Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Violin Romances

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), David Zinman (Conductor), Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra (Orchestra), Christian Tetzlaff (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Christian Tetzlaff
• Orchestra: Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra
• Conductor: David Zinman
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (June 13, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arte Nova Classics
• ASIN: B000FII25M
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,119 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #43 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Strings > Violin
  • #71 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > General
  • #74 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Classical (c.1770-1830) > General AAS

Track Listings

1. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61: Allegro ma non troppo

2. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61: Larghetto

3. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61: Rondo

4. Romance for violin & orchestra No. 1 in G major, Op. 40

5. Romance for violin & orchestra No. 2 in F major, Op. 50

Editorial Reviews

"One of the most brilliant and inquisitive artists of the new generation." -NEW YORK TIMES

As is generally known, Beethoven later transcribed his violin concerto as a piano concerto, for which he wrote some additional solo cadenzas. Christian Tetzlaff has in turn transcribed these original piano cadenzas for the violin. According to Tetzlaff, the cadenzas by Fritz Kreisler that are usually heard are "alien – in purely harmonic terms, but also in terms of the concept and the idea behind them. Beethoven pursues an entirely different approach in his original piano cadenzas". Voted the 2005 Instrumentalist of the Year by Musical America, Tetzlaff regularly gives guest performances as a soloist and chamber musician in all the international musical centers, such as at New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Vienna’s Musikverein as well as in London, Paris, Berlin, and Munich. He has been awarded several prizes for his numerous CD recordings, including two Diapason d’Ors, the Edison Prize, the Echo Prize, and nominations for the Grammy Awards. This recording offers one of today’s leading soloists along with conductor David Zinman, whose Beethoven recordings are praised by critics and fans. David Zinman has risen to the pinnacle of his career in the last decade. After bringing the Baltimore Symphony to major status, he became musical director of the Aspen Music Festival and then took the helm of Zurich’s beloved Tonhalle Orchestra, with which he has undertaken highly successful tours of Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Zinman’s discography, which includes over 100 recordings, has won five Grammys and two Grands Prix du Disque. Zinman’s complete Beethoven symphony set with this same orchestra received the Award of the German Record Critics in 1999 and has since gone from one rave review to another. Founded in 1868, the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra is Switzerland’s oldest symphony orchestra. Today it gives over 90 concerts each season, featuring more than 50 different programs with the world’s leading conductors and solo artists.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beethoven minus Romantic cobwebs, June 25, 2006

By 

G. Campbell "haydnfan" (savannah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Violin Romances (Audio CD)

As in his remarkable Beethoven symphony cycle, Zinman and his Zurich orchestra allow the listener to hear the concerto from a fresh perspective; the cadenzas used by Christian Tetzlaff, Germany's finest violinist at present (yes, above Mutter - just compare their Mozart concerti),derive from Beethoven's transcription of his violin concerto for the piano. When the cadenza first appears this listener REALLY took notice, and some will find the piece virtually unrecognizable at this point, but I found it fascinating and successful-far removed from the heavily romanticized accounts of the work most will be accustomed to. The finale, which at a slow tempo can be quite laborious, sparkles like no other of recent vintage. I can imagine some will abhor this recording for the first movement waywardness, but any one who has enjoyed Zinman's Beethoven symphonies will delight in this new recording and gain a refreshing view of this, arguably the greatest of all violin concerti. Excellent sound-better than that heard in the symphonies. I want to hear now the rest of the piano concerto cycle with Zinman and Bronfman.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of a good lot, December 14, 2007

By 

Judith Sherman (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Violin Romances (Audio CD)

I've been on a Beethoven Violin Concerto binge. This one is the best I've heard. It is intelligent, imaginative and stylish. By "stylish" I mean more in a Classical style than a Romantic. This is a rather early work, and I think that is appropriate. On some of the other versions I heard, the tempos are sluggish. This is sprightly, heartfelt and beautifully played by both soloist and orchestra.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Enough, August 26, 2007

By 

Ross Kennett "Ross Kennett" (Narooma, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Violin Romances (Audio CD)

The Beethoven violin concerto is one of the great works of classical music, many would say the greatest concerto ever. I would agree that it is the best written since the baroque period. It is one of the most recorded, there are 166 versions available in the catalogue, it would be a brave man, or woman, who nominated the best.
This recording by Christian Tetzlaff with the Zurich Tonhalle is at least a very good one; conductor David Zinman has recently recorded all the orchestral music of Beethoven on a series of highly acclaimed CDs. They play on modern instruments but follow the practices of the period, the romantic overlay has been removed, it is like removing layers of varnish from and old master and seeing the original colours revealed.
I don't want to go on about the quality of the sonics, the positioning of the percussion etc, suffice it to say that this is a near perfect recording of both the concerto and the two violin romances. Near perfect? My only reservation is the use of the cadenzas written for Beethoven's transcription of the concerto for piano, especially the first few notes of cadenza at the end of the first movement, I find them jarring, but the use of drum beats again suits very well.
Which is my favourite version ? Well, of the few I know it has been Monica Huggett's neglected period instrument recording of 1992, which is very similar to this one in many ways. When I get used to that cadenza it could well be this one.
Without my doubts about those few notes this recording is easily worth five stars, as I will probably get used to them I am happy with five, especially when I remember the super bargain price.