Fabiola Kim: 1939
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: William Walton, Béla Bartók, Karl Amadeus Hartmann
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: Solo Musica
Magazine Review Date: AW2019
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 92
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: SM308

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra |
William Walton, Composer
Fabiola Kim, Violin Kevin John Edusei, Conductor Munich Philharmonic Orchestra William Walton, Composer |
Concerto funèbre |
Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Composer
Fabiola Kim, Violin Karl Amadeus Hartmann, Composer Kevin John Edusei, Conductor Munich Philharmonic Orchestra |
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 |
Béla Bartók, Composer
Béla Bartók, Composer Fabiola Kim, Violin Kevin John Edusei, Conductor Munich Philharmonic Orchestra |
Author: Richard Whitehouse
That said, these readings are not the whole story. The initial Andante of the Walton lacks bite in its more incisive passages, with interplay of capricious and suave elements in the Scherzo a little underplayed, then a falling-off of momentum in the finale well before the accompanied cadenza and resolute coda – where Tasmin Little’s less polished but more searching approach comes into its own. In its unrelieved angst and abrasive timbres, the Hartmann is a powerful statement of helplessness in the face of tyranny, Kim mindful to bring out a numbed lament in the opening Adagio (with its sombre epigraph) and coursing anger of the ensuing Allegro, though Alina Ibragimova goes appreciably further prior to a finale searing in its despair. The Bartók is the highlight here, Kim audibly attuned to the forward impetus characterising its interrelated outer movements even in their more inward episodes, with limpid eloquence in the Andante to temper its stark symmetry; yet Isabelle Faust summons even greater passion and dynamism en route to a surging peroration (sans soloist, as Bartók originally envisaged).
In all three concertos, Kim receives dedicated support from the Munich Symphony musicians with Kevin John Edusei (best known in the UK for his work with the Chineke! orchestra), an adept and sensitive accompanist. The recorded sound, too, is not lacking detail or perspective, and there are informative contextual notes. Anyone drawn to the underlying concept should acquire this release without hesitation, as Kim offers an enlightened overview of these pieces, but those who seek readings that delve deeper in each instance are advised to look elsewhere.
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