Search - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Christian Tetzlaff, Soloists of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie :: Mozart: Violin Concertos 3, 4 & 5

Exhiliration and repose in equal parts

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 07/25/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This triptych of Mozart's most popular violin concertos was originally issued in Tetzlaff's set of all five concertos on the Virgin label. These three are offered in a super budget CD in modern sound and on modern instruments.



Tetzlaff's work in this genre was rewarded with sparkling critical reviews when the set was first offered in 1996. Nothing going on in this collection should dampen those spirits.



Tetzlaff plays the concertos with exceptional high spirits, with allegros at speeds up to 100 or 105, with adagios slowing way down to possibly 60 or 65. This contrast between zippy fast movements and delightfully elongated slow movements gives these recordings an edge over other collections of Concertos Nos. 3-5 by Manze, Dumay and Olli Mustonen, whom have all recorded the same trio in recent years.



Tetzlaff does not have the individual ideas about the concertos expressed by Manze in his recent CD with the English Concert. On the other hand, Tetzlaff's rich tone is a pleasure after hearing what can be a narrow and wiry period violin sound from Manze. Where Tetzlaff cannot compete with Manze's recording is in the accompaniment.



There the English Concert far outshine Tetzlaff's German Chamber Philharmonic (isn't that a somewaht ironic name?) and its solid but undistinguished playing. There is nothing "wrong" with Tetzlaff's accompaniment; it merely lacks individuality among its parts, which sound on this recording too homogenized. I'd have preferred the woodwinds and horns, in particular, to be a bit more prominent in their moments to shine.



Tetzlaff, who is a fine player that knows his way around a Mozart concerto, occasionally shows an unpleasant tone when bowing high on the staff. Otherwise his playing is uniformly exemplary incluidng his cadenzas, all of which he wrote himself, I trust. They are credited to him, at any rate.



Another small debit are then notes -- which consist of one paragraph of text about each concerto and nothing about the performers. When you only pay $6.98 for this wonderful modern recording, you only get two pages with anything written on it other than Mozart Violin Concertos 3, 4 & 5.



I read a critic that said Tetzlaff played these concertos in a style that indicated their ascending maturity, as if K. 219 is light years more mature than K. 216. I won't contest that opinion but will say I don't share it. In fact, I'd say Tetzlaff makes the lovely adagio of K. 216 sound more mature than any other single moment in the trio. It reminded me of the way Geza Anda performed the adagio from the Piano Concerto No. 21 for the film "Elvira Madigan".



So chalk this up as another exemplary collection of Mozart's "mature" violin concertos to go along with the Manze and Dumay collections cited earlier. Any of the three will offer rewards in the long term; I believe this one may be the best played by the soloist, who provides interesting and appropriate cadenzas you probably won't hear elsewhere. Combined with its super budget price, this will be a top recommendation for many."