A richly rewarding performance of a major new viola concerto
THE STRAD RECOMMENDS
The Strad Issue: November 2024
Description: A richly rewarding performance of a major new viola concerto
Musicians: Lawrence Power (viola) Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra/Nicholas Collon
Works: Lindberg: Viola Concerto; Absence; Serenades
Catalogue number: ONDINE ODE1436-2
Having already written two concertos each for violin and cello, it was high time that Magnus Lindberg turned his attention to the viola. The resulting composition, completed earlier this year, has certainly been worth the wait. From the rousing opening brass fanfare, leading into a virtuoso flourish from the soloist, the listener is in for a jolly good time: Lindberg’s mastery of the orchestra in an Impressionistically tinged language makes for an exciting journey. Lawrence Power, to whom the piece is dedicated, makes a most convincing case for it, putting across the intricate solo line with reassuring aplomb. Occasionally, his heart-on-sleeve expressivity gets in the way of the music’s rhythmic niceties, but he more than makes amends with his faithful reflection of the concerto’s mercurially changing moods, reflected in string writing as unconventional as the piece’s structure.
Lindberg’s score explicitly references Berio’s Sequenza for viola and elements of his writing suggest that he is familiar with the instrument’s solo repertoire – not that the music speaks anything other than his own language. Power takes the extended written-out cadenza as the starting point for an impressive extemporisation that includes some vocal contributions from himself. This most lifelike sounding album is completed by two scintillating orchestral showpieces, both written in 2020, that put the crack Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and its London-born chief conductor in the undivided spotlight.
Carlos María Solare
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