Daniel Hope - Shostakovich: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (2006)

Daniel Hope provides a thoughtful and distinctive take on this increasingly familiar music. While his coolly radiant tone can turn fragile and scratchy at times of stress, his interpretations have a patient sobriety recalling David Oistrakh, the great Soviet-era virtuoso to whom the present CD is dedicated. (A violinist like Lydia Mordkovitch has more of the authentic fullness and colour: Chandos, 4/90.)
Hope and his record company are at pains to highlight the participation of the composer’s son, Maxim, who in 1972 was the conductor for Oistrakh’s final, and surely most dully accompanied, remake of the First Concerto (EMI, A/05). Maxim does creditably enough this time, but his Haitink-like literalism strikes few sparks given the introverted approach of his soloist. Like it or not, the choppy, high-octane fervour of Sarah Chang and Sir Simon Rattle (EMI, 5/06) creates a bigger splash.
Hope’s account of No 2 has an appealing classicism, belying the tendentious revisionism of his introductory note. Bonus commentary (at www.warnerclassics.com) again implies something more bitterly satirical than what we actually get. Despite eloquent horn playing, the orchestra remains mostly ‘in neutral’.
As Warner’s mid-price Elatus series contains arguably the finest modern recordings of both works (Vengerov and the LSO conducted by Rostropovich, 2/95R and A/97R) revisiting this repertoire was a brave gesture. The bonus item, a familiar nugget from The Gadfly with a wrong note corrected, is neither here nor there. But the awkward Maida Vale studio acoustic has rarely sounded better, notes and artwork are fine and there is much to be said for the sincerity of the music-making.