The Best Mendelssohn and Bruch in Years
Felix Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor, Op. 64
Max Bruch: Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra in G minor, Op. 26
Midori (violin)
Berliner Philharmoniker/ Mariss Jansons
Sony Classical CD SK 87740 (53 minutes : DDD)
What a joy this CD is. When I first listened to this CD, yours truly was left ga-ga - dumb founded and hypnotised by the spell Midori casts on my mind. I was "petrified" by her outstanding renditions. Midori has become, quite simply, a great violinist. For your information, this violin virtuoso has made a legendary debut at Tanglewood when she was just 14-year-old: not only did she break the E-string on her violin twice (she had to borrow violin from the concertmaster and the associate concertmaster), but also the late American conductor, Leonard Bernstein no less, knelt before her in awe and amazement. The next day the New York Times front page displayed "Girl, 14, Conquers Tanglewood with 3 violins." I bet even that deceased megalomaniac Austrian conductor, Herbert von Karajan would be most likely astounded by her pure virtuosity so… move over Anne-Sophie Mutter!!
These two great violin concerti are wonderfully played here. Midori delivers stunning performances of both the Mendelssohn and the Bruch: Individual, but not gratingly idiosyncratic; lyrical; and with a delicious range of tone and emotion.
The gorgeous opening melody of the Mendelssohn sets the tone; the sweetness of Midori extracts from her violin is instantly captivating. The 2nd movement avoids sentimentality while remaining faithfully songful and the finale is light and airy, as if the bow barely touches the strings. In short, Midori’s rendition of Mendelssohn’s violin concerto is gracefully exciting with a great range of dynamic and colour. The music flows and grows naturally with many breath-taking and electrifying moments.
The Bruch opens with just the right dark, introverted mystery and gradually Midori building up the climax. The middle movement is sheer poetry and the finale is brilliantly sparkling. As a summary of Midori’s rendition of Bruch’s violin concerto, she delivers a dramatic yet introspective performance. The Adagio is given an extra depth by her impossibly delicate tone and phrasing. The finale is not so capricious, without a hint of "look-at-me" arrogance.
The live recordings are vivid and the audience clearly brings out the best in both soloist and orchestra, all under the caring, balanced eye of Mariss Jansons. Such power! Such delicacy! Simply a splendid structured recording. Love it. This CD is a definite winner!
I’d like to end this with oft-quoted comment by Joseph Joachim the great violin virtuoso in his own right: "The Germans have four violin concertos. The greatest, the most uncompromising, is Beethoven’s. The one by Brahms vies with it in seriousness. The richest, the most seductive was written by Max Bruch. But the most inward, the heart’s jewel, is Mendelssohn’s."
