Customer Reviews

Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1; Konzertstück; Romance

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Most people don't know any music by Max Bruch other than the violin concerto featured on this disc. As played by Maxim Fedotov accompanied by Dmitry Yablonsky and the Russion Philharmonic, the concerto again makes its case, and convincingly. I liked a previous Bruch/Fedotov disc that included the Scottish Fantasy, and I like this one, too. The problem is that there are numerous other fine recordings of the concerto, many of them at a budget price that actually undercuts that of Naxos -- for instance, the two-CD set featuring Salvatore Accardo playing all nine of Bruch's concerted violin works sells here at Amazon for only a little bit more than this single disc -- and, further, there are simply magnificent performances of the G Minor Concerto by the likes of Heifetz, Perlman, Cho-Liang Lin and other violin superstars. The selling point of this disc is not the concerto, although it is played with silvery tone and innate musicianship by Fedotov. No, the main attraction of this disc is the coupling. Usually with the G Minor one gets another concerto by another composer -- most commonly the Mendelssohn, for some reason -- but here we get two other concerted works by Bruch: the Konzertstück, Op. 84, and the ten-minute Romance, Op. 42. So let's focus on those.

The Konzertstück, written in 1910, contains two movements and was possibly meant to have been Bruch's fourth concerto. But he never got past these two movements which are, as it happens, played without pause, making it seem even less like a full-fledged concerto. Hence the name Bruch chose: 'Concert Piece.' The first movement is dramatic, virtuosic for the violin with double-stops, filigree and fireworks. The second movement is based on an Irish folksong -- an Irish Fantasy as a companion piece to the Scottish one? -- that is lyrical and deeply-felt. The movement comes to a serene finish. Fedotov, whose intonation is dead-center throughout, is not challenged by the fireworks, and he is able to convincingly sing the effusive melodies of the second movement. A very fine performance all round, with empathic accompaniment by Yablonsky and the orchestra.

The Romance is a ten-minute minor-key lyrical outpouring, curiously Russian-sounding at times, in ABA song-form. Bruch had an ability to write memorable melodies and does so here; both the main and subsidiary themes linger long in the mind's ear. Fedotov is more emotional here than in the earlier tracks and it all adds up to a superb performance.

Not a first recommendation for the concerto, but highly recommended for the other two works, and especially for the Romance.

Scott Morrison

Violinist Maxim Fedotov performs this evergreen concerto with incandescent passion. The sound image of orchestra and soloist is wonderfull and the entire programme complements perfectly their previous recording of Bruch's Scottish Fantasy and Serenade. I kept thinking how marvelous it would be for the 'Russian Paginini' (Fedotov) to share the podium with conductor Valery Gergiev. This compelling, lyrical performance breathes fresh life into the classic concerto whilst drawing attention to other charming, lesser known pieces as well.

Uit diverse cd's met het 1e vioolconcert van Bruch vind ik de toon van het orkest tesamen met het fantastische, diepklankrijke spel van Maxim Fedotov op deze c.d. mij het meest aansprekend in vergelijking met diverse andere opnamen met dit vioolconcert En dat te samen met het minder bekende Concerstuk en den Romance voor een heel redelijke prijs.