Classics Album 1
EMI Music, 1996
http://www.vanessamaeofficial.com
REVIEW BY: JB
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/22/1999
It's easy to forget that tank-top wearing "techno-acoustic fusion" artist Vanessa-Mae was a certifiable child prodigy a la Sarah Chang before the days of shoving an electric violin into your face. In her new series of classical albums, three so far, she goes back to a familiar territory of timeless pieces, backed by one or two techno-acoustic tracks to boost commercial interest.
This one is the first and arguably the best. China Girl - Classical Album 2 was marred by a conceptually intriguing but ultimately passionless violin arrangement of Puccini's "Turandot" (so who was it that said the violin was the closest instrument to the human voice?). The Original Four Seasons - Classical Album 3 included a nondescript cover of the well-known classic (unless you're a Vivaldi afficionado; I'm not) and a very, very bad techno-acoustic fusion track.
But back to the beginning. By some coincidence all the composers featured are German; Bach, Brahms, Beethoven and Max Brunch. Music from right between the Baroque and Romantic periods so the styles lean more towards the technical, which may be all the better for Vanessa-Mae who isn't too big on Pearlman-like bleeding. The exception is "Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra Op. 46", a romantic fantasia which deftly weaves several Scottish folk melodies into a full-blown, cinematic violin suite.
Bach's "Partita Number Three in E for Solo Violin" is done with a light bow and not a hint of wavering from the original notation. Every horsehair (and catgut) is in place without being too obvious, just as it's supposed to be. Which is more or less the same for Brahms' "Scherzo in C Minor for Violin and Piano" and Beethoven's "Romance Number Two in F for Violin and Orchestra Op.50", done without overdramatic aggression or gargantuan arrangements. Overall the sound is cerebral and pleasing like the end of a well-taught calculus lesson.
But the vibrato and soaring low strings are let loose for "Scottish Fantasy", which brings some beautiful Celtic melodies to another level of clarity and brilliance. Vanessa-Mae converses beautifully with the orchestra to make a world-building sound somewhat like Dvorak's "New World" symphony.
The featured techno-acoustic fusion track is "I'm a Doun for Lack O'Johnnie (A Little Scottish Fantasy)", the best one she's ever done. Instead of frantic fiddling fixed on a mindless electronic beat like most of her pop efforts, "I'm a Doun" is the synthesis of a simple but heartbreaking Celtic tune with soulful African voices and drums bringing to mind the exotic places a loved one has left for. It somehow sounds better following Brunch's profound arrangement than it does on her pop album Storm.
If you've never liked classical music, this album isn't right for you. It isn't overtly crossover as the arrangements are largely traditional and there's only one pop track. But if you should ever decide to try violin music, this is the album to take an evening off with to draw the blinds. Almost as good as calculus.