Urt Masur

Perhaps this disc needs no explanation. Henri Dutilleux's Sur le même accord is a short piece for violin and orchestra that is, as the title suggests, based on one "chord", which Mutter rather more simply describes as an 'aria' (the piece's subtitle is 'Nocturne'). Indeed there is much lyrical writing that displays Mutter's expressive warmth that underpins this mysterious and yet illuminative work. Another Nocturne comes in the shape of Bartók's Concerto for Violin no. 2, but here it is a slightly uneasy one. The scherzoid interruption is magnificently light, the ending glorious. Mutter and Ozawa follow the twists and turns of the finale like a shadow, making clear in the process the correspondences with the Scherzando of the second movement. Finally, Stravinsky's Concerto for Violin commands a meticulous control, clarity of vision, and an attention-grabbing conviction that Mutter manages with sensitivity and nuance sufficient to maintain a masterstroke to the end.