Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas
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Audio CD (24 November, 1998)
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Editorial Review

This complete cycle of Beethoven violin sonatas was recorded during a series of live performances in 1998. Mutter devoted the entire year, together with her partner, Lambert Orkis, to an extensive global tour focused on these works, and the accounts are infused with a sense of cross-connection, expressive freedom, and depth of insight acquired from such prolonged concentration. It shows Mutter in full maturity, commanding the artistic confidence to take risks and imprint her intensely personal signature. Mutter's characteristically sumptuous, caressing tone tends to be overstated for Beethoven's heartily playful turns and mercurial humor in the fast movements of the Op. 12 group, but the luminous beauty with which she phrases the Adagio of the third sonata is just one of many passages (consider, for example, Sonata No. 8's slow movement, as well) of sustained, heart-stopping poetry on this set.

The famous "Spring" Sonata gains an added dimension in the context of the passionately engaged performance of its preceding companion/counterpart predecessor (the Fourth Sonata in A Minor). There's a full partnership between violin and piano (too often missing in accounts of these works) that allows Mutter and Orkis to play off each other with full-blooded spontaneity, perhaps at its most engrossing in the boldly searching scope of their "Kreutzer" Sonata, which stands in wonderful contrast to the intimate loftiness of the final sonata in G--Mutter's own favorite. Throughout the set, Mutter couples her probing intelligence with nuanced phrasing, incisive rhythms, and expressive gestures (notice the tender turn she gives to the all-important trill that opens the last sonata) to bore into the music, unearthing many buried treasures. The discs also include a handful of encores as bonbons and are encoded with CD-plus software so that listeners can follow the scores of four of the sonatas. --Thomas May ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (27)

Excellent!!
I bought this cd being skeptical of the reviews, peoples have been making about this album. I must say I was pleasantly suprised. Mutter is divine. Her phrasing, and vibrato are very unique, and blows the standard Perlman, Oistrakh, Kremer, and Szyerng versions out of the water. Though I think Orkis, sounded to mechanical, and uninspired in his playing. Overall this album is a real treat, not to be missed.

three stars for orkis
Anne-Sophie Mutter was one of those child prodigies that somehow escaped the fate of most other wunderkinder. She is a talented musician with a beautiful sound. I however don't see the point of this box set. For one, there dozens of GREAT recordings of the violin sonatas from Kremer, Perlman, Ostrak, and even the Aaron Rosand budget set (perhaps one of the best!). Don't get me wrong, because I don't mean to insult the intelligence of the other reviewers, but how can anyone put up with such sloppy Beethoven? Her rhythm is just horrible. It seems like throughout whole set the pianist is trying to keep up with her playing.I have played the "spring" sonata myself, and the piece requires great musicianship. The piano is just as important as the violin part.Mutter treats these pieces like a violin solo with accompaniment, doing whatever she likes without maintaining the integrity of the music. Just listen to the excerpts and you will hear that she has no sense of pulse. Beethoven's music should be played with a straight pulse without a lot of rubato, but Mutter manages to tear apart beethoven and market it on DG.This is a shame, because these are great pieces and there dozens of great recordings to choose from. Do yourself a favor by saving $70 and looking elsewhere.Aaron Rosand's VOX set is only about $10 and just blows Mutter away! I'm only glad that I listened to this in our school music library and waste my hard earned money!

Some nice performances overshadowed by buffoonery
The more well-known the sonata, the more idiotic the interpretation.That is probably the best way to describe the quality of the performances on this set of disks.The readings of the less popular sonatas, especially the Op. 12 efforts, are filled with energy and rhythmic drive.Inexplicably, the silliness starts with a dreadful Op. 24 and continues throughout the final five sonatas in the set, though to a smaller degree in the Op. 30 sonatas.
Some of these performances would have been less baffling had Mutter's affectations been consistent throughout the set.Why no bizarre lingering over the downbeats in the Op. 12 set?Why no ridiculously exaggerated accelerandos in the Op. 23 sonata? Obviously, Mutter doesn't care to add as much of her special flavor to the sonatas that aren't listened to as often. Or is it that her supposedly extensive examinations of Beethoven's manuscripts led her to perfectly natural, nicely paced, idiomatic performances in the first four sonatas, but hysterical (lots of people have used this word to desribe some of these performances, and it is apt), silly, grossly contorted performances of the Op. 24, Op. 47, and a performance of Op. 96 that sounds like Victorian parlor music without the charm?
There is nothing wrong with a new take on an overplayed work, but just listen to the ridiculous rewriting of the decorative figure in the first phrase of Op. 24 or the weird tempo slackenings that pop up in the middle of phrases in Op. 47. Also unfortunate is the way in which she drags poor Lambert Orkis along for the ride in her ghastly, vomit-inducing performances.Listen to his awkward, half-hearted attempts to mimic her rubato in some of his solo sections of the Kreutzer Sonata.The guy must have been screaming on the inside, but hey, it's her face (and lovely glamour shots) on the cover and inserts that are selling the CDs, not his playing. ... Read more

