Five O'clock Traffic Distorted by Fantasy (2016)

This performance of the fiery Fantasy in G minor for violin and orchestra, Op. 24, of Josef Suk, with violinist Christan Tetzlaff catching the full impact of the irregular form with its dramatic opening giving out into a set of variations, is impressive. And Tetzlaff delivers pure warm melody in the popular Romance in F minor, Op. 11, of Dvorák. But the real reason to acquire this beautifully recorded Ondine release is the performance of the Dvorák Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53, a work of which there are plenty of recordings, but that has always played second fiddle (if you will) to the Brahms concerto. Tetzlaff and the Helsinki Philharmonic under John Storgårds create a distinctive and absorbing version that can stand with the great Czech recordings of the work. Sample anywhere, but especially the slow movement, where Tetzlaff's precise yet rich sound, reminiscent for those of a certain age of Henryk Szeryng, forms a striking contrast with Storgårds' glassy Nordic strings. In both outer movements as well, Tetzlaff delivers a warm yet controlled performance that is made to stand out sharply.

Okhotsk Genso is a new track composed by Tomita, inspired by a ficticious letter written by the sister of poet/author Kenji Miyazawa to Miyazawa, who inspired his latest original work, Symphony Ihatov. Tracks 2-7 were previously on Daphnis et Chloe (although three tracks from the orginal Daphnis et Chloe are not included) and tracks 8-12, were previously on the double album, Sound Creature released in 1977, and are released onto CD for the first time. Sound Creature originally demonstrated how Tomita created his works by stripping the sound down and through sound and illustrations in the booklet how the final version came into being.