Search - Martzy, Kletzki, Po :: Mendelssohn/Brahms: Violin Concertos

Exquisite performances

Jeffrey Lee | Asheville area, NC USA | 05/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the most immediate impressions is that Martzy eschews any kind of flashy showmanship. Her Mendelssohn is refined and lyrical. She combines instrumental control with a sense of creative flexibility. Her accents sound both right and invariably enchanting. With Brahms, she takes her time, but never sounds slow. Both she and Kletzki allow the music to breathe, and they remain sensitive to its flow. Yes, Oistrakh/Konwitschny, Oistrakh/Klemperer and Heifetz/Reiner are superb in their own right, but, in a different way, so are Martzy/Kletzki. In fact, in style, Martzy and Heifetz seem miles apart. While somewhat closer to Oistrakh, she doesn't quite possess his tonal and dynamic range or richness. However, she has a sweet, lovely tone which is displayed fully within her own scope. One simply must listen for oneself to hear what she has [had] to say. If you are lucky enough to find and grab this out of print cd from one of Amazon's vendors (as I did) you're in for a most pleasant experience. I'll wager you will find her playing quite beguiling."

Martzy's Brahms Violin Concerto: A Great Performance

Jeffrey Lipscomb | Sacramento, CA United States | 05/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Brahms is probably my all-time favorite violin concerto: I have over 30 versions of it staring at me from my shelves - and that's after weeding a dozen versions last Spring! My feeble excuse for such conspicuous consumption is that 1) it's an incredibly gorgeous piece of music, 2) it's a fascinating vehicle for comparing the merits of various violinists and conductors, 3) there are several different cadenzas involved, and 4) I'm obviously rather obsessed with this music!



In my own defense, several of these recordings are with me due to their couplings, or because they are part of large multi-disc sets. How else can I account for having 3 versions conducted by Furtwangler, or for owning multiple versions each by Oistrakh, de Vito, Busch, Szigeti, and Neveu? Some are primarily just for the conductor (e.g., Krebbers with Mengelberg and Borries with Max Fiedler), while a few are due to interest in a particular violinist (Renardy with Charles Munch, Spalding with Loibner, Busch with Hans Munch, etc). I hope you aren't expecting a "hands-down, THIS is it!" sort of verdict here. There are simply too many valid ways to perform this evergreen work. And due to the different cadenzas involved, it's simply not possible to make a single recommendation.



The cadenza by Joseph Joachim is the most frequently played. Among those who use it are Oistrakh, Szigeti, Neveu, Kogan, Grumiaux, Martzy and Francescatti. Kreisler's cadenza is preferred by such violinists as Menuhin, Ferras and, of course, Kreisler himself. A modified version of Auer's cadenza was favored by Heifetz (with Toscanini); Huberman uses the Hugo Heerman cadenza. Among those who play their own cadenza are Busch, Heifetz (with Reiner) and Zimbalist. I find them all quite fascinating, but I prefer the Joachim cadenza over-all.



I'm a big believer in those artists who give their "all" in readings of utter commitment, expressive sensitivity, and respect for the composer's score. Those very qualities are what make several of my versions - especially Szigeti/Harty (EMI), Neveu/Dobrowen (Dutton), Zimbalist with Kousevitzky (Doremi), and THIS Testament CD with Johanna Martzy and Paul Kletzki - so very satisfying. Conversely, I have let go of several versions that just strike me as little more than fancy fiddling (Heifetz/Koussevitzky, Heifetz/Reiner, etc.), but I have kept the "live" Heifetz/Toscanini. The latter is, I feel, one of the most musical concerto performances ever given by Heifetz (it's available in a 10-disc set from the New York Philharmonic, and also in an inferior transfer from Doremi). You have probably noticed by now that there is not a single performance mentioned here that dates later than about 1960. After all, I had to stop somewhere! And if the house were to catch fire? I'd probably dash in and grab Szigeti/Harty, Neveu/Dobrowen, Zimbalist, Huberman/Rodzinski (Music & Arts), de Vito/Furtwangler, and this Martzy/Kletzki.



Much as I adore Martzy and Kletzki in the Brahms, I find them rather disappointing in the Mendelssohn. It's a bit fast and just a shade too polished (I suspect that Kletzki is the one who's at fault for that). Mercifully, my collection has "only" around 10 versions of this wonderful but lesser work. My favorites: Oistrakh/Kondrashin (in good mono sound on a Period Showcase LP - it's also out on a lousy budget CD transfer), Szigeti & Beecham on Andante (expressive playing despite Szigeti's rather wiry tone), Kreisler/Blech (M&A, quite straightforward but with gorgeous violin tone), and two versions by Gioconda de Vito that have yet to surface on CD (a studio account with Sargent on Japanese EMI LP, and a "live" Furtwangler concert reading that was once on Rococo LP). I keep Milstein/Walter and Heifetz/Beecham because 1) they are both astonishingly well-played, but 2) both are rather cold fish interpretively, and these performances help to remind me just why neither violinist has much representation in my collection.



Highly recommended for Martzy & Kletzki's poetic account of the Brahms Violin Concerto.



"

A must for every classic lover

dinu | Global Villiage, Earth | 02/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This one is rated 3 stars in the Penguin Guide for Classic Compact Discs. Johanna Martzy is an underated master.You should never miss this one!!!!!!!
If you don't like Brams violin concerto, listen to this one . I bet you are gonna like to listen it again and again! Even Heifetz couldn't possibly compared with Martzy in this piece!
No matter how many versions of the Mendelssohn violin concerto you have, this version is different! You miss this one , you won't like Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto as much."