Mendelssohn, Piano Concerto No.2 in D minor, op.40

Recorded in 1982, this performance of Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor features the Uruguayan pianist Homero Francesch along with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner. Born in 1947, Francesch studied in Munich and won the Prix Italia in 1973. He achieved particular prominence the following year for his participation in the world premiere of Hans Werner Henze’s “Tristan” in London. Sir Neville Marriner founded the now internationally celebrated Academy of St. Martin in the Fields in 1959. Though the majority of his opera and concert performances and recordings are with the Academy, Marriner also works consistently with all major orchestras worldwide.

Mozart, Violin Concerto No. 1 in B flat major, K. 207

Mozart was never taught to play the violin; he just seemed to know how. On his concerto tours throughout Europe, little Wolfgang would play not only the harpsichord, but also the violin, and developed quite a brilliant style in France. He lost interest in the instrument, however, perhaps because he was forced to play it in the orchestra of the Archbishop of Salzburg. Mozart composed his only five violin concertos all in Salzburg in 1775, most probably for his own use. They are a highly personal amalgam of all the styles he had absorbed during his travels. They are a musical reflection of early Classical and Rococo Europe: aristocratic, graceful, humorous and marvelously melodious. The last two concertos, K. 218 and 219, are characterized by finales in a variety of tempos and meters. Particularly notable is K. 219, in which a poetic Adagio episode introduces the soloist in the first movement and a Turkish episode infuses the minuet finale with a rousing spirit. After having devoted himself to Baroque music for many years, Nikolaus Harnoncourt began turning increasingly to the orchestral works of Mozart in the 1980s. Here, too, Harnoncourt’s views differed radically from those of traditional Mozart reception. For him, Mozart is “the most romantic composer of all”, his music “dramatic, dynamic, often strikingly and exceedingly emotional”. In Gidon Kremer, Harnoncourt found a partner who shared his views. The German-Russian violin virtuoso has also sought his own path in his Mozart interpretations. In 1970 the then 23-year-old virtuoso attained the first peak of his career by winning the first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has since become one of the most sought-after violinists in the world. It should also be noted that the Vienna Philharmonic, celebrated for its natural and graceful Mozart style, initially opposed Harnoncourt’s unconventional concepts. However, the orchestra was soon won over by the unusual stylistic approach often concertizes with Harnoncourt today.

Introduction to Brahms, Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A minor, op.102

This dignified work, Brahms’s last orchestral score, seems to have been composed in part with the intention of bringing about a reconciliation between Brahms himself and his old friend, the violinist Joseph Joachim. The two had had a falling out at the time of Joachim’s divorce. Brahms wrote various musical reminiscences of their friendship into the music but also looked to the past by referring to a tradition of ensemble composition that had reached its apex back in the 18th century: that of the concerto grosso, which had climaxed in Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, and the sinfonia concertante tradition, whose landmarks include Mozart’s works in this genre. The Double Concerto has taken longer to achieve popularity and is still more rarely played the other Brahms concertos. This is perhaps partly because two soloists must share the limelight – and because there is little limelight to share, Brahms having written difficult yet not outwardly dazzling virtuoso parts. Between 1981 and 1984, Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahms’s orchestral works with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth in 1983. Today, the cycle is considered as a landmark in the interpretation of Brahms’ music. Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic have underscored both the classicism and romanticism, the dramatic intensity and the sober restraint of Brahms’s music. The venue was Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal, where two of Brahms’s symphonies were premiered and where Brahms himself conducted. In his introductions, Bernstein speaks with an eloquence and conviction that go far beyond the opening words to a traditional concert performance. With his stimulating theories on Brahms and his music, Bernstein prompts viewers to listen to the music with an open mind. The soloists in this recording are violinist Gidon Kremer and cellist Mischa Maisky.

Introduction to Brahms, Symphony No.1 in C minor, op.68

“I shall never write a symphony! You have no idea how it makes one feel to hear the thunderous step of a giant like him always behind you!”, wrote Johannes Brahms to a friend in the early 1870s. He had long felt overwhelmed and creatively blocked by Beethoven’s symphonic legacy. Though he had been working on a symphony since the 1850s, he completed the score of the First Symphony only in 1876. The work cannot deny the influence of Brahms’s great predecessor, and particularly the final theme shows an obvious similarity to the “Ode to Joy” theme of Beethoven’s Ninth. While the outer movements frequently unfurl impressively concentrated masses of sound, the two middle movements are more succinct and transparently orchestrated. The four movements are also linked by motivic and harmonic relationships which, however, are more subliminal than blatantly obvious. Between 1981 and 1984, Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahms’s orchestral works with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth in 1983. Today, the cycle is considered as a landmark in the interpretation of Brahms’ music. Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic have underscored both the classicism and romanticism, the dramatic intensity and the sober restraint of Brahms’s music. The venue was Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal, where two of Brahms’s symphonies were premiered and where Brahms himself conducted. In his introductions, Bernstein speaks with an eloquence and conviction that go far beyond the opening words to a traditional concert performance. With his stimulating theories on Brahms and his music, Bernstein prompts viewers to listen to the music with an open mind.

Beethoven, King Stephan Overture, op.117

In October 1811, a new German theater was due to be opened in Pest (now part of Budapest); and Beethoven was commissioned to write the inaugural music for the event. The King Stephen Overture, named after the Hungarian King, begins with a slow introduction. Then follows a lively Hungarian tune and a “Friss,” a quick and melodic section of the “csárdás.” Indeed, Leonard Bernstein has described this overture as “a charmer and a curiosity, a cross between Béla Bartók and Shortnin’ Bread.” This recording is part of Leonard Bernstein’s Beethoven cycle, recorded primarily with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the early 1980s. Writing in The New York Times, critic John J. O’Connor stated: “As Mr. Bernstein says, there is ‘no single body of work in the universe of orchestral music that is in any way comparable to this one.’ Conducted with intense dedication and soaring spirits by Mr. Bernstein, these recordings are superb, both visually and aurally.”

Beethoven, Music from the ballet “The Creatures of Prometheus”, op. 43

The Creatures of Prometheus, a ballet produced in Vienna in 1801, was not well received at its first performance. Today, aside from the overture, the ballet music is rarely heard. This work was composed during a time of intense personal crisis for Beethoven. In 1801 he wrote a friend, “I am leading a miserable life; for almost two years now I have been avoiding all social functions simply because I feel incapable of telling people that I am deaf.” The ballet is based on the myth of the god Prometheus, who stole the fire from the heavens and gave it to mankind, along with the knowledge of arts and sciences. In writing the Prometheus score, Beethoven had to adhere to the conventions of ballet music, which required a chain of relatively short pieces. This recording is part of Leonard Bernstein’s Beethoven cycle, recorded primarily with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the early 1980s. Writing in The New York Times, critic John J. O’Connor stated: “As Mr. Bernstein says, there is ‘no single body of work in the universe of orchestral music that is in any way comparable to this one.’ Conducted with intense dedication and soaring spirits by Mr. Bernstein, these recordings are superb, both visually and aurally.”