Mendelssohn Violin Concertos—Alina Ibragimova (violin), OAE conducted by Vladimir Jurowski—Hyperion vinyl edition [2024]

I’ve been banging on in reviews and our Everything Classical Music Livestream that digital is in our analogue future. As such, if classical fans want new vinyl to spin, many new releases and remasters (there are precious few) will be from digital or at least have, like ESOTERIC’s superb releases, a single digital step.

A little research shows that this new pressing is from the initial run of five LPs chosen from the vaults at Hyperion. They are all digital, from the early ‘80s to 2015, with this release from 2012 (recorded in 2011 in Henry Wood Hall, London, by engineer Simon Eadon and produced by Andrew Keener). Each title will get an initial run of 1000 records. This LP was cut by Daniel Krieger and pressed at MPO in France.

If this album is indicative of the care taken with Hyperion’s very interesting catalogue, vinyl enthusiasts should be content for some time. I guess it depends on sales if Hyperion moves forward with the series, but on this release alone, I can offer a warm recommendation to even the most ardent AAA vinyl purists.

I have an email to Daniel Krieger asking him about the tape/file source for the recutting (Neumann lathe). No response yet, but I can update the review when/if information is given.

Before we get to Mendelssohn, the performers and recording quality, I will tell you the production values are superb. Here, we have a glossy gatefold on quality stock with wonderful photography and liner notes. The record was flat and silent, with the lovely Hyperion label centred and the spindle hole sized correctly.

Henry Wood Hall, London. A converted church and now rehearsal/recording space for London artists.

The record contains a staple in the repertoire and a somewhat unknown work. Two violin concertos by Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847), side 1 containing the famous Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 (1844) with side 2, the much less known Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra in D minor (1822), written when the composer was thirteen years old.

At the time, Mendelssohn was considered almost equal to the young Mozart. Although he had written 12 string symphonies at the same time as his concerto, it’s best to remember that as far as his development was concerned, he composed a masterpiece at 17, the Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The D minor Concerto is a youthful work, but it’s charming and doesn’t overstay its welcome. I doubt that it will ever see a better performance or recording than this superb Hyperion. The famous E minor Concerto, another Mendelssohn masterpiece, is one of the go-tos for every violin soloist since its debut in 1845. The first performance took place in Leipzig with Ferdinand David as soloist.

This recording has an interesting angle, with a standard orchestra on modern instruments replaced by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE), a self-governing London period instrument ensemble founded in 1986. In the years since (with many of the same players performing in all the top period instrument groups), the orchestra has become one of the leaders in the HIP movement. Here, it is conducted by the superb Russian Vladimir Jurowski, then of the LPO, now the Bavarian State Opera.

Vladimir Jurowski. Photo credit: Zima Magazine

Violinist Alina Ibragimova MBE was born in Russia, studied in Moscow, and then moved to England when her father, the eminent double bassist Rinat Ibragimov, was appointed principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. She usually performs on a standard violin and bow, but in 2005, Ibragimova founded the period instrument Chiaroscuro Quartet, a string quartet playing on gut strings with historical bows. It is this type of stringed instrument/bow that Ibragimova chose to record the Mendelssohn concerto repertoire.

For this recording, the tuning pitch is A = 437 Hz rather than the standard pitch of A = 440 Hz or HIP pitch, which can go as low as A = 415 Hz. Ibragimova performs on a c.1775 Anselmo Bellosio violin; some other research suggests an Amati violin in the mix. I’m not sure how/which instrument/string/bow mix was chosen for this recording. In any case, the solo and orchestral playing is of such a high standard with very sophisticated sounds in almost standard pitch you’ll be hard-pressed to hear the differences between period playing and this super-slick 2011 OAE. Interstingly, Isabelle Faust, the German concert violinist also mixes and matches her instrument/strings/bow to very good effect to suit her musical mood.

Ibragimova has technique to burn; she’s a very fluent violinist with a fine bowing arm. None of the vaunted difficulties of the E minor Concerto present any challenges for her. Her intonation is generally excellent, and her tone is very beautiful. She plays with a dramatic thrust that is engaging but always in service to Mendelssohn’s music. Her personality is represented by a lovely rhapsodic feel in both slow movements. And the famous fleet E minor finale sounds delightful with Mendelssohn’s amazing orchestration.

The opening of the youthful concerto has influences of the baroque blended with some classical inspiration. And the orchestral tuttis are exciting; a young man of great talent wishing to energize his audience. The OAE plays both accompaniments with great skill, excellent intonation and sensitivity to the soloist. I’m sure the great Jurowski inspired them, kept them on a leash when needed and let them loose at appropriate times. Other than the odd phrase where modern ears would appreciate a little vibrato on the string choir or a flute solo, there’s not much difference in sound to a famous modern orchestra.

If you need first-class performances of both concertos, look no further. And do not let the HIP angle influence you. Ibragimova, the OAE and their conductor are world-class.

Happily, the digital-to-vinyl transfer is superb. I heard zero digital artifacts. The general feeling is warm and detailed, with an exciting overall feel. There’s not much of the hall, but then Henry Wood is more functional than noted for its legendary acoustics. A couple of minutes in, I forgot about the genesis of the recording and was engrossed by the performances. No, you are not getting a Wilkie/Kingsway on a Decca first press, but even the new AAA releases these days do not give you that. But no bother. It’s a fine pressing and would be a good addition to any well-curated vinyl collection.

Hyperion is to be congratulated. And encouraged. We’re going to need more than the initial five releases! I have Hyperion’s get-out-of-jail-free card, the famous 1982 release of music by Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), A Feather on the Breath of God on order. The million-seller cemented Hyperion’s place in the recording business. It’ll be here next month, and I’ll review it for you.

Label: Hyperion
Release date: September 2024
Total duration: 47 minutes 19 seconds