The most striking episode in this new Concerto for Orchestra is at the beginning of the finale, or rather the Presto that takes over a few seconds after the Pesante opening. Bartok’s metronome marking is a very lively crotchet=134-146, but Salonen achieves an amazing crotchet=162, or thereabouts, and his players certainly cope – the violins especially. True, momentum isn’t quite maintained thereafter, but no one could deny that the finale is given an extraordinarily brilliant performance while the recording conveys the full of weight of Bartok’s familiar (revised) ending. I was especially impressed by carefully graded dynamics at the very start of the work (the marked contrast between p and pp, even within the first few bars) and the unanimous attack of the forte violins at bar 51.
However, the “Giuoco delle Coppie” is somewhat slower than the prescribed crotchet=94, although the central brass ‘trio’ is beautifully done and strings excel throughout – especially when playing pizzicato. The “Elegia” is unremarkable, the “Intermezzo Interroto” rather lacking in humour and, taken as a whole, I’d say that while Salonen’s Concerto for Orchestra provides the Los Angeles players with a fine virtuoso vehicle, it’s a fairly unexceptional interpretation. Blomstedt is less brilliant but more characterful, Dorati characterful and idiomatic, while Reiner’s 1955 recording is characterful, idiomatic and brilliant.
The Music for strings, percussion and celesta features a notably incisive account of the second movement (one of the best I’ve heard in recent years), but come 18 seconds into the last movement and the players sound rather tentative. The rest – whether relaxed or tense, fast or slow – conveys a fairly comprehensive understanding of the piece and some spot-on playing, but no special insights. Again, Sony’s recording is very impressive (especially at the lower end of the spectrum), but I would willingly forego sonic refinement for the sake of Mravinsky’s spontaneity (as heard live, on Praga), Karajan’s perception or Reiner’s dynamism.'