Mela Tenenbaum, Violin
Richard Kapp, Director
Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra
Essay 1076 - Released 2001
TT 64:01

Program:
Beethoven Violin Concerto in D major, Opus 61
Mozart (attrib.) Violin Concerto in D major, K 294a("Adelaide")

Comparison: Hilary Hahn/David Zinman - Sony 60584(Beethoven)

Mela Tenenbaum and Richard Kapp are tackling the violin concerto which
may well be the most revered in the entire classical repertoire.  Their
coupling is quite unusual, the K 294a Violin Concerto.  As the story goes,
Mozart composed the work while he was at the Court of France for Madame
Adelaide de France who was the oldest daughter of Louis XV.  The work
was first published in a violin & piano score by Marius Casadesus in 1933.
Although this concerto's authorship by Mozart was sketchy at best, it
was performed for many decades under Mozart's name.  Finally, Casadesus
admitted in 1977 that the composition was simply a pastiche of his own
making.

Of course, the main item on the disc is Beethoven's masterful Violin
Concerto in D major.  Richard Kapp elicits highly vigorous performances
from his Czech forces in the outer movements while providing much nuance
and beauty in the middle movement.  However, vigor is not everything,
particularly in the first movement where Kapp is low on nuance and sounds
somewhat perfunctory in the less demonstrative passages.

For her part, Mela Tenenbaum is given top-spot in the soundstage and more
weight than the entire orchestra.  She rings out above the orchestra with
a big-boned and overtly romantic reading, although she does calm down
appropriately for the second movement.  Her performances are excellent,
although some listeners might well prefer a more integrated approach
between violin and orchestra.

The differences between the Kapp performances and the Zinman are
substantial.  In the outer movements, Zinman pays much more attention to
the music's nuances and tender side; Zinman's climaxes are not as loud
or powerful as Kapp's.  Yet, the impact of Zinman's climaxes are greater
because of the enhanced contrast he delivers through his more nuanced
approach.  Unfortunately, Zinman can't seem to carry the nuances as well
in the middle movement, as Kapp conveys more emotional depth.

Hilary Hahn's playing is quite a contrast to Tenenbaum's.  Hahn is well
integrated into the orchestral fabric, although she is distinct and easily
recognized.  Her penchant for nuance and intimacy is a far distance from
Tenenbaum's 'in your face' performance.  Some listeners like the violin to
be at center-stage and overtly romantic; Tenenbaum should easily satisfy in
this category.  Others, like myself, prefer the more integrated sound and
performances of Hahn.

Overall, I have to give Zinman the edge for creating greater contrast in
the outer movements.  Although I also slightly prefer Hahn to Tenenbaum,
that's an entirely subjective opinion.  The sound engineering for the
Kapp release isn't very good, reminding me of the early days of digital
recordings when 'raw' sound was prevalent.

The "Adelaide" Concerto is a work full of sunlight.  The vivacious and
utterly charming first movement Allegro sounds very much like Mozart, but
the following two movements are a different matter.  The Adagio sounds
like warmed-over Boccherini, and the concluding Allegro is a lively dance
without one melody I can remember.  This work is infrequently programmed on
record, and I think the practice should continue.  Actually, the best thing
would be to treat the first movement as one entity and retire the other
two.

Don's Conclusions: The Tenenbaum/Kapp disc is certainly an enjoyable
enterprise.  I come away from the recording mighty impressed with the
Beethoven Larghetto, the "Adelaide" first movement, and Tenenbaum
throughout.  However, the sound quality is not up to snuff, the "Adelaide"
is not a top-rate companion to the Beethoven, and Kapp doesn't provide
sufficient range of dynamics or emotion in Beethoven's first movement which
covers more than 1/3 of total playing time on the disc.  The final verdict
is a qualified recommendation made largely on the shoulders of Mela
Tenenbaum who is the star of the production.

Don Satz
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