Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Mozart: Violin Concertos 3 & 5 / Mutter, Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

The Best Recording of the 2 Supreme Mozart Concertos

Dolly137 | Not Canada :) | 07/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is perhaps the finest rendition of the Mozart violin concertos I have heard in a long, long time. They were both composed during a period of great triumph and happiness of Mozart's personal and musical life, truly emanate wonderful energy, whimsicality, and depth of Mozart's personality. It is brought to life and powered by a precocious, intelligent and young Mutter. At just 13, she brings great insight and technical mastery to these works. Digitally remastered and re-released after 20 years of its first entrance to the music market, this recording avoids the all-too-frequent overly virtuosic attempts at tackling the difficulty of Mozart's compositions. I think anyone would enjoy having this album in their collection and listening to it for a mood boost."

Some Fine Music

Daniel | California | 01/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having reviewed the 1998 Repin/Menuhin recording of Mozart concertos #2, 3, and 5, I am now happy to review this recording by Sophie Mutter and von Karajan, made twenty years earlier in 1978. It is #3 that shines on this disc. Mutter had played #3 with von Karajan a year previously to recording, at the Salzburg Mozart Festival. Overall the pace is easy, but not overrelaxed. The feeling is that, instead of Mutter having stepped out of her Conservatory of Music and onto the stage of the Berlin Philharmonic, that indeed the Philharmomic had decided to pay a visit to the Conservatory. There are very few recordings of von Karajan in which his restraint with respect to the solo performer is so well-achieved. The symphony takes a breath with every breath of Mutter's, almost by telepathy it seems. The slow movement is very slow, much slower than the Menuhin/Repin recording, and the overall effect is to bring out the outstanding simplicity of the music. It is remarkable. The third movement is very nicely phrased, and Mutter pulls off a "zinger" of a cadenza in the middle. The march is oh-so-German in this recording, like a stroll. As for #5, it is less polished than #3, but only slightly less. The very slow solo intro in the first movement is nearly perfect, unlike the pushing and pulling in the Repin recording. The tendency is for the soloist to hang back while the orchestra moves right ahead: and in Mutter's recording, she almost makes the same mistake that Repin did in hanging back too long, but immediately corrects her tempo and falls into line with von Karajan. The second and third movements of #5 are played well by Mutter, but I think Repin's playing is more mature, more like Sophie Mutter's commanding 1980 performance of the Beethoven violin concerto. One could easily fill a shelf with all of the available Mozart violin concerto recordings, but I think that between Repin and Mutter one gets an overall feeling for the music, and it is Mozart's genius that shines through no matter who the performer is. Again, #3 is the delight here, and well worth the purchase. Recommended."

Music making at it's finest

Jeff Davis Maynor | Baton Rouge, LA United States | 07/23/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to this recording it is hard to believe the soloist is merely 14 years old. Her playing sounds far more mature, helped by the great Herbert Von Karajan and the incomparable Berlin Philharmonic. Anne-Sophie Mutter plays like someone easily twice her age, and Von Karajan resists his usual tendencies to make Mozart "fluffy". The combination results in a wonderous performance."