Anne-Sophie Mutter: Jean Sibelius – Violin conceerto, Serenades, Humoresque (FLAC)

Performers: Staatskapelle Dresden, Anne-Sophie Mutter
Composers: Jean Sibelius
Conductors: André Previn
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 201 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no

# Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by Dresden Staatskapelle
with Anne-Sophie Mutter
Conducted by Andre Previn

# Serenades (2), for violin & orchestra, Op. 69 Serenade No 1 In D Major Op 69a
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by Dresden Staatskapelle
with Anne-Sophie Mutter
Conducted by Andre Previn

# Serenades (2), for violin & orchestra, Op. 69 Serenade No 2 In G Minor Op 69b
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by Dresden Staatskapelle
with Anne-Sophie Mutter
Conducted by Andre Previn

# Humoresques (2) for violin & orchestra, Op. 87b No. 1 in E minor
Composed by Jean Sibelius
Performed by Dresden Staatskapelle
with Anne-Sophie Mutter
Conducted by Andre Previn

01. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 – 1. Allegro moderato
02. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 – 2. Adagio di molto
03. Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 – 3. Allegro, ma non tanto
04. Two Serenades, Op.69 – 1. Andante assai, Op.69 No.1 – in D major
05. Two Serenades, Op.69 – 2. Lento assai, Op.69 No.2 – in G minor
06. Humoresque no.1 in D minor, op.87 no.1 – for violin and orchestra

A splendid rendition

The post-Karajan Mutter continues to impress me with her growing musical maturity, and her in-depth exploration of the Sibelius is yet another testament to her artistry. As with all of her recordings, her fabulous tone is evident throughout, as is a technique that is more than equal to the challenges of the composer. I would dispute the one reviewer who argues that she slows down in the more technically challenging passages; certainly one cannot make that claim in the 3rd movement, which is certainly as brisk in its tempi as any recording available on the market today, and in any case, Mutter has always had a tendency to try and draw everything she can out of each note. A particularly notorious example of this would be her youthful recording of the Beethoven concerto with Karajan, where slow tempi cause the whole piece to become absolutely bogged down to a level beyond redemption. One certainly cannot find anything of that sort in this recording of the Sibelius, which remains a coherent performance throughout.

So why only 4 stars? Well, first and foremost, Previn & the Dresden Staatskapelle really seems to be phoning in their performance at times, and with a concerto like this, such a defect can cause quite a bit of damage. This could be due to mike placement as much as anything, but whether it is the sound engineer or the performers themselves, the result is an ensemble that sounds at times disengaged and at others overwhelmed by the soloist.

Also, as another reviewer has observed, a 47-minute CD at full price (where a third of the music consists of nice but relatively inconsequential compositions), simply put, is a ripoff. Why not fill it out a little? Put all six Humoreskes on the recording, or a tone poem if you like, or perhaps a lesser known piece like the Suite Mignonne. There are plenty of options, but none is explored here. Consumers expect a full CD for full price, so DG should deliver accordingly.

However, the consumer should be have nothing to complain about when it comes to Mutter’s performance. She certainly appears to be fulfilling all of her potential as an artist.