Search - Max Bruch, Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart :: Bruch, Mendelssohn, Mozart: Violin Concertos

A good compilation from the younger Joshua Bell

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 08/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These are rereleases of previous recordings by Joshua Bell the teenager. The Bruch and Mendelssohn are from 1988 and the two Mozart concertos, plus embellishments, are from 1992.



The principal difference between these recordings and the work Bell does today is in style. Compared to his now lean and mean approach, Bell played in a warmer, more romantic style in these recordings, where he was given appropriate accompaniment by the English Chamber Orchestra under the late Peter Maag in Mozart, and by the Academy of St. Martin's in the Fields led by Neville Marriner in the romantic concertos.



Since Bell later re-recorded the Mendelssohn concerto (in 2000 with Roger Norrington and the Salzburg Academy Orchestra) it is easiest to note the differences in that work. The timings for the Mendelssohn are consistently broader in the older recording and his style is consistently more romantic.



Bell and Marriner play up the finale into a blaze or romantic language, picking up the pace at the very end. The Bruch concerto is similar in style and temperament. To my ears, the playing by the Academy and leadership by Marriner in the Mendelssohn is inferior to the 2000 recording.



For most listeners, the more notable release is the two Mozart concertos and the K.261 adagio & K.373 rondo that fills the disk, music that has been out of print for some time. Here, Bell is in territory with the greatest violinists of today and yesterday, recording Mozart's famed Concertos No. 3 and 5, the so-called "Turkish" concerto for its national dance in the final movement.



In this music, Bell again demonstrates a more committed and somewhat romanticized approach with flexible phrasing. That flexibility sometimes threw me, as I was a bit put off by the brief tenuto he employs at the beginning of certain phrases, espeically when the violin makes its initial entry after an orchestral tutti.



Aside from this, I found no objectionalbe tendencies...assuming you can live with Bell's own cadenzas in the Mozart. I found these worked part of the time and didn't work so well part of the time. Bell plays the traditional cadenzas in the Mendelssohn, something he changes in his later recording.



Bell has several outstanding moments in the Mozart concertos. The adagio of the Concerto No. 3 is especially lovely, handled with utmost care and sensitivity by both the soloist and accompanist.



In addtion, the "Turkish" section -- Tempo di minuetto -- in the finale of the Concerto No. 5 springs forth with life and brings distinction to an otherwise ordinary performance. All the while, Bell receives outstanding accompaniment from the Mozart specialist, Peter Maag, and the ECO.



I compared these recordings to a pair of collections I have at home, one by Augustin Dumay and the Salzburg Academy Orchestra and another by Pinchas Zukerman and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Bell's performances compare most readily to Zukerman's 25-year-old recordings.



Both take a healthy, romantic view of the music and play it the way David Oistrakh does on his stereo recordings. Bell's accompaniment is twice as good as that given to Zukerman by the St. Paul group, whose scrappy playing seriously downgrades his meaty interpretation.



The Dumay recording of Mozart Concertos 3-5 takes the more modern chamber-period approach with faster speeds, more clipped phrasing and a complete lack of pathos, sentiment and romance. I find the music works well either way (it is Mozart, after all!) and either recording will bring pleasure.



This two CD set sells for a list price of $18, making it a 2-for-1 proposition. It is eminently worth your money if the collection is one you are seeking and you enjoy the old fashioned romantic approach."

Joshua Bell in His Element

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 12/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After reviewing the CD of Joshua Bell and Neville Marriner performing the Bruch G minor and the Mendelssohn E minor concerti, this listener realized that the CD is no longer available. BUT here is an even better option: on this generous 2 CD set are not only the original recordings of the Bruch and Mendelssohn but also a re-emergence of an absolutely exquisite recording of Mozart works that make this available CD one to buy immediately.



Having addressed the Bruch and Mendelssohn in a prior review, let it be said that there are few recordings of the Mozart concertos No. 3 in G major and No. 5 in A major that can compare with these 1992 performances by Bell and the English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Peter Maag. The playing is sweet and tender and technically secure as well as being played with heart. Bell uses his own cadenzas as has become his trademark and without exception these cadenzas show the amount of insight and careful study behind Bell's performances.



As an added bonus to the Mozart CD, Bell and Maag offer the 'Adagio in E major', K261 and the 'Rondo in C major', K373 and once again it would be difficult to find finer recordings of these two gems in the current library. This is a splendid set of CDs offering two hours of perfect playing from one of our finest violinists on the stage today. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 06"