Charlie Siem Plays Bruch, Wieniawski & Bull

Album review

British violinist Charlie Siem is something of a sensation, to say the least, having combined activity as a male model (check out his spread in Vogue) with a specialty in violin works of the most bone-crushing kind. Don't hate him because he's beautiful, for there's no question he has the chops to back up his looks. The most exciting moment on this Warner Classics and Jazz release comes right up front, when Siem confidently tackles the icily difficult opening solo in Henryk Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 14, and shows no signs of stress over the long string of parallel tenths. His tone throughout this extreme manifestation of late Romantic virtuosity is clean, wiry, and electric, and he has plenty of power in the heroic themes of Bruch's well-worn Violin Concerto No. 1 in G major, Op. 26. The novelty here is Ole Bull's Cantabile doloroso e rondo giocoso for violin and orchestra. It's nice to see the music of Bull being revived, for it has much to tell about 19th century America and the public face of Romantic music in general. Siem's pure tone isn't quite capable of delivering the schmaltz required; nor do the slow movements of the two concertos have quite their quota of warmth. But make no mistake: this is a major talent, not just a pretty face. The London Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Gourlay stays where it belongs, in the background, and the engineering brings out Siem's exploits clearly. A fine virtuoso outing.

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