Well what can i say about yet another version of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, i've always wondered, is there a certain 'saturation point', where you get so familiar with a work that it no longer excites?, this is the fourteenth time that this Concerto has been in my Blog, and the first for this version, i can count seventeen versions i own, to some that might well seem an overkill, but i still find that each one brings a fresh perspective to the work, and certainly Mullova is a Violin superstar, and well worth hearing her interpretation.
Viktoria Mullova is Russian, she's now 52, and she made this recording in 1985, the front cover photo [by Gianni Viviani] is of course really staged, it would be better if they were just smiling and looking into the camera, but the shot is well done, very good lighting, and the lettering at the top is nicely symmetrical.
Well, looking through my past entries of Sibelius's Violin Concerto, it always seems that the central Adagio Di Molto always shines the brightest in my heart, in listening to this work today, i found each movement the equal of the other, the last movement doesn't get the proper recognition it deserves, i hardly talk about it, after the beautiful slow movement, it certainly breaks that lovely spell when the jaunty start of last movement comes in, maybe a sense of 'sacrilege' in my mind, for me it takes a while to get going, and mainly it's that jauntiness of the violin at the beginning, it's not far off a solo, the orchestra provides almost only a background rhythm [0:00-1:25] the violin really is centre stage, even though the Concerto is in D Minor, the final movement is in D Major, and yet it sounds troubled in many ways, the whole movement has this chugging dance like rhythm to it, technically it's really difficult, a movement of violin fireworks, i like the build up and forte between violin and orchestra [3:24-3:48], notice how the violin slurs down the strings [3:30], that's a good effect, also i like the rasping of some unknown brass instrument [5:02-5:30], i like the high treble interplay that Mullova brings off nicely [6:07-7:21], taking the music almost to the end, the very end is abrupt, a nice finish.
Here's Mullova playing the Concerto on YouTube, the last movement starts at [24:25].
Here's Mullova playing the Concerto on YouTube, the last movement starts at [24:25].
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