Khachaturian: Violin Concerto, Concerto Rhapsody
Antje Weithaas (violin)
Daniel Raiskin / Rhine Philharmonic (CPO)
(scroll down for English review)
喜歡Weithass的布魯赫小提琴協奏作品全集，順勢聽了她的兩首哈察都量小提琴協奏曲。哈察都量《小提琴協奏曲》又是一首逐漸被當代小提琴家忽略的作品，它是為奧斯特勒赫所作，他的錄音當然有名，原來第一樂章的華彩段也是由他撰寫。可能現代人嫌哈察都量的風格比較老土，又不像蕭斯塔高維契甚至魏恩貝格那般藉音樂去反抗蘇聯政權，所以傾向低估哈察都量。
我肯定沒在音樂會聽過這首小提琴協奏曲（軌一至三），以往覺得重點是在第一樂章的活潑旋律，但這次重聽，覺得第二及三樂章其實更加精彩，尤其是第二樂章的慢板旋律十分動人，哈察都量能把它延續下去而不覺冷場。我認為即使哈察都量不像其他二十世紀作曲家那麼銳意開拓小提琴的演奏極限，但他絕對懂得如何令小提琴發揮炫技，牽動聽眾情緒，但又能夠在炫技及感情之間找到平衡。
哈察都量為鋼琴、小提琴及大提琴都各寫了一首協奏曲及「協奏狂想曲」。這首《小提琴協奏狂想曲》（軌四）是為高根而寫，聽到的機會比《小提琴協奏曲》更少。雖然是一個樂章過，但明確分成慢及快兩部分。我覺得慢板的部分寫得較好，就像《小提琴協奏曲》的慢板一樣，能讓小提琴激情地歌唱。快板的部分我就覺得稍為單薄，比較依賴炫技去推動樂章，但有Weithaas的精湛技術，我就算明知音樂材料的質素不高，也會被精準的炫技所牽動，不知不覺便聽完全曲。就算小提琴家、管弦樂團，甚至樂評人冷視這些作品，我也樂意向朋友們推介。
Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto is another piece that gets increasingly neglected. David Oistrakh’s recordings of this work were simply authoritative and he also wrote the first movement cadenza. Perhaps Khachaturian’s style is now too retro and his music would never be treated as statements of resistance, as with Shostakovich or even Weinberg, so that’s another possible reason for his decline of popularity.
I’ve always thought the bouncy melody of the first movement is the signature of the whole concerto, but now I realize the second and third movements are also exceptional. Perhaps Khachaturian didn’t extend the violin’s possibilities as many of the 20th century composers did but I’m sure he knew very well how to write for the violin and balance the demands of virtuosity and emotions superbly.
Khachaturian indeed wrote one concerto and one concert-rhapsody for piano, violin and cello. The one for violin (track 4) was written for Leonid Kogan but the work was simply forgotten. The opening slow section is more to my taste and the violin sings a soaring melody. The fast section is just too virtuosic for its sake but I must thank Antje Weithaas’ dazzling playing that grasped my attention until the end.