Sibelius, Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos [Import]

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Jean Sibelius (Composer), Ozawa (Conductor), Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Viktoria Mullova (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Viktoria Mullova
• Orchestra: Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Ozawa
• Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Jean Sibelius
• Audio CD (April 30, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Philips Import
• ASIN: B00005IB5J
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,776 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't go wrong with either of these electric performances, September 12, 2003

By 

John Grabowski (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sibelius, Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos (Audio CD)

"Intensity of purpose and musical logic." Here Hurwitz hits it right on the nose in describing the Tchaikovsky concerto. Mullova, who I've read no longer plays this work because she says it is "too much work for not enough music," extracts plenty of music here. In a concerto that offers plenty of opportunities to smear notes, she articulates each phrase with clarity, yet this is not a mechanical performance. It's rich in passion with a full rich accompaniment by Ozawa and the BSO. (Admittedly the sound is a little too lush and thick at times.) My only major quibble with her entire performance is in the coda to the first movement. Usually there's a dramatic tempo increase here, but she plays it pretty slow. Maybe she's trying not to "show off," but I think that's exactly what this section calls for; otherwise it is dull. She takes passages that are normally cut in the Finale, by the way.

But as great as the Tchaikovsky is, it's the Sibelius that's worth the price of the disc. Mullova is icy-cold in the first movement and plays with stark authority. The only recording I know that tops this one is Oistrakh/Rozhdestvensky (BMG/Melodiya), and that one has inferior sound. The slow movement here in particular is luminous and stops time--you will be drawn into this performance's seamless, organic whole. Mullova, who was very young when this was recorded, plays as someone with wisdom beyond her years.

The recording has the electricity of a live performance. The Philips sound, as usual, is warm and smooth. Pity this is out of print, but look for it used. It's worth the effort.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mullova is an awesome interpreter of Sibelius!, October 17, 2003

By 

J. Hofer "mancub" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sibelius, Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos (Audio CD)

Wow. I have been searching for a great recording of the Sibelius for a long time and finally I find this! Mullova interprets the Sibelius so well! She takes the appropriate tempi throughout the concerto, and has an incredible sense of phrase. This recording is so engaging. It's a must for Sibelius lovers.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great success for the young Mullova, January 14, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Sibelius, Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos (Audio CD)

Mullova was 26 when she made this coupling of the Tchaikovsky and Sibelius concertos in 1985. It's hard not to be bowled over, beginning with the gorgeous, resiny, dark tone of the violin she plays--the NY Times noted as much in Mullova's American debut two years before. She is caught in superb sound, close up and larger than life. She plays with technical prowess but also warmth--the closest equivalent is Vengerov, another heir to Oistrakh's mantle, although he is more aggressive in his virtuosity.

I suppose in absolute terms this reading of the Tchaikovsky doesn't dazzle to th supernatural degree that Heifetz does in his RCA recording with Reiner. But Mullova is more personal than Heifetz; her line is yielding where his is stiff. Unlike earlier reviewers, I wouldn't call this a passionate reading, since it is often poised and understated. In that regard Mullova's approach is closer to Joshua Bell's or Gidon Kremer's than to Oistrakh's bravura display. Ozawa's accompaniment is too square, but there's no denying the elegance of the Boston Sym.

The main event for me is the Sibelius concerto, however. Mullova's total command of the instrument allows her to phrase with great subtlety and care--the finale, though slower than normal, holds your attention in every note. Ozawa is bland, but the soloist is in an expressive world of her own. Everything is secure, serene, and songful--a performance to become immersed in rather than to sit back and be dazzled by. Among modern recordings, Gil Shaham is more fortunate in having Sinopoli on the podium, but Mullova is captivating in a lower key. Five stars goes to her but no Ozawa.