Tavener - Lalishri
Tavener - Dhyana
Tavener - Song for Athene
Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending
Benedetti; LPO / Litton
DG 476 6198

Release date September 2007

What first struck me on hearing Nicola Benedetti’s latest CD was a sense that this is repertoire with which she has a real affinity. This is hardly surprising considering that two of the works were commissioned for the album (and a third, Tavener’s popular choral work Song for Athene, was arranged as part of a collaboration between Benedetti and the composer); but it is what makes this recording stand out above her previous two. It also indicates that Benedetti continues to make her own decisions and is still striving towards her goal to ‘be playing better and doing more interesting things musically in 20 years’ time’. I have to confess that on seeing the accompanying booklet I was about to alter my opinion; but perservere past the abundance of soulful poses and you can gain an appreciation of Benedetti’s intelligent consideration and enthusiasm for the music through the insights into her preparation for Tavener’s Lalishri (a work which is inspired by the poetry of Lalla Yogishwari, a 14th century Hindu saint, and uses an Indian tradition of musical improvisation called ‘druphad’): ‘I spent many nights, lights off, playing the Druphad improvisation sections, trying to transport my state of mind to somewhere unfamiliar to me. More than ever it was time to forget about shifting with the left hand or up-and-down bows, and to listen to a sound that was no longer a violin.’ The coupling of Tavener’s Lalishri with Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending is appropriate as both works convey a powerful image of their subject through a close relationship with the poetry on which they are based. Both require the perfect combination of brightness and tenderness, a balance which Benedetti and the sympathetic accompanying of the London Philharmonic under Andrew Litton certainly achieve. Benedetti’s tone, particularly in the higher range, is always pure. The ‘wild’ sections in Lalishri (these portray the tales of Lalla Yogishwari’s rather loopy behaviour; apparently on finding her True Self she ‘danced naked under the vaults of heaven’) are full of gusto, and all the ferocious technical passages are made to sound effortless. Tavener states that his emphasis and inspiration for this project was the singing quality of the violin, and Benedetti’s interpretations of Song for Athene and Dhyana – a song for Nicola illustrate this quality. She uses vibrato which is expressive without being overpowering and gives herself ample space to breathe between phrases. The overall result is an unusual and interesting disc which demonstrates Benedetti’s continuing development and achievements as a musician.

Heather Kennedy