Customer Reviews

Janine Jansen: Concertos & Romance

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Janine Jansen first caught my ears when I heard her play the Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso on the radio. I remember thinking: "Wow, who played this? I have to find out when I get home."

Since then, I have acquired her Four Seasons recording which has completely redefined the old classic for me. Perhaps it's not as "faithful" as some of the other recordings out there, but it is Janine Jansen's fresh energy and lively interpretation that really gives her playing the uniqueness that words cannot describe.

When I saw her new album featuring my favorite violin concerto, the Mendelssohn, I was immediately tempted to buy it. But as I already own more than 10 recordings of it, I decided to not waste my money on yet another contemporary artist. However, when I heard a high quality sample on iTunes of her Mendelssohn and Bruch, I just COULD NOT prevent myself from buying it.

What makes her recording so attractive are the small but noticeable details in interpretation that truly sets these pieces apart from the hundreds of other recordings. I'm not saying that it's necessarily "better" or "worse" than recordings from Heifetz, Milstein, Oistrach, Menuhin, Perlman, and etc. but Janine Jansen has 100% captured my heart with these superb renditions. Her playing in the final movements of these two concertos are so good that I would not hesitate to make this CD my new first recommendation for those who do not own the Mendelssohn or Bruch violin concertos.

This has by far been my most satisfying CD purchase in a year and will be at the top of my collection :)

Janine Jansen is yet another young violinist I've heard of, but haven't had the pleasure of hearing before. She must be regarded as among the best soloists of her generation, based on the superb technical and lyrical sides to her playing, which reminds me of Hilary Hahn's and Joshua Bell's. Her performance of the Mendelssohn violin concerto is one of the most lyrical I have come across, with a vivid, intense lyricism to it that reminds me so much of Bell's recent recording. I am equally impressed too with her splendid playing of the Bruch violin concerto, especially her fiery, lyrical playing of the second and third movements. I must concur with others who've remarked that her performance of the Bruch romance for viola and orchestra is quite special too, and for many, will be the best reason to purchase this CD. For me another strong reason is to hear the fantastic playing of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, which has experienced an artistic "re-birth" under the skillful guidance of its newest music director, distinguished Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly, transforming it once more into one of Europe's ten best orchestras. Decca's sound engineers have done a superlative job in producing a well-balanced recording emphasizing both Ms. Jansen's exemplary lyrical playing, and the lush, warm vibrant playing of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. While this fine CD may not be my primary recommendation for the Mendelssohn and Bruch pieces, it still earns high praise from me, and for some fellow classical music fans may be the best recordings of these works that they've heard. Indeed, I look forward to hearing other recordings made by this fine young Dutch violinist, who clearly has a promising future awaiting her.

This is an absolutely stunning performance! Although I love Mendelssohn's violin concerto so much I hesitated buying this CD at once. I just had hard time finding the ONE recording for my taste believe or not. However this beautiful young lady impressed me way much more than I expected! Wonderful feeling, power, technique are there with a great tonality. Orchestra/Chally is superb, really a great work all together. I guess this will stop me from hunting for another great recording of the Mendelssohn for a while. By the way, Bruch concerto is also quiet nice (Kyung Hwa Chung's is still my favorite) and the viola romance is just so beautiful! It is hard to get disappointed with this recording so try it!

Janine Jansen is making the young adult transition that has to happen as we grow up. In her case, from child prodigy - she played the Bruch first with a youth orchestra at twelve years old in her home country of The Netherlands - to working professional musician. World class, by all accounts, and by the evidence of this disc, too.

Her super audio disc of the Vivaldi Four Seasons persuaded me strongly enough that I started giving out multiple copies as gifts to friends who somehow did not yet have a Four Seasons gracing their music shelves. And that in a crowded music factory warehouse catalogue of very, very, very good performances.

Now Ms Jansen turns her attentions to the nearly trite disc coupling of Mendelssohn's mature violin concerto and the first Bruch. Yawn?

I think not.

First off, note that she is playing the Barrere Strad of 1727, as well as a Guadagnini viola (1780) on loan for the interspersed Bruch viola Romance deftly tucked in the middle of her concert, between the two chestnut standards. You do not get loaned these sorts of stringed instruments unless you know how to handle them, and then some. Just knowing what she has on loan encourages us to open up to the possibilities, she just well may be the real deal, fiddle-wise.

Now my favs in Mendelssohn-Bruch couplings have included Gil Shaham, Ithzak Perlman, and Davis Oistrakh. Well, better to recall Henryk Szeryng. Ms Jansen has that sort of silvery, platinum dancing tone from high to low registers. She has no need to overpower the orchestra going full tilt, but instead manages to float angelically on top of the musical textures. This sort of playing gets under-rated, just as some listeners under-rated Szeryng, because such fiddlers do not need to force their way through, and because such fiddlers typically make the whole effort seem way too easy.

Imagine the growing cross-generational crop of fine women fiddlers we are getting these days. Ginette Neveau blazed a green and thriving trail indeed, early in the past century - if these young women are any indications. Anne Sophie Mutter broke through. Then Kyung Wha Chung. Then Viktoria Mullova. Anne Akiko Meyers. Then suddenly Hilary Hahn, Lara St. John, Leila Josefowitz, and of course, the redoubtable Julia Fisher.

