Elgar: Violin Concerto. Vaughan Williams: Lark ascending

Advantages: Mutter's eloquence and sensitivity in older recording are enhanced here.
Disadvantages: None at all!

...As a fantastically talented eighteen-year-old, Anne-Sophie Mutter already awed me with her sensitive and thoughtful eloquence in her 1981 recording of the Brahms violin concerto (with Herbert von Karajan directing the Berlin Philharmonic). However, there’s an even deeper understanding in Mutter’s reading of the Brahms piece on this newer disc. This performance was taped live at the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, New York City, in 1997. Kurt Masur conducts the New York Philharmonic in particularly inspired fashion. A difference of fifteen years separates the two recordings. In the time between, she married, had children, and then was widowed at a very young age. When Mutter returned to her instrument, she would bring a greater strength, emotional depth and insight to her playing, lending a maturity and assuredness to her... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: It is simply one of the finest pieces of music ever written
Disadvantages: How dare you ask of any disadvantges!?!

...this his reputation was upholstered even more with his openly patriotic and pompous music of the "Cockaigne (In London Town) Overture," "In the South (Alassio) Overture", and the first of his five "Pomp and Circumstance Marches", the middle part of the first march becoming somewhat of an unofficial national anthem. He was even knighted in 1904. In this vein the composer continued until 1914 (his two symphonies, Violin Concerto, and numerous choral works being in roughly the same style) when suddenly thunder struck. TONSILS, TO BRINKWELLS AND CREATIVITY The First World War put an end to the militaristic and pompous music of Elgar of the past as inappropriate and he did little composing during the war years, with only a few songs, the rarely performed symphonic prelude "Polonia" and the cantata "The Spirit of England" consisting his... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: A definite easy listen
Disadvantages: Maybe too easy

...Jesu Shostakovich - Romance Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Elgar - Chanson de matin Beethoven - Pastoral Symphony CD 2 Mozart - 'Elvira Madigan' Piano Concerto JS Bach - Sheep may safely graze JS Bach - Keyboard Concerto No 5 in F minor Handel - Water Music Vivaldi - Concerto for lute and two violins JS Bach - Aria Grieg - Piano Concerto JS Bach - Double Violin Concerto Monteverdi - Beatus vir Chopin - Etude in E 'Tristesse' Elgar - Serenade in E minor Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No 2 Barber - Adagio for String Faure - In paradisum - Schubert - String Quintet Faure - Berceuse x-x-x... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful