Brahms, Rihm, Harbison: Double Concertos

Albumbeschreibung

Two of the three concertos presented here were written for this same duet, violinist Mira Wang and cellist Jan Vogler: the one by John Harbison, in 2010, and by Wolfgang Rihme, in 2015. One may well wonder whether the Double Concerto by Brahms should be on the list, given how Mira Wang plays... the Stradivarius that belonged to Joseph Joachim! Is it the same instrument that he held when he performed the Double Concerto 1887? We can only guess. But that's not the key thing. What's important here is that by presenting them alongside each other, this album showcases the radical differences between the two scores, but also in a certain sense the family resemblance that shines through the language: two soloists who are sometimes opposed and who sometimes join forces against the orchestra, or nestle together in its bosom like two nursing children: the possibilities are legion and the three composers have used them all. It's clear that Harbison's work is undertaken with the greatest rigour: the first movement is made up of "faint misunderstandings" between the soloists; the second tries for a rapprochement; and the third has them in unison, with the orchestra acting throughout as a kind of marriage counsellor. Between these three works, the two soloists are able to show off all their talents, as soloists, as chamber musicians and as "first among equals" within the orchestra. © SM/Qobuz