COMPOSERS: W.A.Mozart
LABELS: PentaTone
WORKS: Sinfonia concertante, K364; Concertone for Two Violins, K190; Rondo for Violin and Orchestra, K373
PERFORMER: Julia Fischer (violin), Gordan Nikolic (violin, viola), Hans Meyer (oboe), Herre Jan Stegenga (cello); Netherlands CO/Yakov Kreizberg
CATALOGUE NO: PTC 5186 098
The qualities which made Fischer’s earlier CDs of Mozart’s concertos so appetising are here in spades, starting with Kreizberg’s handling of the orchestra. Listen to the start of the great Sinfonia Concertante, here replete with an energy which doesn’t preclude sensitivity of phrasing or detail of instrumental colour.
As the boundaries between ‘authentic’ and ‘modern’ performances become more blurred, what could have been a stylistic compromise is here transmuted into a triumph. That’s before the soloists have started: even more than in Graffin and Imai’s recent recording, Fischer and Nikolic emerge from the opening tutti with a sense of wonder, marking this as one of Mozart’s most deeply felt inspirations.
Fischer is now a fully formed artist, whose flexible technique is completely at the service of the music. Nikolic is a worthy partner, and their interplay in the Adagio is a profound delight.
After the Sinfonia Concertante, the Rondo could have been a let-down, but Fischer’s intense, yet human approach makes it a natural bridge between the Sinfonia Concertante and the professional expertise of the Concertone.
The professionalism of an 18-year-old composer, it’s worth remembering, so don’t expect the depth of the Sinfonia Concertante, but an exhilarating musical experience nevertheless. All this and superb sound too. Martin Cotton