Asin: B00000DI22
Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Chamber    3. Classical    4. Keyboard    5. Miscellaneous    6. Orchestral    7. Orchestral & Symphonic   

Tabula Rasa
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Audio CD (16 November, 1999)
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Editorial Review

This seminal disc now almost seems like the manifesto for a whole new strain of minimalism that has found an enormously receptive audience. It represented a breakthrough for Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, whose music--like that of his European colleagues John Tavener and Henryk Górecki--pursues an austerely beautiful simplicity that suggests spiritual illumination. Fratres, given here in two versions, one for piano and violin and the other for 12 cellos, repeatedly intones a sequence resembling chant to convey a sensibility that seems at once archaic and beyond time. Violinist Gidon Kremer, for whom Pärt wrote the exquisitely contemplative and hypnotic title work, grasps the music's koan-like idiom, allowing an inner fullness to resonate through the most fragile, ethereal wisps of tone against the mysterious clangings of prepared piano. The tolling of the tubular bells in Cantus in memory of Benjamin Britten is an emotionally charged lament, based on a simple minor descending scale, that introduces Pärt's fascination with what he calls "tintinnabulation": the literal and metaphorical sound of ringing bells. This recording is also famous for the acoustically warm presence produced by ECM's Manfred Eicher, which magnificently captures the mystical simplicity of Pärt's sound world. --Thomas May ... Read more

Reviews (13)

What music should sound like.
This recording has tremendous presence. Kremer's screeching harmonic tones and pizzicato are fresh, raw and beautiful - and together with Jarrett's majestic-texturing of keys, Part's Tabula Rasa soars to euphoric heights - and plummets to exquisite melancholic depths. Other highly skilled and competent musicians have performed this piece, but not with the depth achieved in this recording by Kremer and Jarrett. In my opinion, this is what music should sound like.

Highly entertaining but spiritually dead music
This disc contains four pieces by Estonian composer Arvo Part written in his most publically accessible style of the late 1970's and early 1980's, when he had rejected serial norms in preference to medieval and Renaissance norms and minimalism. These are perhaps his most well-known works, and an ideal starting point for exploring the composer's output.

"Fratres" is a piece with numerous--at least 8--variant arrangements. On this disc it is represented first in a 1980 version for violin and piano, played by Gidon Kremer and Keith Jarrett. I feel this is the more listenable arrangement. However, the following arrangement for 12 cellists, here from the Berlin Philharmonic, is said to be closer to Part's original intentions, for the open fifth A-E is sustained through the entire piece, and an independent violin prelude common to other arrangements is absent. The work has a six-measure theme which is repeated eight times (nine in the original), each coming a minor or major third lower.

"Cantus (in memoriam Benjamin Britten)" is Part's contribution to the memory of the British composer and conductor who died before his time. It is not merely a piece of mourning, but also a piece of self-blame, as Part says that a measure of guilt went into it. While the strings repeat the same general theme again and again, the sound is broken by a bell. Dennis Russel Davies here leads the Staatsorchester Stuttgart in an unobjectionable performance.

"Tabula Rasa" (1977) is probably the most instantly likeable piece on this disc. It is divided into two parts, and the first, "Ludus" is an intricate dance marked as to be performed "with movement", the two violins repeat the same theme over and over while true development is handled under the surface by a string orchestra. It is followed by "Silentium" ("Silence"), the meditative flip-side to be performed with as little movement as possible. This performance here might be seen as definitive, done as it is by friends of Part and Soviet music luminaries Gidon Kremer and Tatjana Grindenko (violin) and Alfred Schnittke (prepared piano) with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra conducted by Saulus Sondeckis.

The sound quality of the four disparate performances is generally excellent, in spite of this being an AAD recording. "Tabula Rasa" is slightly marred by more background noise than is usual, but the fine quality of the performance easily takes one's mind off of that. I regret, however, that the disc is so short, a fault found in all of ECM's issues of Part's music. With a total running time of 55 minutes, there is abundant space for one more of the composer's works.

Part is generally seen as a religious composer--most of his output is religiously titled--and the liner notes here make much of the supposed deep sprituality of his work. However, I have always felt that music which so fuzzily nebulously speaks of religion has little efficacy. I prefer the work of Sofia Gubaidulina or Oliver Messiaen, whose music always asserts a clear, specific theology and doesn't let the listener hear whatever he wants to in it. This is one reason while I cannot rate the disc so highly as others, for in spite of its technical brilliance, this work is spiritually dead. However, in the mid-1990's Part began to compose works like "Litany" soundly based on his Eastern Orthodox faith, and this style ultimately culminated with his setting of the massive Kanon Pokajanen penitence text. I would recommend those to fans of Christian work in modern-classical music.

