Customer Rating:
Summary: Mellow Mendelssohn and Bright Brahms Amid the Berlin Philharmonic
Comment: If you haven't heard these recordings, you have a nice surprise ahead of you. The Mendelssohn dates from 1981 and the Brahms from 1982. Because of the recording dates, you've got the young protege, Anne-Sophie Mutter, firmly under the leadership of the old master, Herbert von Karajan, with that marvelous orchestra to draw on for generous support.

Ms. Mutter has never been closer since then to the gentler ways of performing these pieces as she is here. The accompaniment is very well balanced and perfectly complements the solos.

Being used to a lot of fire from Ms. Mutter, some may complain that these performances aren't sizzling enough.

I found that her interpretation of Mendelssohn was delightfully restrained which allowed for the heavenly aspects of the piece to emerge. I was equally pleased with her Brahms where her violin seems to literally sing to us in a beautiful human voice. Beneath the surface, you can feel the controlled power of Mutter, von Karajan, and the Berlin Philharmonic. It's like watching heavyweights delicately dancing ballet to exquisite chamber music. You know there's the power there to blow us away, but that they want to enrapture us instead.

This recording will appeal most to people who like to hear classic pieces of the repertoire performed in ways that aren't the typical fare.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Typical Karajan
Comment: Herbert von Karajan's smooth orchestral sound was much more suited to some composers than others; unfortunately the composers that it was not suited to comprise the majority of the standard Teutonic repertoire. In particular the music of Brahms becomes flat, lifeless and boring under his approach, when in the hands of many other conductors it is inuered with a profound lyricism unsurpassed by any other composer. I don't think there was any other composer who Karajan was so awful at conducting, and so any of his Brahms recordings should be avoided. If you want recordings by Karajan go for late romantic and modern music where the greater orchestral complexity and amount of dissonance counteract the smooth superficiality evident in his classical and early romantic performances, and presents the music with clarity of texture.

Ms. Mutter is one of the best violinists in the world, with both a remarkable attention to detail as well as perceptive musical insight, and plays extremely well here in spite of Karajan's interpretation of the score. I haven't heard her recording of the Brahms Concerto with Kurt Masur but that would probably be were to look for a performance of this concerto by her.

The Mendelssohn Concerto also suffers from the same lacklustre conducting from Karajan, although he is not quite as bad with this concerto as with the Brahms.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Karajan and Mutter match perfectly, but not for me
Comment: Even though I consider Karajan the greatest maestro of his generation, as an accompanist he tended to exhibit faults I don't find when he's on his own. In both these concertos there's a concern for overall smoothness, mellow tone, and precise balance. Karajan's lovely young protegee, Mutter, matches his approach perfectly. She spins one of the most consistent tones of any violinist and shows no desire to crowd the spotlight. The result wins admiration for being harmonious, but where's the individuality and drama?

In the Mendelssohn concerto we get dreamy melodic lines but no real delight and magic--it's all rather charmless, without joy. Mutter is careful not to show off with brilliant pyrotechnics, which is too bad--if you're going to dazzle, this is one work that will take off into ethereal heights. The Brahms finds Karajan developing a broad sound picture that's simply too bland. The rugged, struggling temperament of this composer has been carefuly suppressed, and at no times does Mutter seem to throw caution to the wind. Having said that, I much prefer this reading to the celebrated EMI recording with Perlman and Giulini--it's even more faceless and correct.

Of course, tastes differ, and I must confess that Mutter never went on to make any recordings I really love, so perhaps I should be discounted as a non-fan. If you value precise technique and clean tone without much 'intervention" on the soloist's part, here you are. I will stick with Menuhin/Furtwangler, Heifetz/Reiner, and Mullova/Abbado, among quite a few that shine with more vibrancy than this CD.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: doesn't measure up to hilary hahn
Comment: I know that both anne-sophie mutter and hilary hahn are both exceptional musicians, but i personally think that hilary hahn has the better mendelssohn recording. the first movement just has more energy... as well as more motion and dynamics that make it so beautiful to listen to.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Comment: Protege Anne-Sophie Mutter has made yet another excellent CD. The Mendelssohn concerto is truly one of the greatest concertos, and has been well met by Anne-Sophie Mutter. She has a very clear and pronounced style, that not only makes for an excellent piece to listen to, but would be a bonus for a student studying either of the concertos.

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