Anne Sophie Mutter

Mutter's Beethoven Concerto was recorded live at the final subscription concerts of Karl Masur's long tenure as the New York Philharmonic's music director, and the beautifully played orchestral part is a tribute to his leadership. Mutter plays with a silken tone and astonishing technical command of her instrument–absolute ease in the stratospheric tessitura of the solo part, and an amazing array of microdynamic adjustments that display the infinite variety of pianissimos at her command.

Celebrated German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is joined by pianist Lambert Orkis for this performance of three violin sonatas by Johannes Brahms

This Deutsche Grammophon issue seems to be at first glance a 20th century violin concerto/concertante CD. It really is an artist CD celebrating the talented violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. It has Paul Sacher conducting the Stravinsky concerto and Witold Lutoslawski conducting his own music. Actually between the three of them I don't think you could get stronger performances of this music on CD.

The power and intensity of Mutter’s performance of the concerto emerges immediately in the opening phrases. Where most violinists treat them as a deep meditation, Mutter with comparable intensity makes them tougher than usual, using momentarily a vibratoless tone, slightly steely, establishing this more clearly as an llegro moderato first movement rather than a lyrical slow one. Even if one misses some of the raptness of Mullova or Chung, it is a very valid view, and the power of the reading is reinforced by the relatively close balance of the solo instrument, relating this version more to Perlman’s than to any of the others I have listed.