If you are interested in the work of Arvo Part, this is a good place to start, if only to understand what most people are talking about when they mention Part. While religiously hollow and in a style perhaps historically superseded, it nonetheless displays a fine veneer and is entertainingly listening.

Pretty decent for Minimalism
I have had this CD for more years than I can count, and I used to listen to it regularly with great enthusiasm.Now I listen to it 2 or 3 times a year, perhaps.Pärt's music tends not to annoy me like that of so many other Minimalists, but these days I can only take him in small doses.

Truly the highlight of this CD is the 12-cello arrangement of Fratres, which in many ways has been Pärt's bread and butter.Certainly it is this piece that I have heard more frequently than any other Pärt composition, and when is all said and done, he is far more likely to be remembered for this than any of his earlier Serialist works.First time listeners will no doubt be deeply moved & mesmerized by the repetitive, dark chord progressions.Indeed, even after all these years, it still moves me, but I need to keep my Pärt dosage small.

For those who don't love Minimalism, Pärt (along with John Adams & Michael Torke) may be the most listenable of the Minimalist composers you will be likely to find, and this album certainly represents Pärt's work at its best. ... Read more

Asin: B0000262K7
Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Classical    3. Concerto    4. Estonia    5. Modern Composition    6. Orchestral    7. Orchestral & Symphonic   

Hilary Hahn ~ Beethoven - Violin Concerto · Bernstein - Serenade
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (26 January, 1999)
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Reviews (27)

gorgeous, gorgeous playing
This is my favorite account of the noble Beethoven violin concerto.After listening to the Kreisler, Menuhin, Schneiderhan, and Kremer versions--all classics in their own right--Hahn still has my heart and vote.Her playing is consistently well-executed, intellectually stimulating and sensually pleasurable.The Beethoven Concerto is like a hunk of Grecian marble--imposing, canonical, and I would even say sublime in the Kantian sense.How does an interpreter convey an sense of intimacy amongst its aloof height?Hahn has the magic formula: the first movement has reserve and fire, the slow movement has an aura of spirituality, and the third the right moment of courtliness and earthiness.A clear winner.

For God's Sake Let's Hear Hilary, Not the Orchestra!!!!!
The first thing you ask me is do I like this CD.Yes, it's very pretty.How about the recording?Actually, I don't like the sound engineering.How about the performer Hilary Hahn?She's fantastic!

I've been listening to Hilary for less than six months, since discovering her by chance.After about 30 seconds I came to the conclusion that this girl is as great a violinist as I've ever heard.Her intonation is perfect, her tone gorgeous, like velvet, better than Heifitz.I've heard them all.Hilary is from the Bel Canto school of violin playing.

Unfortunately, I can't give similar praise to the sound engineering.Several of your reviewers have complained about Miking, too close, too far.Well, I guess it comes down to whether or not you want to hear Hilary or the Orchestra.I bought this recording to hear Hilary and what I got was a solo recording of the orchestra with Hilary struggling to be heard in the background.I agree that the orchestral part of Beethoven's only violin concerto is beautiful but I've been listening to it for 61 years (I'm 72) and I think I've got it down.Conversely, I was trained in the violin and I want to hear the violinist and if you drown out the violinist with the orchestra how can I hear what Hilary is doing?Let me put it another way.Is this a violin concerto or an orchestra concerto?

By the way, the same comments can be made of Sony Classic's CD of Hilary Hahn playing Mendelssohn's violin concerto.Also, why do you mix Beethoven and Bernstein or Mendelssohn and Shostakovich.Too each his own but the styles of these composers are very different.More power to those who like both but why don't you put Bernstein and Shostakovich on the same CD together and Beethoven and Mendelssohn on another.That would double my pleasure and save me some money.

So the CD is worth every penny you pay for it just to hear Hilary Hahn in the background.

Sets the current-day standard of performance
Hilary Hahn's recording of Beethoven's great Violin Concerto sets the standard for contemporary performances of this piece.Her technique alone would make her a great musician.What is even more impressive is that she applies her technique in a thoughtful, musical manner.A recording musician today should be able to give an adequate technical performance of any given piece--what separates Hahn from the rest is that the music comes first, with her technique as its outlet, rather than the music being a showcase for talent.

The Beethoven Violin Concerto is indisputably one of the top violin (or any instrument, for that matter) concertos ever written.It is a remarkable piece in that it is not as note-heavy as, say, Tchaikovsky's, but is more complex.The second movement is especially wonderful, beginning with a longer-than-typical theme by the soloist that is at its heart simple, yet elegant.The soloist then guides the orchestra in exploring the theme, leading it down one path, then following another, agreeing here, contrasting there.It's a doctoral thesis in the art of the concerto as a conversation between soloist as master of his or her craft and orchestra as equal partners.

