Various Composers - Violin Showpieces [Perlman/Mehta-New York Philharmonic]
One of my most favourite violin concertante discs, this has got some great stuff on it, the opening Sarasate work is the best version i've ever heard, especially the closing pages, sheer unbuttoned virtuosity, the only complaint is the under an hour [56 minutes] programme, it would have been great to have something else as well, this disc is in my all time top ten [i have over 1600 discs], superb in every way, see also [31st January 2011].
Itzhak Perlman is Israeli, though he now lives in America, he is 66 years old, and 'possibly' the greatest living Violinist [though it really depends who you ask!], he made this recording in 1986, the front cover pic [by Steve Sherman] is nice enough, but i'm glad that DG eventually got rid of their big ugly yellow banners at the top.
Loads to really enjoy here, however it was the least 'virtuosic' piece on this programme, and the more inward looking Chausson item that i found the most beguiling, and the longest piece too, it has quite a long orchestral introduction [0:00-1:43], and i guess rather like a slow movement of a Violin Concerto, i like the way it starts, reminds me of the beginning of Tchaikovsky's Sixth, a low drone on bass strings, a lovely effect, the first time i ever heard this piece was by Kyung-Wha Chung, it's as if the music slowly materializes out of the mist, the violin gives a minute long solo introduction itself [1:43-2:44], and the orchestra / violin continue in this tag style, the violin playing ever increasingly lyrical solos, until the thing explodes, and you realize that the first 5 minutes are in fact a sort of prelude, then it blossoms out into a wonderful fantasy, like the tides, it ebbs and flows, i like the high register work by Perlman, he really makes the violin sing sweetly, late in the piece there's brass to give a sense of emphasis in loud tutti's, it's the anchorlessness of the piece that gets me, it's just not nailed down anywhere to a tune, it drifts wonderfully all over the place, i like the closing ideas [15:34-16:17], those high warbling on the violin, over flute melismas, wow, just a perfect and satisfying ending.
Here's Zubin Mehta conducting Chausson's Poeme on YouTube, this time with Vadim Repin as the soloist.
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