Sibelius: Violin Concerto; Chausson: Poeme for Violin & Orchestra; Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (Artist), Jean Sibelius (Composer), Ernest Chausson (Composer), Michael Tilson Thomas (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas
• Composer: Jean Sibelius, Ernest Chausson
• Audio CD (October 12, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B000002RTL
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,043 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Miraculous, February 8, 2004

By 

R. Plourde (Nashua, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sibelius: Violin Concerto; Chausson: Poeme for Violin & Orchestra; Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (Audio CD)

Hmmm -- there are only five stars available. A pity.

This performance of the Sibelius Concerto has to be definitive. (The recording itself is superb -- a bonus.) I've long been convinced that the Sibelius Concerto must not be performed in a civilized manner. It has to bring tears. The tears are there, in the score, but they have to be made real -- and this performance makes them real.

There are a few recordings I hold as precious. One isn't even available commercially -- it was Solti's performance of Beethoven's Symphony #5 at Carnegie Hall with the CSO. (Don't bother looking -- none of the Solti performances on disk compare. I just happened to push the "record" button so as to capture the radio broadcast on tape.) Another is the Richter performance of Pictures at an Exhibition at Sofia (1958), which is probably still available on Philips -- look for "Richter Sofia Recital." Those were performances before an audience, and that probably has much to do with the electricity. But this is in the same musical class.

The Richter and the Sonnenberg performances are both what I consider to be essentials. That doesn't mean that you'll like either. A friend of mine -- a violinist in a highly regarded string quartet -- despises Sonnenberg. "She isn't decent in her performances; they're too emotional." Another friend, a pianist, disliked the Richter performance -- "not disciplined, over the top, indecent." Raw intensity can be "too much" for many people; these performances are not for those who want to "appreciate" music, but be left untouched by it. But they're still worth hearing, if only to know one's own musical thresholds -- where not to go.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good as it gets -- too bad there are only 5 stars!, November 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sibelius: Violin Concerto; Chausson: Poeme for Violin & Orchestra; Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (Audio CD)

If you like Sibelius' violin concerto, buy this recording; that's all there is to it. If you love that concerto (as I do), then stop reading this review and just buy the CD now. I've heard Ms. Salerno-Sonnenberg perform this concerto live, and she's so good, it's ridiculous. Music that reminds you (in case you need a reminder, as we all do from time to time) how much you love to be alive. If you get a chance to hear her play, run, do not walk, to the concert.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite recording of this piece, December 5, 2005

By 

A photographer (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Sibelius: Violin Concerto; Chausson: Poeme for Violin & Orchestra; Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (Audio CD)

I have eclectic taste in music and I have no expertise in any type. The Sibelius is one of my favorite violin concertos and this is my favorite recording of the piece. No, I don't know if Ms Salerno-Sonnenberg is a technically better violinist than any of the others who perform this piece and I really don't care. I have several recordings of this concerto and Nadja's performance simply tears my heart out. For me, the measure of success in any artform is whether or not the work evokes emotion. This is successful.