If ever we needed tangible musical evidence that equal opportunity musicianship is natural, the mystical cosmological ways of things with a flourish, these fiddlers are high, bright signs.

Oh yes, by all means, get the Mendelssohn and the first Bruch by whomever your fav fiddler happens to be. You probably cannot go wrong. But when you get around to adding to that top choice recording, do be sure to consider this one with Ms. Jansen. Her way with the Strad is not labored, pedestrian, or boring. Oh no. And that less often recorded viola Romance comes along to add its own special touches. Old Max Bruch is sounding less and less like a dusty museum case display, such glinting lights afire do these readings yield. Reconsider Max Bruch, then. And yes, Mendelssohn is still eternally poised, Olympian, unsullied.

Keep your ears open for more. Highly recommended. Five stars.

Frankly, were it not for U-Tube I wouldn't know anything about this artist or this album; after all, there are enough existing recordings of these two concerti to last anyone a lifetime, let alone each promise of "new ones" only seem to be marketing ploys to parade the highly competent though thoroughly unimaginative product of the modern, global conservatory system. This one, however, is indeed an exception.

Jansen's sound is robust, her technique and approach are fine examples of innovation and progression in 21st century violin playing. Her interpretations are fresh, and her sensitivity and approach vibrant, multivalent and so alive they force one to rethink everything one knows about these two concerti. Most intriguingly, Jansen has captured performances intelligent and well informed enough to compel one to dust off and revisit every version in one's collection and "discover" new things about these works all over again.

Janine Jansen is one of the finest young classical violinists in the world today. Her performance of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, is thrilling! While I may not have the musical pedigree to comment on every nuance of her performance, let me say, if you like classical music, you are going to really like this CD! I did, it's that simple. Energetic, passionate, romantic...emotion pours out of Ms. Jansen. While her tone is certainly beautiful and extraordinary, it is the "romance" in this CD that swept me away. She plays the violin dangerously and with abandon! She holds nothing back. In the end, it just works, and it does so really really well, in my opinion. The other selections by Bruch are also quite good and I enjoyed them as well, but it's the Mendelssohn that makes this CD one of my absolute favorites.

Superb playing and a very fresh and romantic aproach to both concertos. The Romance was also wonderful, but it was not the first time this piece was recorded as stated in another review. This Romance for Viola and Orchestra (Opus 85) by Bruch was previously recorded by Yuri Bashnet in 1998 with the London Symphony under Neeme Jarvi (RCA 0902663292 2). The wonderful violin that Miss Jansen plays is the "Barrere" (Kaufman) Antonio Stradivarius dated 1727. In that year Stradivarius did some very beautiful and tonally extraordinare instruments like the "Venus", the "Gillott", the "Davidov" (this latter one use to be played by Erica Morini), etc....

Janine Jansen brings to her latest album the gift of fresh discovery, the sense that a bunch of very talented friends have gotten together and are exploring something exciting, with more friends gathered to listen. The spirit is never "look at me" but always "listen to this!" And this reflects what we know about Janine, that she is a hard-working, unspoiled and immensely talented young woman who has always had musicians around her.

I've heard this in Berlin several times with her chamber concerts with Spectrum Concerts Berlin, and Maestro Chailly and Mendelssohn's own Gewandhausorchester are willing partners in the same way of making music. Having grown up with the Heifetz recordings of both the concertos I feel like I've been given new pieces of music to hear. I loved the star dash of those old LPs, but they were also exhausting after a couple of plays, while this remains invigorating.

The Mendlessohn and Bruch concertos are well played, especially the Bruch concerto, with lyrical performances of the slow movements. Although I prefer Gil Shaham's performances of these two concertos over those of all other violinists, Jansen's performances are enjoyable. Despite the heavy competition among the many available recordings of the concertos this CD is a must have, in my opinion, for the beautiful -- and beautifully played -- Romance for viola by Bruch, which I believe is only available on this recording. Incidently, Jansen plays the concertos on a Stradivarius violin. The instrument cited in a previous review is the viola she plays for the Romance.

Janine Jansen has come a long way since her early recordings. She is the chosen guest for the most important orchestras of the world and she continues her devotion to performing chamber music. This recording may be four years old now but it is very fine and certainly stands with the best performances of both of these well known concertos. Having just returned from her performance of the Mendelssohn Concerto in E minor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Dudamel conducting, a performance that earned a very long and vociferous standing ovation, it is reassuring to listen to this recording again and see that despite the fact that this is a brilliant reading, her current level of perfection has entered another realm. Jansen's sound is not huge but it is so well focused that it comfortably sails over an orchestra who seem to be not wanting to miss a note of her interpretation. Her way with the first movement seems a bit restrained on this recording but by the final movement she is on top of the demands of Mendelssohn's writing and tosses it off with aplomb.

Her approach to the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 is at once secure and eloquent and with the beauty of Riccardo Chailly's support conducting the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra this is again one of the most satisfying recordings of the Bruch. But perhaps the reason for placing this full album over others that contain the same works is the inclusion of the Bruch Romance for Viola and Orchestra, transcribed for Violin and orchestra. It is a rarity and of great interest because it is rarely played but it is not a great work. But then it is really not composed as such - this is more a welcome bonbon that enhances the marriage of hearing the Mendelssohn and the Bruch concertos on one recording. Grady Harp, October 11