The Chamber Orchestra of Europe in its three years of existence has rightly won glowing opinions for some outstanding concerts in many countries. It was an original plan to take the concept of a youth orchestra one stage further and keep an outstanding team together over the early years of professional music-making, for the COE was founded almost as an offshoot of the European Community Youth Orchestra. With headquarters in London, with a high proportion of British members, this is yet an international body with players from outside Britain spending a substantial proportion of their working year with the COE. A year ago Pickwick issued a varied recital of orchestral showpieces conducted by James Judd which impressively demonstrated the orchestra's style and polish (Contour CC7574, 1/84) and it was the COE that with John Eliot Gardiner conducting played for Julian Bream's latest version of Rodrigo's Concierto de Arajuez (RS9014/5, 7/83).
The test here is even more formidable, for in direct rivalry come two versions of the same coupling from our two most celebrated chamber orchestras. What comes out from the comparisons is that though the COE may not here match the supreme refinement of the ASMF on Philips in either of these works, its playing is notably finer—both more warmly expressive and crisper of ensemble—than that of the ECO on EMI, both the full string band under Mackerras and the Wind Ensemble which recorded Op. 44 without a conductor. There the contrasts are specially fascinating with the COE under Alexander Schneider. Where the fine individual artistry of the ECO soloist fails quite to add up to a co-ordinated reading. Schneider draws very positive playing from his young musicians, whether in the bounce of the opening movement, the highly sophisticated rubato of the second movement or the radiant lyricism of the slow movement, where Richard Hosford as principal clarinet gives quite the warmest account of the great opening solo on any of the three versions.
More controversial than Schneider's reading of the Wind Serenade is his view of the String Serenade which is far more romantic in its preference for slow speeds and expressive phrasing than either of the others. The combination of freshness and finesse in the ASMF version remains supreme, but for a more romantic view, this makes an excellent alternative. Next to the others the very opening may sound too heavy at its slow speed, but taken on its own it is warmly convincing. Similarly Schneider's idea of Larghetto for the fourth movement may be far slower than usual, but the rapt stillness is then strongly contrasted with the faster, staccato middle section, taken relatively briskly and beautifully pointed. The string tone is full and resonant, even beefy, not as smooth as that of the ASMF but far sweeter than that of the ECO, yet remaining fresh. The recorded sound, full and open, is the most vivid of the three.'