Rodolphe KREUTZER (1766-1831)
Violin Concerto No. 17 in G [16:59]
Violin Concerto No. 18 in E minor [28:52]
Violin Concerto No. 19 in D minor [25:54]
Axel Strauss (violin)
San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra/Andrew Mogrelia
rec. 21, 23, 26, 28 January, 2, 4 February 2009, Caroline H. Hume Concert
Hall, San Francisco, USA
NAXOS 8.570380 [71:45]
Rodolphe Kreutzer was a name completely new to me before this disc. Well,
not completely: there is Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” sonata, dedicated to Rodolphe,
who refused to play it because, as a matter of personal philosophy, he never
played staccato notes. These concertos are just the kind of genial, pleasing
works one would expect from a violinist who took that view. Kreutzer’s are
some of the best violin concertos from the “French school” of the late classical
era. They have the virtues of brevity, simple scoring, appealing tunes, utterly
wonderful violin writing, and a genial, generous sense of heart. I’ll be honest:
I love this budget price CD.
The Concerto No. 17 in G is a sunny work dotted with wind solos; the orchestra
gets only a minute to itself before the violin breaks in and starts singing
its heart out. The finale is the standout movement here: it’s a toe-tapper
of a movement - a Spanish boléro, apparently - in which the violin’s
big tune comes over dancing orchestral strings. Granted, there is nothing
in the concerto which challenges the ear, but only because it is so effortlessly
pleasing. This is music to reach for on a sunny morning, or a morning you
wish were sunny, or when you are about to sit down to pay the bills and want
something cheerier playing in the background.
No. 18 in E minor tries to keep a straight face for a while, but before even
a minute has passed Kreutzer lets his guard down and smiles at us for a moment.
Then the full tutti of the opening returns to clear the way for the violin’s
melancholic entry with its own secretive theme. That poetic entry is one of
the really distinctive moments in the concerto; the other comes when the first
movement’s development gives way to a dark, dramatic grave passage
from 8:28 to 9:35.
No. 19 is a game attempt at a cyclical work; the slow movement presents as
its main tune a major-key variation on the dramatic D minor subject which
gets the first movement off to an eye-opening start. More importantly, though,
it is the best concerto on the disc. The striking themes in the first movement
fight for the violinist’s affections; the andante is beautiful and
includes a wonderfully done cadenza, vindicating my belief that cadenzas in
slow movements are a very good idea.
Axel Strauss is a great soloist for this music, with the kind of generous
romantic heart and full-bodied tone needed to adhere to Kreutzer’s style.
Remember, this was a composer who, according to the liner-notes, played everything
legato and refused to touch music, like Beethoven’s, which demanded otherwise.
Strauss sounds completely at home, and he especially distinguishes himself
at moments like the tender entrance of the violin in No. 18 and the cadenza
in No. 19’s slow movement. The San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, a student
group, occasionally sound a little thin in the violins - especially at the
beginning of No. 17 - but are more than adequate in every other department.
They are yet another proof, alongside the orchestras of the Shepherd School
(Rice University, Texas) and Frost School (University of Miami, Florida),
that the ensembles of major American conservatories maintain staggeringly
high standards. Andrew Mogrelia is a sensitive conductor whose considerable
experience as an accompanist is to the disc’s benefit. The sound quality is
very good; Axel Strauss is at the forefront, but not to the detriment of the
orchestra.
There is another disc of Kreutzer’s concertos available at present, a CPO
album featuring violinist Albrecht Breuninger. That recording received some
positive reviews, including a tentative recommendation on this site, but I
unfortunately have not heard it. Perhaps it is a logical next step - though
this Naxos CD is the beginning of a complete cycle. Kreutzer’s music is all
about lyricism, purity of tone, and beauty of expression, and the only challenge
it poses lies in trying to turn the CD player off, especially given as sympathetic
a friend as Axel Strauss. If you love the violin, or have enjoyed the string
concertos of Mozart, Haydn, Viotti, or Pierre Rode, you will find yourself,
like me, eagerly awaiting the rest of this promising series.
Brian Reinhart
Lovely violin concertos which have me waiting for the rest of the series.