Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Op. 64 / Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op. 61

Felix Mendelssohn (Composer), Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Roger Norrington (Conductor), Camerata Salzburg (Orchestra), Joshua Bell (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Joshua Bell
• Orchestra: Camerata Salzburg
• Conductor: Roger Norrington
• Composer: Felix Mendelssohn, Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (June 11, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00006876P
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,333 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 64: Allegro molto appassionato

2. Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 64: Andante

3. Mendelssohn: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor, Op. 64: Allegretto non troppo-Allegro molto vivace

4. Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61: Allegro ma non troppo

5. Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61: Larghetto

6. Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, Op. 61:

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning new performances, January 8, 2005

By 

Les Jones "Les" (Senecaville, OH USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Op. 64 / Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op. 61 (Audio CD)

I greatly enjoyed the recordings of the Mendelssohn and Beethoven violin concertos by Joshua Bell and the Salzburg Camarata. They are ...

Lyrical and vigorous. Forceful and gentle. Original and respectful of tradition. Technical but tasteful.

And they sing with the joy of music-making in every measure. There is a sense of drama where appropriate and always a keen feel for the emotional depth of the music.

But, I have read some other reviews that are not as favorable and I would like to make a few comments about those. The orchestra is smaller than people are used to hearing. This is probably consistent with performances during the composers' lives but it sounds a little unfamiliar to listeners today. With a smaller orchestra, the balance between brass and strings is always on the brass side. But I found their playing very articulate except for a few places that could have been edited (live performances by all performers have a few of these). Second, there were mixed reviews about Bell's use of his own cadenzas. I thought they are tasteful and interesting. Over the years I have been really disappointed by some of the candenzas played by even well-known violinists in the Beethoven. Bell's cadenzas seemed in the spirit of the works. A reviewer complained that Bell's vibrato was a little too much in places, and I tend to agrees with that; but it's all a subjective. A few other problems that people had can be attributed to Bell's own style of intonation, the fact that some very soft passages just don't come through on the recording (which is Sony's fault) and the fact that, let's face it, we are creatures of habit and anything even a little bit new and different takes a little time to accept.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lovely tone but recessive performances, September 23, 2005

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Op. 64 / Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op. 61 (Audio CD)

In performance I've found Bell to be the opposite of his glossy public image--a committed, sensitive, poetic violinist who happens to perform on an exceptionally beautiful Strad. On his records these qualities sometimes come across as preciousness or lack of guts. This is one of his more uninvolving outtings. Bell is recessive and sensitive to a fault, rarely bringing forward any temperament. This is especially true in the Mendelssohn, where he takes great pains to spin out gorgeous tone without really digging into the music.

Given the presence of Roger Norrington, a noted (and not very inspired) period performance expert, I guess Bell's aim is to retreat from the romantic approach to Beethoven and Mendelssohn. But the temperature of his Beethoven is too low--where is the revolutionary? Tempos are traditional, however, and only the small-scale orchestra evokes a period flavor. I guess some listeners don't mind it when bell skims over the surface of a masterpiece as long as he does it prettily. (A fiveaway might be the album cover photo, which makes him look like the dewy adolescent who burst on the scene nearly twenty years ago.)

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good but not great, July 30, 2002

By 

Michael Poole (Medway, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Op. 64 / Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op. 61 (Audio CD)

This is a fine recording of two of the greatest violin concertos in the standard repetoire. Although Bell's playing is usually excellent, it seems a little unsteady at times; not sloppy (not at all!) just not as tight as it could be. This might be okay if he brought something new to the interpretation of these pieces, but alas, he does not. The result is simply a better than average performance that doesn't really shine.

If you're looking for a truly spectacular recording of the Beethoven concerto, pick up Hilary Hahn's absolutely flawless and sparkling rendition. You will not be disappointed.

I still must recommend this Joshua Bell CD however if for no other reason than that he has contributed his own cadenzas to these standard works. I love to see young violinists make this effort as it can breathe new life into a tired piece. It makes a nice change of pace. However, if you're looking for your first versions of these concertos, you might try looking elsewhere.