Search - Walton, Little, Litton :: Symphony 2 / Violin Concerto / Scapino

Splendid

David Saemann | 05/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have three CDs of Litton conducting Walton, and this is the best of them. The Scapino Overture is bright and witty, with a sort of quicksilver quality. I am a fan of Tasmin Little, and ordered this disc because of her. Her performance of the Violin Concerto is typically warm, though with no shortage of virtuosity. At times I feel her playing here is a little too softgrained, when the soloist should be taking charge. But her performance of the last movement is truly splendid. The highlight of the disc is the Second Symphony. Litton's interpretation is of the same order as the classic analogue accounts by Szell and Previn. He is accorded much better sound, however, a quality hard to ignore in a work very few Americans are likely to encounter in the concert hall. There is a sublime, worldly wise quality to this Symphony, very different from Walton's brassy First Symphony. Litton captures this somewhat wistful characteristic beautifully, and his orchestra plays splendidly. It's worth noting that since I started collecting Litton's Walton, his 3 CDs have been collected in a budget priced box. I think if I had to start collecting these recordings now, that is the route I would take."