Pairing Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with his musical idol Dvořák is a shrewd idea. The British composer, of Sierra Leonean heritage, usually finds his Violin Concerto coupled with a little-known English work. Here, juxtaposed with one of the 19th century’s most popular concertos, it more than holds its own.
Coleridge-Taylor’s concerto premiered in Connecticut in 1912 (despite the original parts going down with the Titanic). Although he doesn’t quote actual spirituals, the harmonies and melodic contours are reminiscent of African folk music. Gil Shaham has the measure of the work, his plush tone and laser-focused intonation enriching the solo line in a generally more sumptuous performance than most rival recordings. Eric Jacobsen and the excellent Virginia Symphony Orchestra ensure the accompaniments remain sufficiently light on their feet.
Dvořák took a similarly folk-oriented tack in his 1883 concerto, though his chosen idiom was Slavonic. Internalising the music of his homeland, the composer managed to squeeze both a dumka and a furiant into its breezy finale. Again, Shaham is fluid and imposing, especially in the lyrical slow movement. Curtis Stewart’s The Famous People, a re-composition of one of Dvořák’s Slavonic Dances viewed through the prism of traditional American slave dances, makes for a suitably sultry encore.
