Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1-5 (Complete)

“Zehetmair makes an extraordinary sound, small and light and yet able to hold your attention at every moment.” The Telegraph, 21 February 2009

“Thomas Zehetmair is altogether more gracious and urbane in performances recorded over a five-year period… His tone is sweet and subtly varied, his phrasing always alive, with those tiny nuances more naturally achieved with the shorter, lighter Classical bow. I enjoyed the darkly majestic Sinfonia concertante... both for the characteristically vivid orchestral contribution and the sensitive interplay between violinist and the attractive, husky-toned viola of Ruth Killus.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2009

“In Carmignola, [Abbado] has an ideal soloist, prepared to rethink these delightful works, as well as the great Sinfonia Concertante, with violin and viola solos in the light of scholarly research and reappraisal. The results are little short of revelatory, especially in the concertos’ and Sinfonia’s fast outer movements. They scamper along at Carmignola’s vivacious tempi and provoke dazzling feats of virtuosity from the orchestral accompaniments, which sometimes sound polite. The soloist’s tone is bright and sweet (but never saccharine), and Abbado’s Bolognese band is already clearly a crack ensemble — the principal viola, Danusha Waskiewicz, brings lustrous tone and bravura to the Sinfonia’s second solo part, and it is a long time since I have heard such exhilarating, devil-may-care playing in the famous “Turkish” Rondo of the A major concerto. A marvellous set.” Sunday Times, 20th July 2008 ****

“Carmignola, renowned for his Baroque, is a clean interpreter of Mozart's violin concertos, his sweet-sounding strings flitting in well-matched dialogue with the attentive period detailing of Abbado's young ensemble.” The Times, 19th July 2008 ****

“[The conducting is] almost miraculous, with its exuberant, lively tempi, perfectly balanced lighter-than-air textures, and exquisite attention to the smallest details of phrasing and articulation. The sense of the players listening as intently to each other as they do to following Abbado's directions is obvious in every bar... There are a few moments in the violin concertos, and especially in the Sinfonia Concertante, when the music could benefit from a little more room to breathe, though Abbado and his soloists do show that the slow movement of the Sinfonia doesn't need to be taken as an indulgent adagio to weave its magical spell.” The Guardian, 18th July 2008 ****

“Complete technical fluidity, at the service of a lively musical imagination, backed up by some superbly shaped orchestral playing under Abbado.” BBC Music Magazine, Proms 2008 *****

“Mozart-conducting and interpretation are in the realms of greatness.” Gramophone Magazine, September 2008

“Virtuoso 'violinism' and energising direction notwithstanding, neither Giuliano Carmignola nor Claudio Abbado seems inspired by the B flat Concerto, K207. Nor does slick dispatch do much for the first movement of the D major, K211; but this is not the shape of things to come.
Carmignola steps away from neutrality in the succeeding Andante. The music breathes a life of its own as he ardently inflects its phrases to shape the tension and relaxation of his line which – as elsewhere – he also embellishes. And pauses are decorated with lead-ins. Here is personal involvement that from now on is present in full flower.
It's a flowering for Abbado too, as he summons a passionate advocacy that takes in the implications of key and time signatures on atmosphere and pacing, uses dynamic markings and intuitive accents to keep rhythm aloft, adjusts the timbres of the wind instruments (oboes are vivid or subdued, horns play in alto or basso) to suit the colouration he requires, and aerates the orchestral fabric for maximum clarity. Conducting and interpretation are in the realms of greatness – and no mistake.
In the solo concertos, Carmignola is recorded with varying but small changes of volume. His positioning is steadier in the Sinfonia concertante; and so is his placement with the artistic, if slightly reticent, Danusha Waskiewicz. Nevertheless, their skilled dovetailing and intelligent use of tone colour speak of symbiosis. Abbado remains primus inter pares, watchful, supportive and fortifying. Pity the sound isn't always clear and detailed. Superlative music making deserves consistently superlative recording.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“These recordings were made at Bologna in 2007 and must be ranked among the finest in this repertoire, whether on period or modern instruments. Impeccable recording.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“These performances of the five standard violin concertos, the Sinfonia concertante and a couple of other pieces were much admired when they came out on LP, and they continue to earn praise for their crispness, lightness and eloquence.
Grumiaux was also fortunate in his partner in the Sinfonia concertante, for Pelliccia is also an expert Mozartian and they give a performance of this beautiful piece that's expressive but still avoids self-indulgent romanticism. In the solo concertos, too, Grumiaux plays cadenzas that suit the music in length and style. Both Sir Colin Davis and Raymond Leppard are sympathetic partners in this repertory, and since the playing of the two London orchestras is no less satisfying, this issue scores all round artistically.
The 1960s recordings do not sound their age, and are pleasing save for a little tape hiss and an excess of bass that hardly suits the style of this translucent music. However, that's a small price to pay when so much else is admirable, and Grumiaux's fine tonal palette is well caught.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…Kremer's performances are irresistibly alert and inventive, with playing that's imbued with his personality throughout. The 'Turkish' episode of the A major Concerto's finale, with its stamping rhythms accentuated by the double-basses slapping their strings with upside-down bows, has never sounded more vivid. ...an impressive achievement.” BBC Music Magazine, September 2009 *****

“Taking his cue from the famous last movement of the A major concerto (No 5) — in which the sounds of Hungarian fiddle folk-dance rudely interrupt elegant salon minuets — Kremer invests all of the concertos’ fast movements with an earthy vigour, even abrasiveness, revealing the 19-year-old Mozart already proclaiming his rebellious genius on the threshold of his maturity. Even if Kremer’s insights teeter on the brink of mannerism, these are bracing, controversial but always compelling alternatives to recent complete recordings by outstanding younger players…” Sunday Times, 2nd August 2009 ****

“the last four of the five concertos were all written in the same year, 1775, when the composer was 19, and share a certain air of prolific juvenile confidence, which Kremer conveys through deft, cheeky ornamentation. More youthful still is the often overlooked first concerto which is bursting with melodic invention in the opening and closing passages and the central Adagio.” The Independent, 31st August 2009 ****