CD Review
Ravel / Shostakovich: Petite Symphonie à Cordes / Chamber Symphony Op.118a
- Composer
- Ravel / Shostakovich
- Artist
- Scottish Ensemble / Clio Gould
- Label
- Linn
- Catalogue
- CKD215
- Reviewed by
- Sandy Matheson
I have to admit that, in general, I’m not greatly enthused about the idea of transcribing string quartets for string orchestra. In my experience, reductions (usually for solo piano) tend to be more illuminating than clothing works for a limited number of instruments in often inappropriately rich orchestral textures. I doubt that the most frequently performed of these transcriptions, Schubert’s Death and the Maiden, would get so many outings were it not for the fame of its arranger, Gustav Mahler.
Clearly, Rudolf Barshai, founder of the famous Moscow Chamber Orchestra, would profoundly disagree with all of this. His arrangements of Shostakovich’s Eighth and Tenth String Quartets, made with the composer’s blessing, have long since entered the standard string orchestra repertoire. More recently, Clio Gould and the Scottish Ensemble commissioned him to write a version of the Ravel String Quartet. After a highly successful Scottish tour, they recorded it for Linn Records. And, while not able to equal the enthusiasm of Bernd Feuchtner, who contributes a sometimes contentious liner note, I think that the Petite Symphonie à Cordes has every chance of joining Barshai’s Shostakovich arrangements in the regular concert repertoire.
Crucially, it doesn’t feel like an arrangement; nowhere do Ravel’s precisely chiselled lines become thickened or blurred. I am more than happy to make its acquaintance, especially in a performance as good as this one. The Scottish Ensemble has done nothing better on record than this. The delicious Assez vif scherzo is delivered with fizzing élan, while the très lent third movement is played with just the right degree of tender restraint, very touching.
The Shostakovich is also very well played, but here I’m back on my hobbyhorse; I just don’t think that any performance of the chamber orchestra version could equal the intensity of a really great account of the original quartet. Listen to the recently reissued Borodin Quartet recording (on Chandos) and see if you agree. No reservations at all about the quality of the Scottish Ensemble’s playing, or the realistic reportage of Linn’s engineering.
A note on this page
Originally published by Sandy Matheson, recovered from mmmusic's own archive and reproduced here as the critic wrote it.
Questions about this recording
Who arranged Ravel's String Quartet for string orchestra, and why?
Rudolf Barshai, founder of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, was commissioned by Clio Gould and the Scottish Ensemble to write the arrangement, titled Petite Symphonie à Cordes, after their success bringing his earlier Shostakovich quartet arrangements (made with the composer's blessing) into the standard string orchestra repertoire.
What is the Shostakovich piece on this disc?
The Chamber Symphony Op.118a, Barshai's arrangement of Shostakovich's Tenth String Quartet for string orchestra, one of his arrangements made with the composer's own blessing that has since entered the standard repertoire.
Does the review think transcriptions like this generally work?
The reviewer is broadly sceptical of string-quartet-to-orchestra transcriptions as a genre, but singles out this particular performance and the Ravel arrangement specifically as an exception, saying it doesn't feel like an arrangement at all.
Is this recording still available to buy?
Yes, Linn's catalogue number CKD215 remains findable through classical retailers. We don't run an in-house shop, so we link out to Amazon and Discogs below.