The thing that Beethoven did so well that none will ever be his equal at it is to take a relatively simple theme--I, a non-musician, can play the main themes from two of the greatest symphonies ever composed, the Fifth and the Ninth, on my toddler's five-note toy piano!--and make it great through repetition and variation of melody and harmony.Beethoven could write a piece that used the same theme a hundred times and you'd still feel like it was fresh at the conclusion.So it is with the third movement of this concerto.

Hahn and Zinman excel in this recording because they capture the essence of this music--simple themes musically done in a manner where both soloist and orchestra contribute.One certainly wouldn't have Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on the tip of one's tongue when asked about the greatest orchestras today--thoroughly competent, to be sure, but not the best of the best.What Zinman does so well in this recording is to not exaggerate the piece.The dynamics and tempos of the piece are kept in a moderate range--no fireworks where a candle is called for.And perhaps as a great athlete improves the abilities of teammates, so Hahn lends her technique, restraint, and intelligence to the orchestra.

Let's face it, no one's buying this for the Bernstein.It's a good performance of a decent piece, but it's not why you'll reach for this CD over and over.It's something of an ironic pairing; if ever there was a conductor who bludgeons listeners with Beethoven (outside of an excellent recording of the Third with the Vienna Philharmonic) more than Bernstein I don't know who it is.

Wrapping up: this CD has joined the Menuhin/Furtwangler recording as my favorite performance of this supreme Violin Concerto. ... Read more

Asin: B00000GV4L
Sales Rank: 6399
Subjects:  1. Chamber Music & Recitals    2. Classical    3. Concerto    4. Orchestral   

Joshua Bell ~ Sibelius · Goldmark - Violin Concertos / L.A. Phil. · Salonen
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 August, 2000)
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Editorial Review

Joshua Bell has returned to the mainstream repertoire from his recent successful excursions into film (The Red Violin) and bluegrass-crossover (Short Trip Home), and his playing, always brilliant, and arresting, has reached a new peak. Despite the booklet's claim to the contrary, these two concertos have nothing in common except fiendishly difficult bravura solo parts; rather, they represent a perfectly valid pairing of opposites. Bell makes the most of the contrasts, bringing out each work's idiomatic character. The Sibelius, from the eerily icy opening to the exuberant ending, is heavy, rugged, austere, majestic, expansive, with grand, intense climaxes. The Goldmark has a Hungarian flavor with its romantic, melancholy lyricism, poetic, almost religious inwardness, charm, and vitality. Bell's effortless virtuosity is unlimited but entirely unobtrusive; his intonation is perfect, the passage-work crystal clear. He seems incapable of producing a bad sound, even in double and triple stops; his tone is ravishingly beautiful, radiant as golden sunshine, warm as dark velvet. Best of all, he makes music: every note is expressive, everything has shape and direction; the playing is always noble, honestly felt, and without excess or exaggeration. --Edith Eisler ... Read more

Reviews (21)

What a performance!
Just listen to the Goldmark concerto.Joshua Bell is well on his way to becoming one of the greatest violinists ever.Stunning interpretation!The violin as it was meant to be played!Don't miss it.

Great stuff, but just hang on...
First off. of the 2 pieces on this cd, Sibelius's violin concerto according to me is of far higher musical qualitythan Goldmark, offcourse this is a completely personal opinion only. So basically anyone one doing a decent job of the sibelius which consists of half the cd is going to naturally make the a cd a winner by virtue of content. But whether you like this beyond that will also depend onwhether you like Joshua Bells sound on the violin. For some reason, there are a lot who seem to hate the way he plays. They say it comes out to scratchy. I must say that to an extend I found this evident, but this is a perely subjective and personal view. What moves one may not move the other. What one may consider scrathy and non-scratcy depend upon musical hearing finesse which will wary from person to person. I for one feel that his playing actually suits the sibelius work and this is a great one to have. The recording is also state of the art.Dramatic pauses after ochestral bang bangs and good volume control on the engg front. Also, look out for Joshua's heavy sighing breathing which can be heard on the mike when the long lyrical sighing passages in the sibelius work. You can feel him inhale on the mike. I dunno whether this is a good thing or bad thing , but it kinda gave a real life feel to the thing. Good stuff.

