The Strad Recommends: Noah Bendix-Balgley: Mozart, Sinigaglia

THE STRAD RECOMMENDS

The Strad Issue: September 2024

Description: A world-beating orchestra celebrates its principals in a new venture

Musicians: Noah Bendix-Balgley (violin) Berlin Philharmonic/Kirill Petrenko

Works: Mozart: Violin Concerto no.1. Sinigaglia: Romance; Rapsodia piemontese

Catalogue number: BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER BPHR24084

This is the first of a series of recordings the Berlin Philharmonic is producing to demonstrate the artistry of its principal musicians. Noah Bendix-Balgley, its leader, has programmed a set of three works, all of them rather off the beaten track: Mozart’s First Violin Concerto is the least performed of his five, and the music of the Italian Leone Sinigaglia will be unknown to most.

The Mozart opens with an opulent tutti, after which Bendix-Balgley enters with warmth, focused tone and agility. This is high-spirited, energetic playing: he shapes the running semiquavers with style and his main cadenza is attractive and appropriately virtuosic. The second movement has an easy elegance, stately but always flowing onwards, and he puts in a few extra runs and flourishes en route to another nicely crafted cadenza. He is crisp and sprightly in the final Presto.

Sinigaglia’s career straddled the 19th and 20th centuries, with music that is attractive but doesn’t risk frightening the horses. His Romance, composed in 1899, has a lithe, long-breathed opening melody, leading to a central poco più mosso where the romance becomes more urgent (ff con fuoco indeed!). Bendix-Balgley plays it all with unfailing sweetness of tone.

The Rapsodia piemontese, written a year later, is an upbeat, dancing work that has Bendix-Balgley scampering about in pristine semiquavers. At its centre is a lovely Andantino mosso section with a nicely shaped, ruminative melody. Both pieces are worth hearing in these excellent performances. The recording is clear and well balanced.

TIM HOMFRAY