Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lambert Orkis - Beethoven: The Complete Violin Sonatas (2001/1998)
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) | (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 5 ch) | 7.49 Gb+7.44 Gb (2xDVD9) | 336 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) | (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (DTS, 5 ch) | 7.49 Gb+7.44 Gb (2xDVD9) | 336 min
Classical | Deutsche Grammophon
This is a very welcome DVD release of an important series of concerts. Anne-Sophie Mutter, as she explains in the documentary, gave up a year of her life to concentrate solely on playing and recording the Beethoven Violin Sonatas in a series of concerts world wide - a luxury, she admits, afforded to few musicians. These performances come from the Paris cycle and are remarkably fresh. From the Haydnesque early sonatas to the altogether more challenging later sonatas, particularly a magnificent 'Kreutzer', these are performances that hint neither at over-preparedness nor over-familiarity. There is real spontaneity in many of these performances and a real sense of partnership between these superlative artists. Mutter is happy to allow Orkis to take the spotlight (and in the case of the op.23 dictate the development of the work). In every one of these sonatas there is ample proof that Mutter and Orkis are working for Beethoven and not for themselves. (Marc Bridle)