Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Piano Trio No 1

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. ~~~~~~~~~~ As befits its Teutonic origins, the Brahms violin concerto 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... Read review

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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... Read review

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Advantages: Potentially beautiful sound
Disadvantages: The squealy noises to start off with

...including classical, but also covering a lot of different folk music (Irish, Hungarian, Chinese etc), many jazzy styles of pieces, and even pop music. I recently saw a music video on MTV of a guy playing violin to a pop song in the rain, although I can't remember the title. So the violin is to suit anyone with taste in a wide range of music. What size do I need? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As with any instrument, no musical knowledge is required to start playing, just a good teacher is the best thing to have. Violins are available in lots of different sizes, for adults, 4/4 (full size, then 3/4, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/10, 1/16, and even 1/32 are available. Sizes down to 1/8 should be available from most music shops, the two smaller sizes normally rewuire, specialist violin shops are required. It is important that the correct size is used, if not playability... Read review

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