Search - Mendelssohn, Ricci, London Sym Orch :: Mendelssohn, Bruch: Violin Concertos; Saint-Saëns: Havanaise [Australia]

The Gold Standard of Mendelssohn

Ryan Richards | Midland, MI United States | 06/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I actually bought the original release of this CD (before it was re-released under the Eloquence line), but as far as I know, the content is the same. I was thrilled when I found out said content was available somewhere, because for years it's been my personal Gold Standard for the Mendelssohn violin concerto. Ricci just does everything right: by turns intricate, melancholy, wistful and bombastic, but always relentlessly competent--not only does he never miss a note, you can hear *every* note he plays. This is Mendelssohn with a backbone: straightforward and clear, with more power than most other performances--refreshing when many soloists and orchestras either shy away from the technical challenges of the music or overemote and sink into melodrama instead. Neither soloist nor orchestra are afraid of this music in any way, and their confidence gives the concerto new life.
Regarding the Bruch and the Saint-Saens: I haven't listened to those sections of the CD as much (hard to tear myself away from the Mendelssohn), but apply everything to these performances that I just mentioned above. Even on the Rondo Capriccioso, which is ridiculously hard, you can *still* hear every note, performed with a zeal that can't be matched. Although the sound quality on these works isn't *quite* up to all-digital standards, it's darned close--the remastering job was excellent. The bottom line: I just can't recommend this CD highly enough."