Yehudi Menuhin and Wilhelm Furtwängler, born a generation apart and separated by a world ... more
at war, were nonetheless musical and philosophical soulmates. Their recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto, made seven years after they first met, is one of the treasures of the EMI archive, a testament to a bygone era of spontaneous and deeply subjective music-making. There is a nobility to the reading that has never been equaled, an unforced passion that would be difficult for any of today's musicians to duplicate. The monaural recording is remarkably fine, with satisfying depth and abundant detail. --Ted Libbey
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Joshua Bell's first recordings of Beethoven and Mendelssohn's violin concertos stand apart ... more
from the hundreds of versions crowding the catalogues in at least one respect, namely his own cadenzas. Beethoven didn't supply his own for the long first movement of his Violin Concerto, and Bell's thoughtful, stylish emendation easily stands with the frequently played Kreisler and Joachim cadenzas as a viable option. His extroverted yet well-proportioned cadenza in the Mendelssohn may not match the original's instant melodic appeal, but it certainly works. Elsewhere, Bell's direct, clean-cut, utterly dependable virtuosity will not surprise his legions of fans, who won't mind that the violin tends to dominate in the mix. Is that due to the engineering, or to Roger Norrington's somewhat reticent accompaniments? You'd think a chamber orchestra would help Mendelssohn's bubbling woodwind licks emerge with greater clarity. Likewise, small forces are capable of richer, more tonally varied and sustained string tone in the Beethoven's slow movement. --Jed Distler
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Advantages: Mutter's eloquence and sensitivity in older recording are enhanced here. Disadvantages: None at all!
performances. I?ve always found a rare, affecting quality in Mutter's distinctive sound. A pure, silvery tone unlike any other flows effortlessly from her Strad, yet she avoids descending to soporific and maudlin lows. Her more expansive reading, the greater elasticity than is usual of her sustained notes, allows one to absorb, ponder and appreciate the sheer exquisiteness of the music more fully. Read on to see why this disc will rank among my DIDs (desert island discs) for all time.
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As befits its Teutonic origins, the Brahms violinconcerto is a weighty one, in contrast to, say, the Mendelssohn. In this seminal work, Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) displays some of the most emotive and lyrical musical themes in the classical repertoire.
Brahms wrote it for his good friend, Joseph Joaquim (1831-1907), asking the great Austro ...
Advantages: Classic Concertos for Everybody Disadvantages: Strings only!!!no woodwind...boo!
prominent.
Thus Vivaldi wrotes sonnets to accompany his music and to establish each thought in his mind.
It is obvious to say then that Concerto is labelled Spring through to Winter, with three movements within each season.
Most form again adopts the ABA construction, a favorite of Vivaldi.
These are as follows:
1: Spring: Concerto No.1 in E Major
Allegro / Largo / Allegro
This I think, is the most well known of the Concertos, and has been used on numerous car adverts and airline adverts. This is what most people remember Nigel Kennedy playing at the very beginning of Nigel Mania!!!!
The string compostion reflects the freshness of spring and depending on what recording you buy (trust me there is loads of
choice!) this normally sells the album, this movement is the most played also by a leading Classical Radio.
2: Summer: Concerto ...
Advantages: The Romances; concerto's third movement. Disadvantages: Tempo, pitch and volume quirks in Concerto.
I never imagined I'd ever down-rate one by Anne-Sophie Mutter for reasons to do with the German violinist herself, but in this case, it just can?t be helped. Two-and-a-half stars are all that this sadly disappointing disc merits from me, an avowed Mutter fan.
Mutter revisits the Beethoven workhorse (the ViolinConcerto) decades after first recording it as a teen, under the guidance of mentor Herbert von Karajan. That version ?distinguishes? itself by being among the slowest out there on disc today. And yet that same performance (tending as it does toward the ponderous) remains more emotionally involving than this, Mutter's more "mature" one.
It?s the second joint effort between Mutter and Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic (NYPO), recorded in May 2002 at Avery Fisher Hall, New York City as part of Masur's series of farewell ...
