Search - Mozart :: Mozart: Violin Concertos 3, 4, 5, Divertimento, etc.

Nice mating of mature Mozart concertos

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 02/01/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"French violinist Augustin Dumay has garnered critical acclaim mostly for his chamber music with other big name performers. Here he takes on Mozart's three great violin concertos on an attractive import CD.



It was not easy for me to hear this music the first time I played the CD. Dumay uses cadenzas by Joachim and others that were not familiar to me. He also uses an odd solo entrance to Concerto No. 5 after statement of the opening phrase that really put me off and continued to bug me on repeated hearings.



Having said this, I think this CD is a wonderful keeper of terrific Mozart performances. Dumay may clip his phrases more than a romantic fiddler like Zukerman but his expression is much warmer than a period fiddler like Zehetmeir. I think he finds an appropriate balance between the two approaches and is far more than adequately supported by the Salzburg Academy.



I have the European DG pressing of this music that does not include the Divertimento, about which I cannot comment. However, the violin concertos are wonderful and anyone looking for this combination will find much enjoyment in this issue.



The original DG sound was typical of that label with brilliant highs, exceptional clarity and shallow bass. The recording level was very high and the separation between soloist and orchestra was near perfection. These performances are different from those by Perlman, Zukerman and Oistrakh and listeners wedded to those may not make the leap to this issue. Others should relish the high quality and exceptional polish of these performances.



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