Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony needs no introduction there’s a plethora of recordings in the catalogue. I shall certainly return to this disc to hear the Double Concerto. The orchestration has a consistently light touch – there’s a chamber feel to the work – but the accompaniment is always interesting and effective. Michael Rusinek and Nancy Goeres are superb soloists. Its dimensions may be modest but the concerto is delightful from first bar to last. I think Jonathan Leshnoff has given us a thoroughly entertaining piece. Just before 4:00 the music resumes its perky character and this sees the concerto out. That said, at 2:18 there’s a lyrical legato section of which the prime component is an extended clarinet solo. The finale is lively and here the solo writing is mainly staccato. Towards the end of the movement the solo bassoonist and her two colleagues in the orchestra combine briefly to entertain us. As a one-time player of the bassoon I’ve always regarded that as a gratuitous calumny, but I’ll admit that the instrument can portray humour very well and Leshnoff exploits that characteristic here. As I listened, I recalled the hackneyed description of the bassoon as “the clown of the orchestra”. The character is light-hearted and the nature of the solo parts is perky. There follows a short central movement which Leshnoff describes as “a ‘tipsy’ waltz”. There’s a fresh, open feel to the music and, apart from one brief climax, the movement is predominantly gentle and lyrical in voice. Both solo parts are primarily cantabile in nature and the melodic basis of the music is consistently attractive. The music proceeds in a moderate tempo and one feature of the writing is that much of the bassoon part has the instrument in its upper compass this is deliberate in order to balance the two solo instruments as effectively as possible. The composer describes the first as “mostly delicate and subtle”. The concerto is in three short movements. Michael Rusinek and Nancy Goeres are the principals of their respective sections with the Pittsburgh Symphony. The Double Concerto was written for the artists who play it here in fact, I wonder if the recording stems from the first performances of the work. If this Double Concerto is typical of his work then I’m keen to hear more. I can’t recall hearing his music before although, according to his biography in the booklet, quite a few of his works have been recorded. Before considering that oft-recorded work, it’s appropriate to discuss the coupling, the first recording of the American composer Jonathan Leshnoff’s Double Concerto for Clarinet and Bassoon. Manfred Honeck’s latest live recording with the Pittsburgh Symphony has, as its main offering, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. live, 6- (Tchaikovsky), 6-9 June 2019, (Leshnoff), Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts, Pittsburgh, PA, USA Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Manfred Honeck Michael Rusinek (clarinet) Nancy Goeres (bassoon) Support us financially by purchasing this fromĭouble Concerto for Clarinet and Bassoon
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