Search - Johannes Brahms, Daniel Barenboim, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra :: Brahms: Violin Concerto; Sonatensatz; Hungarian Dances

In this new album of the Perlman Edition, we again find the great violinist at his peak. Recorded live in 1992, his playing of the Concerto must represent not only one of the best, but one of the most personal performances of this popular favorite; indeed it sounds if not new, at least undiluted by any other influence. Every note is suffused with inward feeling; phrases are constructed with the inevitability of articulate speech, climaxes build up naturally. The orchestral introduction sets the mood: stately, broad, sustained, and though the opening solo is free, declamatory, urgent, and the dramatic moments riveting, this is, on the whole, an unusually lyrical Brahms: wistful, nostalgic, expansive, serenely ecstatic in the slow movement, charming and exuberantly joyful in the Finale. And of course Perlman's easy, unobtrusive, impeccable virtuosity is everywhere in evidence; his incomparably beautiful tone, with its warm glow on the low strings, its heavenly radiance up high, is a source of endless wonder, as is his ability to change its color, intensity, and nuance on a single note to fit the expression of the music. He is abetted mightily by the wonderful orchestra and strong support from two old friends: Barenboim on the podium and Ashkenazy at the piano. In recordings made in 1983, they give the Hungarian Dances not only brilliant virtuosity, but true idiomatic gypsy abandon, passion, and exuberance without becoming excessive or willful. Only the A major Dance, though charming, sounds a little like Kreisler. For lovers of great Brahms and great fiddling, this record is indispensable. --Edith Eisler