There's No Business Like Show Business

What can I say about Dutch violinist Janine Jansen. Well, looking at this cover photo from her 2005 Vivaldi Cd, a couple of things immediately come to mind. But, that aside, is there more to Janine Jansen than a killer body and a pretty face? That's not such an easy question to answer, but it's clear that she's not shy about calling attention to herself.

To her detractors she is considered a "crossover" artist, a label applied in its most pejorative sense, of a thoroughly conventional and limited mainstream artist meant to appeal to a nondiscriminating audience of casual or first-time classical music listeners. I feel the label is unjustified. She clearly has the talent to be considered a serious classical musician, however it is interesting to note reports which say that some 75% of her music sales come through the Itunes Music Store, a service with a large teenage demographic who don't usually purchase classical music. So perhaps there is some crossover appeal, but that shouldn't reflect poorly on the music.

Anyways, I like to come to my own judgements so I went out and purchased her latest CD of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and Bruch Concerto No. 1, the main question being do I really need another Mendolssohn/Bruch CD in my collection? Well, no I don't, but that just shows the kind of dedication and sacrifice I bring to this blog. My first impressions were (1) that she is quite a stunning woman to behold, and (2) that she is showing considerably less skin on this CD cover than on covers past, a good thing or bad thing depending on your point of view. I don't really spend that much time looking at covers so it didn't make much difference to me.

As for the music, that's something I do care a great deal about. When talking about violinists, people who know a great deal about such things mention qualities such as "phrasing" and "color" and "rubato". I know nothing about such things so instead I'll talk about communication.

I think violinists are like actors in many ways. An actor is given a script and is asked to communicate its words and ideas to the audience, and there are qualitative differences between how a Cate Blanchett might deliver the words and, say, a Jessica Simpson. Likewise, violinists are given a score and similarly asked to interpret and communicate through their instrument what is written on the page. So, with that in mind, where would I place Janine Jansen?

Well, if Jansen were an actor, I'd say she be less of a Meryl Streep and more of a Ethel Merman. Where a Meryl Streep might look at the score and try to inhabit the music (like a Julia Fischer), Ethel Merman's approach would be more like "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead." In fact, as I understand it, the words "delicate" and "touch" do not even exist in the Dutch language. (Actually, that's not true. I just made that up. I'm sure that althought unpronounceable, Dutch equivalents do indeed exist)

Jansen's Mendelssohn is a pedal-to-the-metal, no-holds-barred, full-out musical assault, and, you know what, it's not that bad. I mean, this piece has been played and recorded so many times that my ears go numb just thinking about it, so why not have some fun with it. Why not just open your mouth and belt it out. It may not be the most elegant Mendelssohn ever recorded, but it'll certainly grab your attention.

Unfortunately, the piece that follows, the Bruch Romance in F major for viola and orchestra, could use a little more elegance and touch than Jansen can muster. Her hesitant and awkward exploration of this piece reminded me of a person who'd been thrown in the deep end and could manage nothing more than treading water. This is the kind of playing, I think, that fuels the criticism that Jansen in really a somewhat one-dimensional player.

The concluding piece and, according to her numerous fans, the real highlight of this CD is the Bruch Concerto No. 1. According to the CD notes, Jansen considers the middle section of this concerto to be the most important part, but you'd never know it from this relentless, pounding rendition of perhaps the most famous of all violin concerti. For all her good intentions, Jansen just doesn't do "subtlety" and "nuance". In fact, her Bruch is a little like being run over by a Mack Truck, and, let me tell you, to my ears it isn't a very pleasant experience.

But that's just me, and there are a lot of people in this world who like this style of playing. It's a style which I call "power violin", and, you know, that suits many people just fine. Maybe that's her appeal to the younger crowd. All that "power violin" fits in nicely with in with the "power chords" and "power guitars" that their so used to hearing. Either way, listening to this CD left me feeling like I'd just gone ten rounds with Rocky Balboa, and you know you've got to be in top condition for something like that, and a good cut man doesn't hurt either. If that's your taste then you'll love Janine Jansen. As for me, I don't think I want take another beating.

So I'll just put this one back on the shelf for a while. I doubt it'll be getting a lot of play, and I don't think I'll be buying any more of her CD's in the near future either. On the other hand, if she ever decides to do a swimsuit calender, well...

Now if you'll excuse me I think it's time for me to go take a cold shower.

Tags: Janine Jansen