漢恩的暖冷熱 Hilary Hahn Plays Dvořák and Ginastera

Dvořák, Ginastera: Violin Concertos
Sarasate: Carmen Fantasy
Hilary Hahn (violin)
Andrés Orozco-Estrada / Frankfurt Radio Symphony (DG)

(scroll down for English review)
漢恩新碟的三首作品，論熱門程度可謂暖、冷、熱。德伏扎克《小提琴協奏曲》（軌一至三）在音樂會世界是邊緣曲目，若這首協奏曲能多點人喜歡，大可以把孟德爾遜的出現次數降低。漢恩對此作品的心機，主要在加大速度變化，包括把隱含的變速實踐（例如啟首的迷你華彩段應有些微的變速），亦有可以營造感情冷熱反差、不在樂譜上的變速。我認為效果不似預期，尤其是減慢得太多又不見得令感情更濃。

第三樂章她刻意減慢「一小節一拍」的速度，想令德伏扎克的切分節奏更為突出，不過我覺得是弄巧反拙，因為我相信德伏扎克並不是想我們聽節奏，而是將捷克舞曲節奏作為容器去承載他的音樂，換句話說，漢恩有點捨本逐末。

漢恩灌錄希納斯特拉《小提琴協奏曲》（軌四至14）是很意想不到，這首1963年首演的作品是寫給里奇，並由他跟伯恩斯坦及紐約愛樂首演。我沒聽過此曲，還好我找到樂譜跟着聽，否則會早早投降。此曲令我想起伯恩斯坦自己的《第二交響曲》（焦慮年代），一首鋼琴協奏曲和交響曲的混合體。希納斯特拉一方面給小提琴寫得夠難（因為對方是里奇），但又極力保持嚴肅感覺，不過我坦白說，此曲令我覺得很枯燥，主要是因為作曲家太想寫嚴肅而現代的音樂，既要避開前衛語言，又不能回歸浪漫派，我欣賞漢恩的嘗試（正如她十幾年前用荀伯格協奏曲配搭西貝流士），但我恐怕短期內不會再聽此曲了。

最後的《卡門幻想曲》（軌15至19）我當成解穢酒，漢恩避免例行公事，不滿足把所有音符如卸貨般傾倒，有時會有味道，但較多時候我覺得造作。

It’s good to see a new recording of Dvořák’s Violin Concerto by a leading violinist, if our concert promoters or audience are more receptive to this work, we would have fewer performances of the Mendelssohn concerto, at least. Hahn enhances the tempo fluctuations in it, sometimes realizing some implied ritardardos, sometimes creating tempo changes when none could be found on the score, with the well-intentioned intent to deepen emotions.

But to me, the slowed down sections didn’t always result in a heightened atmosphere. In the third movement Hahn took a slower-than-usual one-in-a-bar pulse, in order to stress the syncopation of Dvořák’s furiant rhythm. I think Hahn overdid it and perhaps missed the point: Dvořák wouldn’t want us to follow the syncopated rhythm which was only his tool to create his music.

I was quite surprised to see Hahn tackled the Ginastera concerto, which I haven’t heard before. Luckily with a score at hand I felt safe to try this concerto, written for Ruggiero Ricci and premiered with Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic, in 1963. While going through the quirky structure I was reminded of Bernstein’s own Symphony No.2 “The Age of Anxiety” which was a crossbred of piano concerto and symphony. The resemblance, to me, was Ginastera’s attempt to create a modern work without resorting to avant garde language nor regressing to the romantic idiom. I really wasn’t impressed, the whole thing sounded too dull, too academic, too arid.

Hahn might have betrayed Ginastera’s ideals by ending this CD with Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy. Perhaps similar to the Dvořák concerto Hahn tried hard not to play like a typical virtuoso and lump the notes to us. She did what she could to deliver a fresh picture but I think some sections really sounded too laboured.