Bartók, B: Violin Concertos Nos.1 and 2 (Zehetmair, Budapest Festival Orchestra, I.Fischer)

For a long time I had few associations with Thomas Zehetmair, a native Salzburger who also leads his own string quartet and conducts the Northern Sinfonia in Britain. It was my loss, as this riveting, rapturous CD demonstrates. With dizzying virtuosity, elan, and variety, Zehetmair transforms the great Bartok Cto. #2 for violin. The work is so quicksilver that it demands hair-trigger changes of mood, and Bartok's violin writing is so quirky and personal that it, too, demands real imagination. Zehetmair has everything the piece needs. In addition, the recording is of demonstration quality, especially when it comes to the violin itself, which is rendered with amazing vitality. Ivan Fischer's core strength is Bartok, of course -- here he doesn't rest on his laurels. The orchestral part is symphonic in scope,and he realizes its sweep and kaleidoscopic variety. Tempos are faster than normal, the added propulsiveness being used to dramatic effect.

What more can one say? Not many American collectors would look to either Zehetmair or Berlin Classics for a recording that puts Stern and Bernstein or shaham and Boulez in the shade. Yet without a doubt this is a superlative performance.

Santa Fe listener, Amazon.com
19 July 2010