Mendelssohn Concertos
Brilliant Concerts, 2019
8/10
Spearheaded by violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv, this installment features Mendelssohn’s ‘other’ Violin Concerto and the Double Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra.
Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra in D minor MWVo3 starts with “Allegro”, where string acrobatics in the elegant yet adventurous opening keeps our attention for entire 9+ minutes of sweeping melody, and “Andante” follows with a calmer setting of graceful beauty. “Allegro” then ends this portion with plenty of skilled interplay between the instruments as swift playing aligns with a strong orchestral backdrop.
The 2nd portion of the disc, Concerto for Violin, Piano and Orchestra MWVo4 starts with “Allegro”, where nearly 20 minutes of lush, cinematic sounds dance around the respective instruments with intimacy and allure, while “Adagio” trims the volume back to quaint, lovely setting where twinkling keys add much to the formula. “Allegro Molto” ends this chapter with skittering piano on the quick paced and emotionally forceful exit.
Amazingly, these pieces were penned by Mendelssohn when he was just an early teenager, and Ivakhiv, along with Antonio Pompa-Baldi on keys and Theodore Kuchar conducting the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra, interpret the classics sublimely with their respective talents.
Travels well with: Solomiya Ivakhiv- Ukraine: Journey To Freedom; Joseph Silverstein- Roman Carnival