Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in D Minor; Concerto in D Minor for Violin and Piano

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in D minor Concerto for Violin, PIano and String Orchestra in D minor
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Artist: Tamsin Waley-Cohen, Huw Watkins, Orchestra of the Swan, David Curtis, Felix Mendelssohn
Genre: Classical
Label: Signum Classics

Mendelssohn wrote these two concertos at the ages of 13 and 14, at a time when he was developing at astonishing speed. (He would write two of his best pieces while still in his teens, the Octet at 16 and the Midsummer Night's Dream Overture at 17.) The concertos, fully of breezy virtuosity, are less individual in style, and show a young genius trying out various moods and manners for size. Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Huw Watkins resist the works' temptations to indulge in speed for its own sake, and their new performances are all the better for their avoidance of excessive flashiness. Even so, they can't quite mask the fact that the youngster's exuberance is not without its moments of prattle. url.ie/gb48

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor