Who Framed Roger Rabbit Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Christian Schumann

Following their recordings of the composer’s complete symphonies, the DNSO and Fabio Luisi are now rounding off their Nielsen cycle with an album presenting his Flute, Clarinet and Violin Concertos. Reviewing the symphony recordings, The Guardian warns, “once you get the taste for this music it’s hard to resist”. Find out for yourself by listening now to the opening Praeludium. Largo from the Violin Concerto, with soloist Bomsori.

The Danish orchestra under Michael Schønwandt play clearly… Dietrich Henschel as the Harper and Roland Wagenführer as the Youth are both excellent.

This CD features German star violinist Christian Tetzlaff with virtuoso Romantic concertos by Felix Mendelssohn and Robert Schumann. The Mendelssohn Concerto is one of the most frequently performed violin concertos of all time, with an unfailing popularity among audiences. Also included is Schumann’s more seldom recorded Fantasy for Violin and orchestra, which he completed shortly before writing the Concerto. One of Schumann’s last significant compositions, the long-lost Violin Concerto saw its première performance only in 1937, and was hailed by Yehudi Menuhin as the “historically missing link of the violin literature.”

When the Nazis invaded Denmark in 1940 Koppel, a Jew, immediately evacuated to Sweden. The post-War return to his native land coupled with the unfolding of the true nature and extent of the horrors perpetrated on the Jews and many other peoples drove Koppel back to the Old Testament. Three works, all from 1949, resulted: Three Psalms of David for tenor, choirs and orchestra and two song cycles - Five Biblical Songs and Four Love Songs from the Canticles of Solomon.

Christian Tetzlaff’s effortless virtuosity, purity of intonation, and slight emotional reticence perfectly suits Sibelius, making this the finest available collection of the Finnish composer’s music for violin and orchestra. In the concerto, Tetzlaff’s relative coolness makes the music sound more like Sibelius and less like a violin concerto, which is all to the good. That doesn’t mean he lacks anything in sheer technique: indeed, his first-movement cadenza impresses as one of the most impressively concentrated and musically satisfying on disc. Tetzlaff’s slow movement sings but avoids panting and heaving, while the finale realizes the music’s gentle melancholy as well as its more thrusting elements. He’s nicely accompanied by Thomas Dausgaard, whose gentle support perfectly suits the overall interpretation.

Mozart complete! Seven years of work with Mozart’s symphonies come to completion with this monumental release of 45 symphonies, including eight unnumbered youthful works. Strongly influenced by historical performance practice, but with modern instruments and in fantastic sound quality, the Danish National Chamber Orchestra and their Austro-Hungarian chief conductor Adam Fischer make Mozart’s music sound more vital and inventive than ever.