Beethoven, Ludwig van - Violin Concerto - Okko Kamu

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Beethoven's Violin Concerto is one of the best-loved works in the instrument's repertoire, so it is surprising that it was not particularly well received after its premiere in 1806, perhaps because Beethoven finished the violin part so late that his colleague, the eminent violinist Franz Clement, had to sight-read parts of it! Thanks to its revival in 1844, with performances by Joseph Joachim - who was only 12 years old at the time - under the baton of Mendelssohn, the concerto came to enjoy the admiration and renown that it undoubtedly deserves. From its highly unusual opening - just four beats on the timpani - through the expansive first movement, the beautifully serene Larghetto, and the genial and dance-like finale, Beethoven's Violin Concerto has enchanted countless great violinists and audiences alike over the years.Christian Tetzlaff - hailed by The New York Times as 'a bold artist with an instinctive feel for the wild side in music' - has a special affinity with this concerto and presents a unique interpretation here that emphasises the light-hearted nature of the work, avoiding the excessive sentimentality of some other performances. Beethoven also transcribed the Violin Concerto for the piano, and Tetzlaff has transcribed Beethoven's original piano cadenzas - which he believes fit much better with the harmonic structure and overall concept of the work - for the violin. The Violin Concerto is complemented by Beethoven's lyrical and elegant Romances, also performed by Christian Tetzlaff.