Search - Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Anne-Sophie Mutter :: Violin Concerto / Fantasie Op 131

Blazing strings

Jill Tan | Singapore | 11/17/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I thought that Mutter's earlier recording of the Brahms concerto with Herbert von Karajan was one of the best I'd ever heard, but along came this new recording which blew that notion to bits. This recording is simply perfection, and in a piece which has been described by some as "too cerebral" with an overly long (and boring) First Movement, Mutter manages to keep the listener interested and engaged throughout. The cadenza and finishing lines of the First Movement are masterful and beautiful, and the pacing of the Second Movement makes it a perfect "calm zone" between the first and third movements. In the Third Movement, Mutter again out-does herself. I thought that I'd never hear a better rendition of the Third Movement than the one she recorded with von Karajan, but she proved me wrong. The musical lines of this movement are actually quite lyrical despite their martial feel, and Mutter is the only artiste I have heard (apart, perhaps, from Oistrakh) who has the technical command and lyricism to bring out these melodies. If you only listen to one recording of the Brahms concerto in your lifetime, this might as well be it. After all, you'll also be treated to a splendid "encore" in the Schumann Fantasie, which sounds like a technical nightmare for the violinist but is sheer pleasure and thrill for the listener, especially when the violinist is Anne-Sophie Mutter. Just note how she commands the piece, hopping, skipping, tripping and sliding through those notes as though having fun in the playground. Simply sensational. Highly, highly recommended."

This is the mother of all Brahms Concertos - simply the best

Jill Tan | 10/16/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One thing that has impressed me about Anne-Sophie Mutter is that, unlike many other virtuosos, she has continually improved during the span of her career. Her new Brahms concerto shows a musically maturity unseen in her 1981 recording with Karajan. This is simply the best Brahms Concerto ever, and I've heard many Brahms Concertos - Perlman, Vengerov, Heifetz, Hahn, Mintz, etc... Mutter's performance here is superior in every respect to all other recordings. Mutter probes the music of Brahms and finds profound meaning in the piece. Her fiery entrance in I, the passion with which she performs the section after the cadenza, and her passionate performance of II are unmatched. This is the best Brahms concerto ever, period."

Mutter's Passionate Brahms Violin Concerto

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 05/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anne-Sophie Mutter's latest recording of Brahms' Violin Concerto is among her finest concerti recordings. It easily eclipses her earlier recording with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic, also on Deutsche Grammophon. She plays with great passion and lyricism throughout the score, though she really takes off in the third movement. Without question, her playing of the third movement is quite simply the most lyrical, and rhapsodic that I have heard from anyone. Masur and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra give a vibrant, warm performance of such clarity, that you might think it was a chamber orchestra backing her, not one of the five great American orchestras. The rarely heard Schumann Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra is a fine addition, though her performance isn't quite as compelling as the Brahms Violin Concerto. While this recording won't replace my recommendations of Vengerov and Kremer as first choice for the Brahms Violin Concerto, it does come quite close."