salonen surpasses..
I wish this were a different recording than it is.Neither Bell nor Salonen can be faulted for lacking artistic, and even musical,intelligence, and together they foster some interesting ideas in the Sibelius, but still seem to miss the piece.Bell's individualist streak --genius, really-- is a strong component in all his recordings, & he appears here in an almost cinematic mood.Is this Sibelius as movie music?I wonder what Sibelius would say.. I generally like Bell's take on the major repertory, and even his ideas ABOUT music and repertory.He's an exciting player for sure, & has an authentic musical voice, lacking little in his apparently on-going fleshing out of the whole youthful prodigy thing. And yet, though the Sibelius is beautifully prepared, manicured, even, it's NOT fired up.Not much believed in maybe, from what I hear on this disc.Oistrakh and Ormandy were fired up.Cho Liang-Lin's version fires up everything it touches!It's curious how debonair a Sibelius concerto we're given here.Salonen and the L.A. Phil are vibrant partners, as always.The Goldmark's an interesting piece, but it tends to bring out the southern california sheen that plagues this orch. on occasion.That's not a crime, but you need to pick and choose your moments.Salonen is gifted and wise, & mostly ends up on the right side of things.The direction these musicians want to take the Sibelius comes clear early on, and they sustain the arc of their ideas well; it may be more Bell than Sibelius, but Salonen surpasses in any case; besides, people said the same about Gould's Bach, and it's still revealing itself today. Sonics are nothing special here & this isnt a GREAT recording, but it's interestingly argued. ... Read more

Asin: B00004WK4D
Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Classical Pop    3. Concerto    4. Orchestral & Symphonic   

Andrew Manze Portrait
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (15 August, 2000)
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Editorial Review

This is a compendium of pieces drawn from Andrew Manze's recordings past, present, and projected. It includes single movements, groups of movements, and complete works, some unaccompanied, some with one or two supporting instruments, some with the ensemble Romanesca, some with the Academy of Ancient Music, of which Manze is co-director and concertmaster. The selections range from intimate chamber music to brilliant bravura pieces and are well designed to whet the listener's appetite to hear the complete records. They also display Manze's versatility, virtuosity, improvisatory imagination, expressiveness, and communicative power, which have propelled him to the top rank of Baroque violinists. He succeeds in combining rigorous scholarship with adventurous spontaneity, passionate involvement and a sense of humor--all of which are also in evidence in his erudite but entertaining program notes.

Naturally, the most substantial pieces on the program tend to be especially impressive. Vivaldi's Concerto "La tempesta di Mare" is truly tempestuous, with extraordinarily daring harmonies and modulations. Manze's transcription and performance of a famous Bach Toccata and Fugue for organ creates the amazing illusion of an original unaccompanied violin composition. And, taken from Manze's recording with the Academy of Ancient Music, "La Follia," one of 12 Corelli Sonatas orchestrated by Geminiani as Concerti Grossi, is enormously exciting. Also noteworthy are selections by Uccellini and Marini performed with Romanesca, some movements from Bach and Handel sonatas, and part of Tartini's "La Sonata del Diavolo", better known as the "Devil's Trill Sonata," played unaccompanied with diabolical freedom and virtuosity. --Edith Eisler ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Marketing Idea
I had heard of Andrew Manze but never heard him play. This CD is a veryinexpensive introduction to an incredible Baroque violinist. He opens yourears to a completely different level of performance in this type of music.Highly recommended as an introduction, but be warned that you will soon bepurchasing many more of his CDs. ... Read more

Asin: B00004UFDH
Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Concerto    5. Keyboard    6. Orchestral    7. Symphonic   

Prokofiev, Shostakovich: Violin Concertos no 1 / Rostropovich, Vengerov
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 November, 1994)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $14.99
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Editorial Review

With his brilliant tone, flawlessly centered intonation, jaw-dropping technique, and exquisitely beautiful phrasing, Maxim Vengerov is ideal in this repertory. His sparkling account of the Prokofiev conveys the music's mercurial shifts of color and mood with great élan, and turns wonderfully evocative in the ethereal pages. The interpretation of the Shostakovich is equally fine--strongly characterized and imaginative, haunting in its beauty. The young soloist is ably partnered by Mstislav Rostropovich, who draws some remarkably fine and suggestive playing out of an alert London Symphony Orchestra, and makes a convincing whole out of each score. Teldec's engineers take advantage of the Abbey Road venue to deliver a recording that, while predictably balanced in favor of the soloist, is detailed and nicely atmospheric. This disc won Gramophone magazine's Record of the Year award in 1995, and it comes impressively close to capturing the kind of electricity Vengerov generates onstage. --Ted Libbey ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Radiant Prokofiev, Problematic Shostakovich
What an unlikely pairing of bedfellows, these two incommensurate violin concertos!Like many others who have seen the compelling if less-than-always-accurate film "Testimony" about Shostakovich's life, which features extended and memorably powerful excerpts from the Passacaglia in the First Violin Concerto, I was led to explore recordings on CD.Since I know and admire Vengerov's violin playing from his splendid recording of the Kreutzer Sonata, I bought this CD, fully expecting Shostakovich to put Prokofiev deep in the shade.

But instead, the Prokofiev is in fact much the better work -- indeed, a masterpiece.It is beautifully conceived, has poise, balance, and coherence, and it inhabits an attractive neo-classical esthetic world that never cloys.The similarity to the esthetics of Stravinsky as heard, for instance, in the Symphony in C, composed much later, is truly astonishing when you consider that the concerto was written in 1916, before the Great October Revolution.

