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Who plays your best Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor

post #1 of 9
9/11/11 at 7:40am
Thread Starter 

So, who play your best Mendelssohn? I'm trying to get some input here and see if I can get more recommendation on this piece :) I have listen to a couple version and here's my preference:

 

David Oistrakh - It's a more direct playing, neither as colourful as Vengerov, nor Mutter, but at a very fast paste, emotional intensity and AUTHORITHY - in fact this version has the worst SQ, but moved me the most. The soloist seems to have all the parts well thought of, playing royal to the composer, as a result, it keep one if the best synergy with Orchestra, and passage - other soloist tend to 'show off' and lost the synergy at times. I know authority sounds weird with this violin concerto but it seems to work for Oistrakh :P

 

Maxim Vengerov - Actually it's a hard call between Vengerov and Oistrakh for me - probably I was bias :P

 

Anne-Sophie Mutter

 

Jascha Heifetz - Its a matter of taste, again preference.

 

Sarah Chong from You tube :P

 

Frank Peter Zimmermann

 

Joshua Bell.

 

I probably hear more than these, but some of them are so old - cassette / or my dad's vinyl collection so I have excluded them. I'm quite sure I heard Isaac Stern on Vinyl, but I dont remember the playing now :(

 

So, how about you?


Edited by OneSec - 9/11/11 at 8:21pm
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post #2 of 9
9/15/11 at 8:04am
Heifetz's '58 recording in an old favourite. But I've been listening to Daniel Hope's DG recording a lot lately, based on Mendelssohn's original score of 1844. ("Urtext"). If you like your Mendelssohn raw and unashamedly Romantic get Hope's recording.
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post #3 of 9
9/15/11 at 8:09am
I've got Mutter with Masur and Hahn with Wolf, and probably prefer Hahn, by a narrow margin.
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post #4 of 9
9/15/11 at 10:07pm

I have Heifetz and Hahn. While for a few other concertos I prefer Hahn's fresh and *feminine* approach, I haven't quite decided on this one. Feminine is probably not the right term, but by that I mean mostly her tone.

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post #5 of 9
9/15/11 at 11:18pm
Thread Starter 

I only listen to 1st Movement for Hahn, cause The Essentials for her only includes the first moment :) I dont think I can make a fair comparison, but from 1st movement itself yeah I definately found her playing is more "fluid" - or more feminine as you referred?

 

Technically flawless, good flow of playing, and I agree to pigmode, rroseperry, its gets as good as Mutter / Heiftetz on its own areas, but probably is still up to individual preference.

 

Thanks folks for your input and I'm looking towards into more inputs! :)

 

 

 

P.S.1: Hahn's playing on Bach on the same album is a gem :)

 

P.S.2: I prefer toward "manly" play :P Mutter can play more man than man at times :P I hope she is not on this forum LOL.

 


Edited by OneSec - 9/15/11 at 11:22pm
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post #6 of 9
9/16/11 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by OneSec View Post

I only listen to 1st Movement for Hahn, cause The Essentials for her only includes the first moment :) I dont think I can make a fair comparison, but from 1st movement itself yeah I definately found her playing is more "fluid" - or more feminine as you referred?

 

 

 

 

 

P.S.1: Hahn's playing on Bach on the same album is a gem :)

 

P.S.2: I prefer toward "manly" play :P Mutter can play more man than man at times :P I hope she is not on this forum LOL.

 



 

I regret using the term feminine and used it to describe her tone, which is a bit more "light" in her earlier performances than what many listeners are used to.

 

By Hahn on Bach, do you mean the concertos? Her tempi in #1 and #2 are much faster than what I'm used to, I find it absolutely brilliant. 

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post #7 of 9
9/16/11 at 5:07pm
Thread Starter 

Those Bach pieces coming along with the album were composition for violin solo.

 

Partita No.3 in E - Preludio

Partita No. 2 in D minor V. Chaconne

 

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post #8 of 9
9/16/11 at 5:14pm
Her Bach work is pretty stellar. I got to see her a few years ago here in SF.
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post #9 of 9
9/16/11 at 10:33pm

 Excellent.

 

She performed # 2 in Honolulu about 10 years ago. I know there's a great deal of criticism of her style, or even lack of it (too paper perfect, they say). Otoh I often find the expressionism of many of the old masters, to be a bit too overwrought these days. With the Bach concertos I admire the freshness and vivacity of her tone and style. 

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