This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Rachel Barton Pine Mendelssohn & Schumann Violin Concertos, Beethoven Romances Goettinger Symphonie Orchester, Christoph-Mathias Mueller, conductor Cedille CDR 90000 144

There's a record company in Chicago that consistently produces a great product. It doesn't matter whether it's choral music or chamber music or concertos. Everything I've ever received from this company has given hours upon hours of pleasured listening with some wonderful musicians that might not have had an opportunity to be heard had it not been for this company. But one must also speak of recorded sound and terrific engineers that make that sound warm, clear, inviting and just makes you feel you're either in a concert hall (for the larger works) or a recital hall (for the chamber works). That record label is the pride of Chicago, Cedille!
One of Cedille's major artists is the wonderfully gifted and talented violinist Rachel Barton Pine. I don't know how many recordings Ms. Pine has to her name, but they're all interesting, well thought out and VERY well performed! The most recent contribution that Ms. Pine has made to her ever-growing discography is the pairing of the Mendelssohn and Schumann Violin Concerti along with the two Romances of Beethoven. The Mendelssohn and the Beethoven I know well with only the Schumann being a work I'm not familiar with to as great an extent. But what a marvelous idea to couple both the Mendelssohn with the Schumann!
First off, the Mendelssohn. If you're looking for an interpretation that combines the flair of the music with a sweet sounding violin, you've found it here. From the very first notes the soloist plays in the second half of the second measure you know you're in for a treat: Ms. Pine's violin sound is almost breathtaking as she starts off one of the most well known and beloved of Violin Concertos, navigates every difficult twist and turn with confidence and ease, always maintaining that same sweetness of sound throughout the whole first movement. When we hit the bassoon bridge between movements one and two, that beautiful sound REALLY sings out and envelopes you as your heart breaks with this rapturous romance. Ms. Pine finishes off the concerto in the same fashion she started: Confidence, ease and her gorgeous sound, making every dialogue between soloist and orchestra a delight! Even if you already have the Mendelssohn or even a few recordings of it, this one on Cedille will give you different insights into the music.
The Schumann is an interesting coupling as it sounds somewhere between Mendelssohn and Brahms, a marvelous romantic work. Schumann hoped to have the violinist Joseph Joachim make changes the same way Joachim did with the Brahms Concerto and Ferdinand David did with the Mendelssohn Concerto. In the personal note provided by Ms. Pine she states the well know that Schumann's "...mental state at the end of his life prevented the normal collaborative process with his dedicatee, Joseph Joachim..." Ms. Pine goes on to add "I addressed these challenges by making a number of minor changes to various notes and bowings, always guided by the principle of WWJD -- What Would Joachim Do? Based on my intense study of Joachim's suggested revisions to the Brahms Violin Concerto, by Joachim's own concerto writing, and by my personal experiences collaborating with composers, I tried to find the solutions that Joachim might have suggested to Schumann had he had the opportunity."
The Schumann is not considered one of the great Romantic concertos for the violin. After hearing this exquisite performance I truly feel the Schumann Violin Concerto be considered one. I've heard other recordings but in my opinion Ms. Pine makes the best case I've heard for including the Schumann in that realm of great concerti. As with the Mendelssohn Ms. Pine brings an impeccable reading with all the flair and sweetness she gave us in the Mendelssohn. If you don't have a recording of the Schumann, this is the one to get.
In between the Mendelssohn and the Schumann Ms. Pine performs the first Beethoven Romance for Violin and Orchestra and the second after the Schumann. I won't call them miniatures because they're both works with substance, and we have more fine readings by Ms. Pine here. And I'll add the marvelous conducting throughout by Christoph-Mathias Mueller and the Goettlinger Symphonie Orchester. This is my first recording by Mr. Mueller and what a marvelous accompanist both conductor and orchestra are to Ms. Pine and the music!
I can't stress it enough: Beautifully recorded, great sound and balance, wonderful artistry and just plain terrific. To buy now, http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=1003864&source=VENEZ
Donald Venezia, March 18, 2014

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?