The Shostakovich on the other hand fails in the (probably impossible) task of yoking the white-hot inspiration of the Passacaglia (the passage in the film that so moved me) to the structural requirements of a coherent large-scale work.Maybe Mahler, that master of idiosyncratic extended architectonic forms, could have done it; in any case, part of Mahler's genius was his intuitive avoidance of material unsuited to his grand overall conception, and it is likely that such a searingly intense but untameable inspiration would not have "occurred" to him, because he couldn't use it.

Of the various possible approaches to integrating the material of the Passacaglia into a larger whole, I think Shostakovich took the absolute worst route.The glowing harrowing intensity is dissipated in the long cadenza leading to the final movement, leaving one feeling dislocated and disappointed, for the great idea goes nowhere.Instead, one has a hodge-podge of disparate elements with only a few perfunctory and wholly unconvincing thematic allusions and cross references.This work is anything but through-composed, and the whole is much less than the sum of its parts.

Nevertheless, the performance is superb.I cannot agree with the previous reviewer who wrote that the interpretation seems to make the Shostakovich "coherent.However, the fault is not the performers' but lies deep in this flawed, uneven work.

So buy this CD for the radiant Prokofiev.The best use of the Passacaglia material in the Shostakovich was in fact already made in Testimony -- it is superb (although perhaps *too* overpowering) film music that defies successful integration into any larger musical structure.

A Living Master At His Very Best!
First off, not only do I think that Maxim Vengerov is the absolute best viloinists I have ever heard but I am equally just as sure that he is the very best musician I know of, living or dead.He is incredible and this recording is one of the best records I have ever owned!!!

His reading of the Prokofiev piece is absolutely flawless.Every note he plays seems exactly right.When I listen to this recording I get so immediately lost in the performance that I am swept away by every succeeding note.An unbelievable performance!This is musical ecstacy!

I liked the Shostakovich peice well enough even before this recording but I always felt it had a disjointed, peiced together feel to it in places that I couldn't imagine anyone overcoming.In Vengerov's hands this piece is transformed into one logically flowing artistic statement that seems to easily state all of this compositions many technical and emotional twists and turns.

This recording is so wonderful that I have purchased it for several friends as a gift and all of them, whether they like this type of music or not, have fallen in love with both this record and Maxim Vengerov.

Hauntingly beautiful
Prokofiev violin concerto, andantino.I always stopped after that first movement.Every time, I tried to listen further, but I always had to stop after the first movement: 9 minutes and 57 seconds.
Not because the first movement was bad.
No, it was so tremendously moving and impressive that I could never listen to anything else after.
The Shostakovich violin concerto could be remarkable too, but I never had the chance to listen to it.Every time I had this CD in my hands, I only listened to the first track.
I promised myself to listen to the rest next time, but I could never keep my promise.

After that first delirious movement, how could one listen to anything else?

I could only have silence, absolute silence, and a feeling of happiness impressed on my heart.

Violinist Maxim Vengerov.London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rostropovich.
I have never heard such a strange, wild, mad, original, striking composition for violin.It is indescribable.
Vengerov played like a god, hypnotizingly deep, vertiginously magnificent.

I shuddered with joy, lost in a trance. ... Read more

Asin: B000000SLM
Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Concerto   

Itzhak Perlman - Greatest Hits ~ "Carmen" Fantasy · Havanaise · Poème · and more
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 May, 1993)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $16.98
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Reviews (2)

A great violinist playing great music.
Itzhak Perlman demonstrates his mastery of the violin while playing Pablo de Saratate's 'Carmen Fantasy' on this CD.

Obviously a must-have for Perlman fans
Carmen Fantasy with perfect skills, what else can I say...buy it if you are a true Perlman fan! ... Read more

Asin: B000001GIO
Sales Rank: 17244
Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Chamber Music & Recitals    3. Classical    4. Concerto   

Artur Schnabel: Sonata for Violin & Piano; Sonata for Violin Solo
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 January, 1998)
list price: $5.98
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Editorial Review

If you're looking for an intellectual challenge, here it is. Schnabel, who was renowned for his penetrating performances of Beethoven, wrote music of amazing difficulty. The Sonata for Violin Solo, composed in 1919, runs three-quarters of an hour. After hearing it several times, I'm still certain I don't understand it. Yet there are such interesting things going on that I want to understand it, despite its forbidding facade and high dissonance quotient. The Sonata for Violin and Piano isn't much easier, just shorter. At least Arte Nova makes it easy to investigate for yourself, with first-rate performances and recordings at an amazingly low price. --Leslie Gerber ... Read more

Features

• Import

Reviews (2)

Tetzlaff/Schnabel
Simply superb music and equal-to-it recording quality.

