Search - Beethoven, Shumsky, Davis :: Violin Concerto / Romance in F

Great soloist let down by soggy orchestra

RaleighObserver | Eastern USA | 05/19/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I remember the memorable concert when Oscar Shumsky performed this piece with the Boston Philharmonic in the early 1990's. The performance got, and deserved, rave reviews. Reviewers noted Shumsky's nobility, his ability to be emotional without being sentimental, and one reviewer called it one of the great events of the season. All those qualities are in evidence here; however, instead of Benjamin Zander's enthusiastic and (relatively) idiomatic conducting, and the Boston Philharmonic's lighter, more stringent sound, we have Andrew Davis leading a thick-sounding Philharmonia through a plodding accompaniment. Davis seems to be striving for grandiosity, but rhythms are slack, phrases blend into one another and the entire piece becomes shapeless as a result. What a shame! Shumksy deserved better than this.



Get this CD for a glimpse at a rare violinist who chose to teach and be out of the spotlight for many years while he matured as an artist, performing a concerto clearly dear to his heart. Five stars plus for the soloist; 3 stars at best for the orchestra and conductor."