Customer Reviews

Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1, 2 & 4; Adagio in E

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EMI's latest reissue creation is the "Great Artists of the Century" series, and this title featuring violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is one of the initial 25 offerings. This CD features Mozart Violin Concertos -- No. 1 (and the Adagio in E, K261) with Sir Neville Marriner conducting the ASMF from 1991, and Nos. 2 & 4 with Riccardo Muti leading the Philharmonia from 1981. All four of these selections have been previously available on CD, but since this series is seemingly aimed at the entry-level classical fan that shouldn't be a big problem. In fact, it makes a lot of sense to combine these works on one CD (instead of spread out over two in earlier incarnations) because this title, and the recordings she made of the 3rd & 5th Mozart VCs with von Karajan on DG, make a nice pair. While I still prefer accounts of all five Concertos by Stern and Grumiaux (see my reviews), I prefer Mutter's performances to those by Kremer, Menuhin and Zukerman (see my review of the latter). I find some of the titles in the "Great Artists of the Century" series to be less than satisfactory, but you can't go wrong with the "4Ms" (Mozart, Mutter, Marriner and Muti).

Depending on what day you catch her, Mutter can be the most mannered and fussiest of violinists. But as Mr. Richman points out, she made a delightful recording of Mozart's Violin Concertos #3 and #5 when she was Karajan's protege. Here, in two sessions separated by a decade, she remains just aas winsome and sparkling. Her style is halfway between romantic and period-informed, meaning that she's in the light, bright tradition of Szeryng and Milstein. I find Marriner more sympathetic than Muti, but it's the soloist who holds cente stage, and given how deceptively simple this music is, her effortless panache is very impressive all throughout.