Stravinsky/Bartók: Violin Concertos

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It's handy to have two of the 20th century's greatest violin concertos together on one disc, especially in such fine performances. The somewhat astringent but dance-inspired Stravinsky, in his neo-classic mode, dates from 1931. Viktoria Mullova invests it with virtuoso flair, her lean tone perfectly fitting the brittle, skittish outer movements, broadening for the melodically rich Aria movements. The Bartók gets as committed a reading, Mullova playing with rhapsodic exuberance and the orchestra matching her for color and energy. Mullova sings the delicate lyrical theme that opens the Andante tranquillo movement with intense inwardness. Esa-Pekka Salonen's sympathetic conducting makes this a partnership to treasure. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Underpriced.......2006-12-19

It is incredible to me that I was able to purchase ten discs of probably the single greatest violinist of the century tackling immortal masterpieces for less than the cost of a utility bill.

You are thinking, "where's the catch?" Well, there is none. The transfers are excellent, the performances, of course, are superb. The only corner-cutting to be found was in the packaging, but even that was more than sufficient.

All these riches made me greedy, though. I wish there was Bartok 2 as well as 1, same with Szymanowski. I wish there was Khatchaturian. But how spoiled I am to be complaining! There is so much here to be enjoyed, from the crags of Szymanowski and the peaks of Beethoven to the cool, dark valleys of Chausson. If you only ever buy one violin box set, buy this one.

Superb survey of one of the all-time greatest violinists.......2005-08-28

We haven't been exactly short on releases by the great David Oistrakh, whether in the LP days or on CD. The trouble was that his recorded legacy - one of the most extensive in history by any violinist - has been made accessible through a multitude of labels, often in a haphazard fashion, and even more often for a very short time. The arrival of this new 10 CD-box has to be saluted for its effort to group a splendid selection of live recordings by Oistrakh made in the USSR between 1939 and 1968 with the Moscow Philharmonic, the Leningrad Philharmonic and the USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra, with some of the foremost conductors of the day (Alexander Gauk, Kirill Kondrashin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Kurt Sanderling).

Undoubtedly, collectors will already have the majority of the recordings presented here (although a lot is no longer available), but this box covers all the great concertos and as a survey of the art of "King David" it is presently unbeatable.

The sound quality is variable, of course, but totally acceptable regarding the age of some of the documents.

Average customer rating:

Splendid Performances of the Stravinsky and Bartok Violin Concertos from Mullova etc.
Two Favorite 'Modern' Concerti Magnificently Performed
Sweeter in both concertos than what we're used to
challenging and enjoyable
Absolutely Fabulous!

Stravinsky, Bartók: Violin Concertos

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Bach: Partita Nos.1-3
Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto

ASIN: B000024MOM
Release Date: 2000-03-14

Tracks:

Violin Concerto In D: 1. Toccata
Violin Concerto In D: 2. Aria I
Violin Concerto In D: 3. Aria II
Violin Concerto In D: 4. Capriccio
Violin Concerto No. 2: 1. Allegro non troppo
Violin Concerto No. 2: 2. Andante tranquillo
Violin Concerto No. 2: 3. Allegro molto

Amazon.com

It's handy to have two of the 20th century's greatest violin concertos together on one disc, especially in such fine performances. The somewhat astringent but dance-inspired Stravinsky, in his neo-classic mode, dates from 1931. Viktoria Mullova invests it with virtuoso flair, her lean tone perfectly fitting the brittle, skittish outer movements, broadening for the melodically rich Aria movements. The Bartók gets as committed a reading, Mullova playing with rhapsodic exuberance and the orchestra matching her for color and energy. Mullova sings the delicate lyrical theme that opens the Andante tranquillo movement with intense inwardness. Esa-Pekka Salonen's sympathetic conducting makes this a partnership to treasure. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Splendid Performances of the Stravinsky and Bartok Violin Concertos from Mullova etc........2007-04-18

Viktoria Mullova is without question, among our finest solo violinists, but hers is a career that is relatively little known in the United States, in stark contrast to the ample popular and critical acclaim she's received in Europe. Her 2000 Philips recording of the Stravinsky and Bartok 2nd violin concertos should have won additional acclaim for her here, but sadly, it's been ignored, in stark contrast to other, more popular recordings from violinists as diverse as Itzhak Perlman and Hilary Hahn, for example. Mullova is one soloist who opts for adhering as closely to the composer's wishes as possible, opting for exuberant emotional playing only when it is demanded of her in these scores. inded, her performance of the Stravinsky violin concerto is most consistent with someone performing one of Mozart's violin concerti (A comparison which is most apt given the neo-classical style of Stravinsky's work.), in which she emphasizes a lean, bright tone to her playing, which sounds almost whimsical, especially in the Aria (2nd and 3rd) and Capriccio (4th) movements. In stark contrast, her performance of the Bartok second violin sounds a bit more brash, indeed bold, but here she emphasizes a more muscular-sounding tone from her violin. In conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and a chamber orchestra-version of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, she has sympathetic partners, who provide nuanced, understated, and yet, still elegant playing to her splendid solos in each concerto. Having enjoyed immensely both her recent Beethoven violin concerto recording with John Eliot Gardiner and his period instrument band and a much earlier recording that's sadly out of print of her performances of the Sibelius and Tchaikovsky violin concertos with Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra, I am delighted to recommend this 2000 recording of hers as among the best I've heard of either the Stravinsky or Bartok 2nd violin concertos.

