Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Romances Nos. 1 & 2

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Mstislav Rostropovich (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Maxim Vengerov (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Maxim Vengerov
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (January 10, 2006)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000B63IDO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #200,524 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Slow down and listen to this!, January 20, 2006

By 

J. Niss (Western Mass) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Romances Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

The first movement is played much more slowly than I'm accustomed to; so it took patience for me to be able to really HEAR it. I had to let my mind adjust for 10 minutes or longer, and stop anticipating a quicker pace; sort of acclimate to the perspective. Once I had the payoff was tremendous! It is a unique and beautifully realized rendition. By the end of the 2nd movement I knew that it will bring me years of pleasure.
It is not, as one reviewer put it, confused or floundering; but it IS a new view of this amazing work. I was stunned by the balance between the LSO and Yengerov; to my ears Rostropovich has elevated the orchestra's individual and combined parts to a great extent, creating a gorgeous soundscape I've not heard before(and giving fresh insight to the solo violin itself). I have copies of most of the usually recommended recordings of the concerto, and some fairly obscure versions both vinyl and cd. There are three or four I inevitably (and joyfully) return to again and again. This makes it five!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost, but Not Quite, June 10, 2006

By 

Tristan (NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Romances Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

No doubt this is a fine recording. For those who remember Vengerov and Rostropovich's breath-taking Prokofiev/Shostakovich, however, this is rather disappointing.

As other reviewers pointed out, the tempo in this Beethoven is unusually slow, reminding me of Anne-Sophie Mutter's far from successful recordings of the same concerto. Vengerov's performance is not weird, though; his violin sound is dulcet without exaggerated and excessive rubatos; plus, in spite of, or precisely because of his leisurely tempo, i could relish the gracefulness of this representative masterpiece in the violin repetoire. The two romances are fine too. But I wish the orchestral support was more dynamic and powerful.

If you want to turn to other recordings of this concerto, I would recommend David Oistrakh (EMI)or Kyung Wha Chung (EMI). The former is a lengendary recording and coupled with the Bruch Violin Concerto no. 1. The latter live recording, also coupled with the Bruch concerto, is unsurpassable. It's Chung's second Beethoven recording and leaves nothing whatsoever to be desired. All three movements are gorgeously performed, and yet the second movement in particular is, as one reviewer in the Penguin Classical CD Guide wrote, one of the most beautiful tracks ever recorded. Along with Chung's Tchaikovsky/Mendelssohn CD (Decca), this CD will remain one of the finest in decades to come.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Utterly ruined by Rostorpovich's tempo, or lack of it, February 6, 2006

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Romances Nos. 1 & 2 (Audio CD)

It must have been Giulini who started the modern tendency to maunder through the orchestral accompaniment to the Beethoven violin concerto, but his tempos with Perlamn on EMI are greased lightning compared to this painfullly sodden version led by Rostropovich. At 46 min., it is only 2 to 6 min. slower than other versions, but it feels like a world running on molasses. The absence of accent and propulsion makes all the difference.

The first movement in particular hasn't a hint of vitality, and although Vengerov does everything possible to add interest in his tone and phrasing--both marvelous--this CD is a keen disappointment to anyone who admired his early Beethoven sonata recordings. He oculd have produced a concerto for the ages, but now we will have to wait until the remake, perhaps a decade or more from now.