other, which is why I would ultimately pass over this clever, stylish but rather soulless reading in favour of any of my quoted alternatives – Grumiaux and Pelliccia, especially. Incidentally, bearing in mind all the recent hullabaloo about artist fees, how do you suppose a record company or agent copes with one star playing the parts of two? Interesting thought, isn’t it?'