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

Diverse palette of colors; cascades of rich harmonies

Rev. Dr. Helen R. Betenbaugh | Dallas, TX United States | 10/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's rare for me to be this ecstatic about a cd, but I can scarcely contain myself about this one. First, the music itself is a delight. Strangely enough, I'd put the Mozart 3rd, and I'm a Mozart-lover. This is not meant to denigrate either the composition itself or the performance; it's simply that it pales in comparison to the Mendelssohn and the Bruch.



I bought the disc for the Bruch, which I had heard on the Dallas classical music station early one Sunday morning. As a trained organist, I am struck by how the work is reminiscent of so much of the organ literature in terms of harmonic rhythm, the thickness of the texture, and its decidedly more vertical structure than most concerti. The performers wring every bit out of their instruments for the homophonic sections, while being completely comfortable with the passages requiring more agility.



It was pure lagniappe to discover the Mendelssohn on the same cd. It is rich, passionate, emotional, and blessed with an incredible variety of colors. It literally sweeps one away in the cascades of melodies, harmonies, and powerful emotions. Pianists and orchestra are magnificently matched. Hearing it makes me sad that we wasted so many years when Mendelssohn was not in vogue, due largely to the up-front emotions so prevalent in his writing. Phooey! In our supra-technological age, much of which conspires to keep us so tightly scheduled that we don't have the luxury of expressing or even recognizing our emotions, this is just what the doctor ordered. Bask in it, savor it, get lost in it. No GPS needed.



For pianists, organists, and classical music lovers in general, this would be a wonderful gift for Christmas '09."