Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos Blu-ray

Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos

This recording brings Viktoria Mullova together with John Eliot Gardiner and his Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique for a programme which couples two of the greatest violin concertos in the repertory: those by Beethoven and Mendelssohn.

Beethoven s Violin Concerto is his only concerto for a solo string instrument and is one of the cornerstones of the violin repertory. It is conceived on a huge scale and must have presented an enormous challenge to the violinist who first performed the work on 23 December 1806, Franz Clement, who essentially had to play the work at sight.

Mendelssohn was a violinist himself and the E minor Concerto is an integral part of the violin repertory. The concerto was given its first performance on 13 March 1845 when Ferdinand David was soloist. Mendelssohn had agonised over minute details of the work with David yet the final result is one of a piece of seeming great spontaneity and youthful freshness. The concerto was immediately recognised as a masterpiece and has remained so ever since.

For more about Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos and the Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos Blu-ray release, see the Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos Blu-ray Review

Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos Blu-ray Review

Reviewed by Sir Terrence, May 12, 2009

Once again award winning Alexander Jero and Surround Records has brought us a fine performance of two oft used violin concertos by Beethoven and Mendelssohn.

This was Beethoven's only violin concerto, and was finished in 1806 and premièred on December 23, 1806. He wrote the work for friend and leading violinist of the day Franz Clement. It is one of the most popular violin concertos ever written, and its composition brought it closer to the symphonic genre - which gave the work a wider appeal for both musicians and listeners alike. It was believed that Beethoven finished the solo work so late, Clement had to sight read the piece during its opening performance. The première did not go so well, so Beethoven retooled the piece in a revised version of solo piano and orchestra which was later published as Opus 61a. For many years, it was not recognized for the beautiful work that it is, and was not played by violinist of the time. It took composer Felix Mendelssohn to re-introduce this work to the public in the mid 1800's, at it has been played by many violinists over the years.

Felix Mendelssohn's concerto in E minor for violin and orchestra Opus 64 was completed in 1844, and had its first performance in March 13, 1845. The concertos premiere was a great success, and was played again the following year with great fanfare and accolades from listeners and musicians alike. Like Beethoven, Mendelssohn had a unique gift of melody. In listening to the opening phrases, I can see why he could not get this theme out of his head. I have heard this piece played several times, and the opening theme is something I can recognize with just a few notes played. Mendelssohn's concerto has influenced many a musician and composer of the years, and is widely regarded as the most "plagiarized" work of all time. This concerto has developed a reputation as an essential work to master by aspiring violinist, and usually is the first Romantic era pieces they learn. It is also the most widely played work for concerts and music competitions.

Both musical pieces are broken into three movements. Each is scored for an orchestra of between 20-25 members depending on the size of the string section.

Beethoven Violin Concerto in D Major Opus 61.:

1st Movement: Allegro ma non troppo begins with the playing of the theme by the orchestra, which is then continued by the violin which introduces two themes in a cadence.

2nd Movement:Larghetto is based on a lyrical musical theme which can be compared to music of Russian origin.

3rd Movement:Rondo starts with a musical theme introduced by the solo violin. There is no cadence for the violin, which allows a bit of interpretation and improvisation by the violinist.

Mendelssohn's in E Minor for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 64

1st Movement: Allegro molto appassionato opens with a lovely violin solo, the tune that gave Mendelssohn no peace. There are frequent virtuoso passages for a violinist to show off his or her improvisational and interpretive skills.

2nd Movement:Andante transitions from the first movement with a sustained B from the final chord to a middle C. This key change serves to move the passage into a lyrical C major slow movement. This leads to a darker transition in A minor first introduced by the orchestra, which later returns to the more lyrical C major theme.

3rd Movement: Allegretto non troppo - Allegro molto vivace features a fourteen bar transitional passage in E minor featuring the strings and solo violin. An opening trumpet solo leads to a lively almost bubbly finale. When you listen to both pieces, there are some comparisons that have to be made. Both compositions require extreme virtuosity by the violinist. Both are scored for the same size instrumentation. Both leave tremendous opportunities for lyrical and improvisational interpretation to the violinist. Viktoria Millova's solo work is extraordinarily good, and her own credenza's are featured and are well executed.

Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos Blu-ray, Video Quality

 

There is no video on this release

Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 

Featuring John Eliot Gardiner and his Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique - and Presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 at a 24/96 kHz bit and sample rate, the sound on this disc is awe-inspiring. The 7.1 palette gives a recording engineer the opportunity to map acoustically the orchestra and hall with incredible detail, and this recording does just that. With soloist Viktoria Millova's violin dominating the center channel and the orchestra spread in a wide arc in the frontal soundstage, the sound stage is huge, laterally wide, with full height and deep depth. The balance between the soloist and the orchestra is spot on. Strings have a sweet airy high end delivered without harshness and fatigue. The lower strings have a woody full-bodied character that just blooms in the room without sounding bloated and loose. Woodwinds are expertly captured, and reveal a literal potpourri of tonal color and textures. The LFE is powerful, showcasing the tympani's powerful fundamentals. The surround channels are heavily used, rendering the halls open and highly reverberant quality with impeccable palpability. No audiophile would be disappointed with the sound quality of this release; the audio quality is first rate.

Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos Blu-ray, Special Features and Extras

 

There are no supplements on this release.

Beethoven/Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation

 

Lovers of the concertos of Beethoven and Mendelssohn are sure to enjoy this recording. The solo playing is excellent, the cadence of both pieces is perfect for showing off Millova's playing skills, and the recording is simply sublime. Alexander Jero and Surround Records have done an excellent job of creating a product worth owning. Jero's vision of using surround sound as an artistic extension of the performance is genius. After reviewing several of his productions, I am convinced audiophiles have found their new platform for high resolution audio on disc.

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