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 Violin Concerto) 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 concerts as Music Director of the NYPO. Thoroughly enjoying the exquisite rendition of the Brahms Violin Concerto * by Mutter, Masur and the NYPO (1997), I naturally had my hopes set high for this outing.
So what’s happened here? Not a lot of good, I’m afraid. Mutter has decided to inject her very individual concepts of tempo and phrasing into the work--unwisely so, methinks. Rather than deepening the experience for me, her changes instead sound self-conscious, as if she were trying to get our attention with a yell saying, "Hey, you! Aren't my drawn-out notes and odd meters simply lovely?"
No, I say, they're not. Mutter acknowledges the need for "maturity" and "humility" in the musician who wishes to tap into the tragic side of Beethoven (as the liner notes put forth in a self-congratulatory piece disguised as an interview with the instrumentalist). Yet her playing on this version seems to exhibit just the opposite traits.
Among today’s violinists, Mutter probably plays the sweetest upper notes of them all, and in that she continues to impress here. Her beautiful, resonant tones especially in the lower register still send chills down my spine. My problem lies in her painfully fastidious articulation of the slower sections, which sound too much like LSD-laced distortions of the music.
The parts in question comprise most of the first movement (marked as Allegro ma non troppo) and the entire second movement (Larghetto). Even the triplets (I think) in the final movement (Allegro) are not spared these distracting modifications of tempo. Unaccented beats take on strange accents and delays, causing a jarring break in the momentum. Hearing them is like tripping on bumps in the carpet that you don’t normally expect to be there.
It also sounds as if conductor and soloist are literally playing to different drummers. To wit, when it's their turn in the tuttis Masur and the NYPO move along nicely with a momentum-building rhythm. Things look bright as they introduce the first movement. When Mutter’s violin enters, everything goes into slow-mo so suddenly you’ll wonder if you’d entered a time warp episode on The Twilight Zone.
And then there are Mutter's rare instances of pitch inaccuracy. I winced on hearing that long, vibrato-less note at the second movement’s 5'18" mark. For someone who always struck me as something of a technical perfectionist, this easily discernible flaw was completely out of character.
Annoyingly, she plays the quieter passages as extreme pianissimos ("very soft"), perhaps a carryover from her days with Karajan. You’ll go half-mad struggling with the volume control knob, seeking in vain for that golden mean between the nearly inaudible pianissimos and the deafening fortissimos (“very loud”).
But all is not hopeless here. The concerto itself may not rank as a technical dazzler, but in her spirited playing of the cadenzas (solo sections) we get to hear that stunning virtuosity of hers. The ensemble’s elegantly engaging performances of the two Beethoven Romances also leave me feeling happy and satisfied--no idiosyncratic tempi or phrasing anywhere to annoy.
On the plus side then, there's the (only mildly irritating) third movement of the concerto, and the two Romances (each running about eight minutes long). Is the whole disc worth just these few good parts? Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps an audio sample might help you decide (available at many online music vendor websites). I may have put the case against it too forcefully, but it hurts to witness blatant musical misjudgments like these from an artist of her calibre. Mutter might deserve some credit for risk-taking, but such singular peculiarities in tempo, pitch and volume only serve to make this a mostly discomfiting listen.
However, just from my own limited collection, I can recommend in its place a longtime sentimental favorite, an oldie but goodie that saw me through my teens: Zino Francescatti's fluid, flawless and energized performance of the same concerto recorded in 1961, with Bruno Walter directing the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. It’s available (quite inexpensively) on Sony Classical: guaranteed to produce no irritating or somnifacient side effects whatsoever.
Mutter’s earlier recording with Karajan beats this one, too, slow as that might be, so I’d say go get that disc before this one.
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* See review of Brahms violin concerto recording at:
(There's a nice touch in the CD booklet: all the members of the New York Philharmonic are actually listed on two pages, and this isn't even a concert program! Now we realize that individual performers make up that faceless mass of musicians called the orchestra.
The foldout cardboard CD case is navy blue, and the cover curiously has Mutter peering through a car window (what does it mean?). Photos of the violinist in her trademark strapless gown decorate the inner pages. A CD booklet is inserted into a slit in the center, and has photos of Masur and Mutter, and notes on Mutter, Masur and the NYPO. Thankfully, unlike her ill-conceived "Four Seasons" CD foldout case, one need not remove the CD booklet here to gain access to the disc itself.)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, op. 61 (49'81)
1 1. Allegro ma non troppo (27'09) 2 2. Larghetto (10'58) 3 3. Rondo. Allegro (10'11) Cadenzas: Fritz Kreisler
4 Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G major, (7'11) op. 40
5 Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major, (8'23) op. 50
ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, violin New York Philharmonic KURT MASUR
Live recording
Recorded at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts 5/2002
(P) 2002 Deutsche Grammophon 289 471 349-2 (G)(H) Digital Stereo
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Weak
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Mediocre
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