Christian Tetzlaff and the 20th Century
Although Christian Tetzlaff has done an amazing job with the repertoire for Bach and Mozart (those recordings are impossible to find and absolutely DIVINE!) its easy to see why he is clearly the master of 20th centuryviolin repertoire.His technique is refined and is intonation isimpeccable.But beyond all technical considerations his emotive qualitiesare first rate.20th century music is not the easiest genre to listen to,but Christian Tetzlaff definitely makes it accessible. ... Read more

Asin: B000005I6I
Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Classical    3. Orchestral & Symphonic   

Midori - Live at Carnegie Hall
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (19 April, 1991)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
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Features

• Live

Reviews (4)

GREAT STUFF
This CD is ample evidence of Midori's virtuosity, coupled with first-rate musicality. However, I have to disagree with one reviewer's assertion that she is non-pareil. Indeed, her Ernst is not perfect, though it comes very close. Careful listening will pick up slight intonation errors.Ricci performed with more facility. It is utterly ridiculous to place her above Heifetz, or even Perlman. And it is even more ridiculous to suggest that those two violinists were afraid to record the Ernst. Midori is great, but not as great as Heifetz or Perlman or Ricci.

A Walk in the Park
Not to toot my own horn; I play four instruments for over forty years. So what? Don't just listen to the music. Listen to the notes. Midori miss a note? I rather doubt it. The orchestra may be taking a day off for a walk in the park; but, Midori's persisting drive brings them back time and time again. All of the artists seem to be a bit stiff in their presentation. It's noticeable if you listen. One never knows if their review will be implemented. Mine will always deal with the worlds of difference between hearing the work and listening. This reviewer is not concerned with Midori's ability to equal or surpass another's work. I am interested in what her presentation does for me on it's own merit. Frankly, I am surprised that she doesn't catch her instrument on fire much like the rubing of sticks together until the heat brings forth fire. Midori is fire.

A Master shines !!!
What can be said about Midori that a fan doesn't already know ? Again, her unique, beautiful style is on display.

I've listened to this Strauss Sonata many many times and I feel Midori has created a miracle on a CD.Such emotion, timbre, richness of tone... a violin can NOT soundbetter...

I luv Midori..... !! ... Read more

Asin: B0000027CW
Sales Rank: 89267
Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Classical    3. Contemporary Jazz    4. Keyboard    5. Vocal   

Franck - Sonata for violin and piano · Debussy - Sonatas · Ravel - Introduction and Allegro / Chung · Lupu · Ellis · Melos Ensemble
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

Radu Lupu recorded batches of Mozart and Schubert violin sonatas with the great violinist Szymon Goldberg (regrettably unavailable at present, but watch for them). This seems to be his only other recording of violin sonatas with someone else. Kyung Wha Chung is a powerful virtuoso who can play all the great showpieces, but she scales down her approach to express the muted beauty of the Debussy. Of course, she gives a powerful, extroverted reading to the Franck Sonata, which demands such an approach. Lupu collaborates all the way in both expressive worlds. The additional Debussy and Ravel, from a 1962 LP, are tasty bonuses. --Leslie Gerber ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Solid performance
A good solid recording, but not as exquisite as Anne-Sophie Mutter's or as warm as Josh Bell's.

No regret to bring it to an island!
Tom Hanks won't have a regret on what CDs he should have brought to the island in the movie "Cast Away", only if he had this Chung & Lupu sonata!

Marvellous (but slightly mislabelled)
This CD unites two sets of classic performances: The Franck and Debussy Violin Sonatas by Kyung Wha Chung and Radu Lupu, dating from 1977, and two 1962 recordings by the Melos Ensemble (Ravel's Introduction and Allegro and Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp). At the time of thisreview,it is listed Kyung Wha Chung as a performer on the latter Debussy Sonata, which is not the case, though the fault probably lies with the way the disc is labelled and documented (you have to read the fine print to see exactly who is performing what). But all four of these are classic performances, with excellent sound (though analogue recordings), and there is no better buy in the catalog than this disc for chamber music lovers! ... Read more

Asin: B0000041TM
Subjects:  1. Chamber    2. Classical   

Barber: Violin Concerto; Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 July, 1992)
list price: $16.98
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Reviews (5)

Shostakovich amazing, Barber painful
These are two of the greatest violin concertos ever written, separated chronologically by not much time, but worlds apart in sound and color. Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg is an energetic soloist, a trait which emerges in the faster movements of each piece. The second and fourth movements of the Shostakovich concerto are played here with wild exuberance, and are absolutely dazzling to listen to. The first movement and passacaglia are given the treatment they deserve, played with at times a dark brooding sound, and at times a stark melancholy.Her playing seems perfectly suited to this work overall, and this perhaps rivals even Vengerov's great recording (coupled with Prokofiev's first concerto). The lyrical passages of the Barber, on the other hand, are so full of vulgar swells and cheesy slides that I couldn't even listen all the way through the first movement. All melodic line is abandoned in order to make "moments" that don't really even happen. You'll find better performances of this concerto just about anywhere you look (I'd especially recommend Stern's old recording with the NY Phil). The Shostakovich is worth the price of the disc, but if you're familiar with the Barber concerto, you'll find yourself fast-forwarding through the first three tracks more often than not.

