Published on Mar 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.