VIKTORIA MULLOVA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS Viktoria Mullova – violin Julian Joseph – piano; Paul Clarvis, Colin Currie, Sam Walton – percussion; Steve Smith – guitar; Matthew Barley – cello. Phillips 464 184-2 £££ All I really want; Pursuit of the Woman; Robot 415; Life; Misty; etc. TPT 70’58”

The crossover genre is one that attempts to introduce to a listening population the skills of classically-trained musicians in very different lights. It might be successful, but it hasn’t always worked; the pairing of Stephane Grappelli with Menuhin in the 80s did little other than show the music world that he was not a good jazz musician, and, for that matter, no longer a particularly good player. Kennedy’s more recent explorations of Hendrix have been slightly more successful, but he was working with well-written material and the arrangements were simply stunning. Nevertheless, there was still something missing: Kennedy might be a gargantuan performer of world-class standing, but listening to such recordings leaves the listener with the odd feeling of being somehow patronised, that we cannot enjoy such music in its original form without either his aid or better judgement.

Mullova’s disc is slightly more successful. There is no doubting that she is a remarkable performer: her intonation and sense of musicianship are evident from her previous recordings on the Phillips label, and, despite quite a few reservations concerning material, she plays here with a startling (if at times slightly aggressive) panache that confirms a top-drawer technique. Although most of the works recorded are, and I use this term carefully, enjoyable to listen to, there are times when one becomes weary of the sound of her playing. Take The air that I breathe as an example. Mullova, in fact, does little other than play the solo line and the main interest lies with the collaborating musicians, whose sense of texture, line and shape are of the highest order. Against them, the violin sounds simply out of place and the performance somewhat perfunctory.

More Miles Davis and a little less Bee Gees would have served to make this a more rewarding and worthwhile experience.

It is perhaps that Miss Mullova feels more at ease with music that is less associated with pop. It is certain that standard jazz classics receive better and more interesting renditions. Joe Zawinul’s Pursuit of the Woman is mildly evocative of the Orient, and the five versions of “Robot 415” from Miles Davis’ Decoy are excellent arrangements from the pen of cellist Matthew Barley. Geoffrey Smith, in his slightly sycophantic liner notes, writes of the “positively Hitchcockian intensity” of the third realisation, Robot Psycho. It is an accurate, if somewhat understated, description. At only 2’29, it is perhaps one of the better tracks on the recording; Mullova’s aggressive, yet agile playing intensifies its air of suspense. Duke Ellington’s Ad lib on Nippon, originally conceived as a duet for clarinet and piano, it is both a convincing and eclectic performance: Mullova is in her element – this is a meaty, well-written work and her playing has a freedom that, in other places, is sadly lacking.

So, we have something of a mixed bag: perhaps Misty or How deep is your love have been heard too many times to make their performances sound fresh and exciting. More Miles Davis and a little less Bee Gees would have served to make this a more rewarding and worthwhile experience.

Ian le Prévost