Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields :: Mozart: Violin Con. No. 1 in B flat, Sinfonia Concertante in E flat, Adagio in E

The best A.S.Mutter record!

01/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Certainly the best record A.S Mutter did, and maybe she is more performant with lighter size orchestra and with the Mozart's music? I listen and listen again the Adagio of the first concerto and Neville Marriner conducts the orchestra with just the touch needed, the equilibrium is perfect.The Sinfonia Concertante is the other part of the CD which needs attention and the association with Bruno Giuranna (viola) makes it irresistible. Finally i keep for the end what forced me to write some comments: the Adagio in E is a pure jewel and fan of violin, buy this CD for the few minutes passed to dream with Mozart. This record is so beautiful and the comparison with Oistrakh or Heifetz makes it maybe at the advantage of Mutter & Marriner(of course personal opinion); and some interpretations are executed with two violins instead? Looking at previous records of A.S Mutter with Karajan, i definitely prefer this one. Buy this record without hesitation: certainly the confirmation Mutter is the actual great violonist we appreciate. But thanks to Mozart!"

Exquisite violin pieces

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 07/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The three pieces selected for this CD are glorious examples of Mozart's composition for the violin, and are played with sensitivity and grace by Anne-Sophie Mutter, Bruno Giuranna, and Sir Neville Marriner.
The Violin Concerto # 1 is a youthful delight, composed when Mozart was in his late teens, with a sprightly Presto finale that Mutter makes the most of.
The Adagio in E was written as a replacement for the Adagio in the Violin Concerto # 5, at the request of the violinist it was written for, Antonio Brunetti, but in the following years the Concerto # 5 was performed with its original 2nd movement, leaving this beautiful piece to be played separately.My favorite piece on this CD is the Sinfonia Concertante, which adds Bruno Giuranna as a performer on viola. The 2nd movement Andante has one of Mozart's loveliest melodies, and this is an exquisite, soulful rendition of it.
Anne-Sophie Mutter has been playing in major concert halls since her youth, debuting with Herbert Von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic when she was only 15. Her repertoire is wide-ranging, and she has had many modern masterpieces dedicated to her, like Penderecki's Violin Concerto # 2, and Lutoslawski's Partita.
Bruno Giuranna was one of the founding members of the fabulous chamber group I Musici, and has been the Artistic Director of the Padua Chamber Orchestra.
Every recording I've heard by Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is excellent, and this CD is yet another example of their fine musicianship.
These recordings were made in 1991, the sound is good and total running time is 59'05."

Mozart and Mutter, a winning combination

klavierspiel | TX, USA | 02/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This disc, though not by far the most renowned of Mutter's numerous recordings, has a lot to offer. Her playing is at her usual superb level and she has topnotch support from Neville Mariner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Bruno Giuranna, her partner in the Sinfonia Concertante, is at one with her musically and the result is one of the best traversals of this much-recorded work available. Together they wring every drop of emotion out of the deeply felt slow movement.The other pieces here are less familiar works but equally worthwhile. The early violin concerto No. 1 in B-flat is earthier, less elegant than the more familiar Nos. 3 and 5, and Mutter gives a correspondingly straightforward performance. Rounding out the album is an ethereal reading of the Adagio in E major, written as an alternative slow movement to the Concerto No. 5 in A major. Consistently beautiful playing from all concerned and great recorded sound make this one a keeper."