Recording of the Week, Anne-Sophie Mutter and Mutter's Virtuosi

Established in 2011, Mutter's Virtuosi is the orchestra that lies at the heart of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation, set up by the German violinist to foster and support young string players. As part of her sixtieth birthday celebrations in June this year, Mutter appeared alongside her ensemble to present an eclectic programme at the Musikverein in Vienna, designed to showcase the wealth of talent she has helped to nurture, and it is this concert that provides the basis of a thrilling new album.

For Vivaldi's triple violin concerto RV551, Mutter is joined by Elias David Moncado and Mohamed Hiber, and right from the off it's abundantly clear that wherever Mutter leads, the virtuosi will follow. As you might expect given the name of the ensemble, they match her panache and flair every step of the way, with an exuberance that is most remarkable.

In fact it's this extraordinary energy that for me is the hallmark of this album, not least a vibrant account of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 that is positively crackling and fizzing with vitality. Even from just the audio, I was struck by how much the sheer physicality of the players' performances comes across so palpably, and with both main movements taken at somewhat eyebrow-raisingly swift tempos, the overall effect is quite exhilarating. Aside from the superb contributions from the strings I should also mention the fearlessly nimble work of Knut Johannessen on continuo harpsichord, who deftly beavers away without ever putting a foot wrong.

While much of the ensemble's focus rests on Baroque and early Classical repertoire, Mutter has long been an indefatigable advocate for commissioning new compositions, and so it is appropriate that the album should include a piece by her former husband, the late André Previn. Written especially for the Virtuosi in 2014, his Nonet pits two string quartets against each other, underpinned by a solitary double bass. I believe this is its first recording, and I'm sure it couldn't have been treated to a better-performed premiere than this. It's a fascinating work that has echoes of Mahler and Shostakovich. At its centre is an Interlude for Solo Violin and Contrabass, and it's a veritable tour de force from Mutter and double bass player, Dominik Wagner. This leads into an invigorating final Presto movement that is simply breathtaking in the level of precision and unanimity of expression that the entire group demonstrates.

This is followed by a return to music of a more Classical nature, with the Violin Concerto in A major, Op. 5/2 by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Born in Guadeloupe in 1745, Bologne was a contemporary of Mozart and gained fame not only as a composer but in several other fields also, with none other than US president John Adams describing him as "the most accomplished man in Europe in riding, shooting, fencing, dancing, and music." While this is by no means the only available recording of this concerto, I think it's fair to say that Bologne's music still deserves a much wider audience, and this fantastic recording makes it easy to see why. Just as she did in the Brandenburg Concerto, Mutter makes the music come alive with a sprightliness that is truly electrifying. I wouldn't go so far as to say this is necessarily the most "authentic" of performances, with Mutter's occasional interpolations and general playing style often leaning more towards the Romantic end of the spectrum, but when the results are this impressively zesty I hardly think it matters.

Of course the players once more join her in terms of digging in with pep and ebullience - there's an A minor passage in the last movement that is attacked with such earthy grit that it sounds as if a folk band has suddenly arrived on the scene to knock out some reels on their fiddles! It perfectly typifies the infectiously joyous performing that exists in spades on this delight of an album.