Two Favorite 'Modern' Concerti Magnificently Performed.......2006-05-21

It is so refreshing to note that these two 20th century concerti are now considered staples of the repertoire of the major orchestras. Both of them are not only inventive and demanding, but they are also simply beautiful music!

Viktoria Mullova is a perfect match for these works. Her technique is dazzling while being more concerned with the composer's ideas than her own. In the Violin Concerto in D major by Stravinsky she is as brisk and perky as any artist on record. Her control over the dynamics and the phrasing fit like a glove.

In the Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor of Bela Bartok she sings the elegant opening movement with all the passion it demands, and yet in the second movement her technical virtuosity is cheeky and assured. In both of these works Mullova is partnered with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group as conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen: finer collaboration would be difficult to imagine. The LA Phil New Music Ensemble is merely a reduced form of the LA Phil and sound is lushly resonant where called for and tightly attentive when the speed and accuracy of the collaborative portion are paramount. Salonen knows this repertoire well and molds the soloist and orchestra into a finely honed whole. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, May 06

Sweeter in both concertos than what we're used to.......2006-01-14

The Amazon reviewer, like almost every critic before him, trots out "astringent" to describe the Stravinsky violin concerto, written in 1931, the prime of his neo-clasical period. Mullova and Salonen conquer the cliche with a sweet-toned performance that dances and chirps light-heartedly. Mullova doesn't take the opportunity to dig into the music; she is content to be part f the contrapuntal weave as the most important thread. On her own terms, it's the first Stravinsky concerto performance I would call charming.

The Bartok Second Concerto is a considerably more significant masterpiece. This is a work where astringency applies, along with a touch of the barbaric. But Mullova goes her own way again--she is warm and lyrical throughout. In fact, the miraculous thing about her style in general, now that I know it fairly well--is how she can keep one's interest without much external show. She uses beauty of tone and sensitive phrasing in the best way possible, to bring across deeply felt musical instincts. I would rate her the most musical violinist now before the public, despite my high regard for Vengerov and Shaham, both of whom resemble Mullova in style. Excellent sound, by the way, and the LA Phil. plays with panache and bite in the Bartok, staying well on the side of refinement.

challenging and enjoyable.......2005-10-14

I am generally a fan of romantic era music. I borrowed this from the library and liked it more than I expected I would given its modernist composers. Both pieces are spiky and harmonically challenging and would not be enjoyable for those intolerant of all dissonance. The playing is really good. I liked the sharpness of the solo violin and the quality of her vibrato-- varies some depending on the ongoing content and shifting mood. The Bartok piece with its three movement lay-out is perhaps the more traditional of the two in general outline but I found its harmonies just a bit more difficult. The mix favors the soloist but LA provides good color. The sound is good.

Absolutely Fabulous!.......2003-10-29

Ever since I heard the recording of the Bartok concerto (with the original ending) by Mark Kaplan on Koch, I have listened to all of the recordings of this ending. I have no reservations at all in saying that I prefer the original ending. All of the conductors (Lawrence Foster, Michael Gielen, Leonard Slatkin and Esa-Pekka Salonen) play it for all its worth-and to me, it's worth a lot. I can see why Bartok published this ending. It is true, though, that it should say on the CD case that the original ending is used (which is also the case on the Tetzlaff/Gielen recording.)This is my favorite available recording of this version, as the Zuckerman/Slatkin recording is out of print. There is also room on this disc for the revised ending, which Zuckerman/Slatkin also do. All you have to do is program your CD player accordingly.As for the rest of the performance, it is absolutely fabulous. Mullova's tone never falters, and she is expressive where possible and she is backed to the hilt by Salonen and the LA Phil. The sound is gorgeous, with a very realistic bass drum. Soft playing is beautiful and loud sections are very powerful. As for the Stravinsky, this piece is foolproof, in my opinion. Every recording I have heard of this piece (Perlman/Ozawa, Stern/Stravinsky,Chung/Previn, Gitlis and now, Mullova and Salonen) is very well done. The spirit is certainly there, and Mullova certainly can play her violin well. This cd is recommended with much enthusiasm!!