Nadia -a victim of poor recording techniques
I have seen Nadia perform live on more than one occasion, and she was unforgettable; nevertheless, her artistry is invisible here.EMI's attempts invite harsh criticism.The recording lacks ambiance, depth, and tonal quality.Nadia's violin shrinks to the background, and a restricted orchestra struggles to overcome this limited engineering.Even the soloist herself turns in a subpar performance, lacking conviction when she needs it most.Why oh why, can I not find Nadia on a different label such as Phillips or Erato, or better yet, Well Tempered Productions (HDCD) -then we would hear something truly moving.

Great CD!
This is a great recording of two breathtaking violin concertos.The first movement is both lyrical and playful, and Salerno-Sonnenberg brings out these two sides of the movement beautifully.She plays the secondmovement, a slow, gorgeous melody very well.The third movement, which wasconsidered too difficult to play by the violinist for whom it wascommissioned, is insanely fast, very intense, yet almost sarcastically so,and is a lot of fun!Sonnenberg plays it very well.In this interest ofsaving my time writing this and your time reading this, I won't comment asmuch on the Shostakovich, but rest assured that she plays it fantastically! ... Read more

Asin: B000002RSG
Sales Rank: 172067
Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Concerto   

Barber: Concerto for violin Op14; Korngold: Much Ado about Nothing Op11
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (16 August, 1994)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $16.98
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Editorial Review

There have been so many great recordings of all of theimportant masterpieces that critics and listeners are often justified inthinking that there's no point in recording them yet again. Then along comes arecording like this one, which revives one's faith in the future of classicalmusic. Gil Shaham is competing with classic performances by Isaac Stern in theBarber, and Jascha Heifetz in the Korngold. And he's as good as either of them,not to mention far more impressively recorded. In particular, the KorngoldConcerto--a masterpiece just now coming into its own--has never sounded soresplendent. What a great disc! --David Hurwitz ... Read more

Reviews (11)

One Of Gil Shaham's Best Concerti Recordings
Without question this is one of Gil Shaham's best recordings of violin concerti. Historically it may be the most important since he makes a very persuasive case for including Korngold's violin concerto as part of the standard repertoire of stellar solo violinists of which he is unquestionably one. Both violin concerti are among the most lyrical ever composed, and Shaham brings both immaculate technical skills and soulful, graceful playing in his highly commendable performances of both work. Andre Previn leads the London Symphony Orchestra in superb performances of the orchestral scores. However, the real treasure on this recording has to be Previn's duet with Shaham in the Korngold score that concludes this CD. It's some of the most inspirational playing of 20th Century music by a violinist and pianist I have heard. The sound quality is absolutely first rate.

Excellent music.....Excellent performance.....
This is the third cd that I had a chance to feel Barber's sentimental music...First was the Adagio for Strings..second was the songs of Barber and the last one the violin concerto...the cd that follows the other always made my love stronger for the Barber's music...But this violin concerto has a different place in my heart...it is a modern era music but you feel it like you are listening a late romantic era composer's music...the work is based on Lyricism and virtuosity...music is wonderful especially in the second movement...and I offer you to listen carefully the 1st movement's 3rd minute's 31st second...a bow pulled with a lot of sentiment...he is not pulling it with his hand...he is doing it with his heart...Gil Shaham is a very talented young violinist...technique is perfect...he plays so clean...no dirty notes heard...and his feeling adds more to his perfect performing...There is not too much to say about the orchestra and the conductor...I think you know about them...If you don't??? meet them in this performance...
even if you are not a fan of Barber or you are not into his music this Cd is highly reccomended...

M. Can EL

Barber/Korngold - Shaham/Previn, REALLY GOOD!
Yes, FIVE-STARS but I warmed up to this album slowly. I knew I liked SOME of Barber's music but I had to listen to the violin concerto several times before I really heard it. THEN, I realized it is such a wonderful work, played uncommonly well. The Korngold concerto is VERY inventive, as well. However, the work that just KNOCKED ME OVER was the "Much Ado About Nothing" suite by Korngold. The combination of some of the loveliest composing EVER with Previn's dead-on accompanying and Shaham's uncanny genius was SOOOOO satisfying. You won't EVER hear anything more lovely than that "In the Garden" section. Because of the composers but also because of the musicians, I think a music-lover would LOVE and even ADORE this CD! ... Read more

Asin: B000001GLX
Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Concerto    3. Film    4. Orchestral