Bruch, Mendelssohn, Mozart: Violin Concertos

Max Bruch (Composer), Felix [1] Mendelssohn (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Neville Marriner (Conductor), Peter Maag (Conductor), Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Orchestra), English Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, English Chamber Orchestra
• Conductor: Neville Marriner, Peter Maag
• Composer: Max Bruch, Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
• Audio CD (April 12, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0007WQHVC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #178,211 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good compilation from the younger Joshua Bell, August 22, 2005

By 

Larry VanDeSande - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bruch, Mendelssohn, Mozart: Violin Concertos (Audio CD)

These are rereleases of previous recordings by Joshua Bell the teenager. The Bruch and Mendelssohn are from 1988 and the two Mozart concertos, plus embellishments, are from 1992.

The principal difference between these recordings and the work Bell does today is in style. Compared to his now lean and mean approach, Bell played in a warmer, more romantic style in these recordings, where he was given appropriate accompaniment by the English Chamber Orchestra under the late Peter Maag in Mozart, and by the Academy of St. Martin's in the Fields led by Neville Marriner in the romantic concertos.

Since Bell later re-recorded the Mendelssohn concerto (in 2000 with Roger Norrington and the Salzburg Academy Orchestra) it is easiest to note the differences in that work. The timings for the Mendelssohn are consistently broader in the older recording and his style is consistently more romantic.

Bell and Marriner play up the finale into a blaze or romantic language, picking up the pace at the very end. The Bruch concerto is similar in style and temperament. To my ears, the playing by the Academy and leadership by Marriner in the Mendelssohn is inferior to the 2000 recording.

For most listeners, the more notable release is the two Mozart concertos and the K.261 adagio & K.373 rondo that fills the disk, music that has been out of print for some time. Here, Bell is in territory with the greatest violinists of today and yesterday, recording Mozart's famed Concertos No. 3 and 5, the so-called "Turkish" concerto for its national dance in the final movement.

In this music, Bell again demonstrates a more committed and somewhat romanticized approach with flexible phrasing. That flexibility sometimes threw me, as I was a bit put off by the brief tenuto he employs at the beginning of certain phrases, espeically when the violin makes its initial entry after an orchestral tutti.

Aside from this, I found no objectionalbe tendencies...assuming you can live with Bell's own cadenzas in the Mozart. I found these worked part of the time and didn't work so well part of the time. Bell plays the traditional cadenzas in the Mendelssohn, something he changes in his later recording.

Bell has several outstanding moments in the Mozart concertos. The adagio of the Concerto No. 3 is especially lovely, handled with utmost care and sensitivity by both the soloist and accompanist.

In addtion, the "Turkish" section -- Tempo di minuetto -- in the finale of the Concerto No. 5 springs forth with life and brings distinction to an otherwise ordinary performance. All the while, Bell receives outstanding accompaniment from the Mozart specialist, Peter Maag, and the ECO.

I compared these recordings to a pair of collections I have at home, one by Augustin Dumay and the Salzburg Academy Orchestra and another by Pinchas Zukerman and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Bell's performances compare most readily to Zukerman's 25-year-old recordings.

Both take a healthy, romantic view of the music and play it the way David Oistrakh does on his stereo recordings. Bell's accompaniment is twice as good as that given to Zukerman by the St. Paul group, whose scrappy playing seriously downgrades his meaty interpretation.

The Dumay recording of Mozart Concertos 3-5 takes the more modern chamber-period approach with faster speeds, more clipped phrasing and a complete lack of pathos, sentiment and romance. I find the music works well either way (it is Mozart, after all!) and either recording will bring pleasure.

This two CD set sells for a list price of $18, making it a 2-for-1 proposition. It is eminently worth your money if the collection is one you are seeking and you enjoy the old fashioned romantic approach.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joshua Bell in His Element, December 9, 2006

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bruch, Mendelssohn, Mozart: Violin Concertos (Audio CD)

After reviewing the CD of Joshua Bell and Neville Marriner performing the Bruch G minor and the Mendelssohn E minor concerti, this listener realized that the CD is no longer available. BUT here is an even better option: on this generous 2 CD set are not only the original recordings of the Bruch and Mendelssohn but also a re-emergence of an absolutely exquisite recording of Mozart works that make this available CD one to buy immediately.

Having addressed the Bruch and Mendelssohn in a prior review, let it be said that there are few recordings of the Mozart concertos No. 3 in G major and No. 5 in A major that can compare with these 1992 performances by Bell and the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Peter Maag. The playing is sweet and tender and technically secure as well as being played with heart. Bell uses his own cadenzas as has become his trademark and without exception these cadenzas show the amount of insight and careful study behind Bell's performances.

As an added bonus to the Mozart CD, Bell and Maag offer the 'Adagio in E major', K261 and the 'Rondo in C major', K373 and once again it would be difficult to find finer recordings of these two gems in the current library. This is a splendid set of CDs offering two hours of perfect playing from one of our finest violinists on the stage today. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 06

5.0 out of 5 stars Violin Parents, Stay Sane!, November 18, 2010

By 

KRsquared - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bruch, Mendelssohn, Mozart Violin Concertos (MP3 Download)

Getting a headache from hearing your child squeak out the cadenza of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto? Tired of listening to out of tune thirds in the third movement of the Bruch Violin Concerto? Wishing to finally hear a flawless performance of the major student violin concertos? Perhaps it's time to purchase Joshua Bell's double-CD collection of the Mendelssohn, Bruch, Mozart No. 3, and Mozart No. 5 violin concertos.

Joshua Bell is renowned for the accuracy of his performances, and these CDs epitomize his precision. Each note of the recording is performed fully, clearly, and with perfect articulation. From the dark opening of the Bruch Violin Concerto to the carefree spirit of Mozart No. 3's third movement, every phrase he plays is perfectly manicured to fit the mood of the piece.

His rendition of these frequently performed violin concertos is nothing out of the ordinary; however, it is this very feature that makes his recording perfect. Classical music enthusiasts will appreciate Bell's pure interpretation, but more importantly, violin students who need detailed and exact models for their playing will benefit from hearing Bell's recording.

So the next time you hear your young violinist massacring the octaves of doom at the beginning of the Mendelssohn Concerto, slip on a pair of headphones and immerse yourself in the perfection of Joshua's Bell Mendelssohn recording. Play the CD in the car on the way to your child's next violin lesson; blast it from his or her stereo in the morning instead of using an alarm clock. Perhaps after hearing Joshua Bell's interpretations enough times, your young violinist will learn to sound just like him! And if your child still cannot manage to get those octaves in tune, at least you will have another musician to listen to so that you can stay sane during those brutal, noisy hours of practice.