We've heard it before (and we're going to hear it again)
Technically, it's not really even part of a movement of the Mendelssohn E minor Violin Concerto, these 14 bars of Allegretto non tanto which provide a transitional bridge from the sublime central Andante to the romping rondo (as announced in the Allegro molto vivace above). I'm used to having the Andante seize control of me -- but this little Allegretto non troppo?
by Ken
Okay, I admit I was having a little fun with the part about our having "a soloist and conductor so closely in sync," but I wasn't kidding about "the conductor [having] the orchestra not just phrasing but practically breathing with the soloist."
LAST WEEK WE HEARD IT TACKED ONTO THE ANDANTE
ii. Andante -- Allegretto non tanto
Utah Symphony Orchestra, Joseph Silverstein, violin and cond. Pro Arte, recorded in Symphony Hall, Salt Lake City, Nov. 19 & 21, 1983
And I wrote this about it:
AND LET IT RUN THROUGH TO THE END OF THE RONDO
end of ii. Andante -- Allegretto non troppo [at 1:05] --
iii. Allegro molto vivace [at 1:51]
Joseph Silverstein, violin, with the Utah Symphony (credits as above)
WE'VE ACTUALLY HEARD A BUNCH OF PERFORMANCES
OF THE ANDANTE OF THE MENDELSSOHN CONCERTO
And in a number of cases I stopped the clip at the end of what I would call "the Andante proper." No reason for this than I can recall -- I think it just hadn't occurred to me to be sure to tack on the Allegretto non tanto. Very possibly I was thinking that such a hanging-in-mid-air ending would be bad form for our listening experience, and only later came to realize that this very up-in-the-airness teaches us a lesson about the structure of the concerto.
MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64:
ii. Andante (i.e. just the Andante!)
Again, it's just how I happened to have made these clips. Indeed these are some of the fiddlers one would most like to hear stretched into the Allegretto non tanto -- notably Menuhin, Grumiaux, and Heifetz. (I think the glowingly straight-talking Menuhin-Kurtz may have been my favorite performance of the movement!) I thought of remaking these clips, but suffered an uncharacteristic lack of will for such a proven stalling tactic. (In this group, by the way, I might put in a word for the robust accompaniment of the youngish -- only 30! -- Wolfgang Sawallisch.)
Johanna Martzy, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond. EMI, recorded in Kingsway Hall, June 9-10, 1954
Jascha Heifetz, violin; Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch, cond. RCA, recorded in Symphony Hall, Feb. 23 and 25, 1959
Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra, Efrem Kurtz, cond. EMI, recorded in Abbey Road Studio No. 1, April 1958
Arthur Grumiaux, violin; New Philharmonia Orchestra, Jan Krenz, cond. Philips, recorded in Wa1thamstow Assembly Hall, London, Sept. 29, 1972
But now let's tack on the "tail":
ii. Andante -- Allegretto non tanto
Josef Suk, violin; Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Karel Ančerl, cond. Supraphon, recorded in Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum, Mar. 25-26, 1964
David Oistrakh, violin; Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, cond. Columbia-CBS-Sony, recorded in the Academy of Music, Dec. 24, 1955
Nathan Milstein, violin; New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter, cond. Columbia, recorded in Carnegie Hall, May 16, 1945
Nathan Milstein, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra, Leon Barzin, cond. EMI, recorded in Abbey Road Studio No. 1, Oct. 1-3, 1959
Joseph Szigeti, violin; London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, cond. EMI, recorded in Abbey Road Studio No. 1, Sept. 27-28, 1933
Already in 1945 Milstein knows just how to step up the anticipation level with the Allegretto non tanto. Josef Suk does too, and has the special advantage of the really classy framework provided by Karel Ančerl. That avatar of superior musical taste David Oistrakh surprises a little here by carefully raising the "schmaltz" level in the Allegretto non tanto, really adding to the sense of expectation, and after all, when all musical hell breaks loose in the Allegro molto vivace, it's going to come with the full weight of Ormandy's Philadelphia Orchestra. A snazzy performance. (Is it possible, by the way, that Oistrakh never made a stereo recording of the Mendelssohn Concerto? I don't recall coming across one.)
WE WANT TO HEAR THE COMPLETE CONCERTO, RIGHT?
LUCKILY, WE'VE GOT PERFORMANCES IN THE ARCHIVE
I might have mentioned earlier that for the Mendelssohn Concerto my mind tends to gravitate to the straight-talking expressivity of Yehudi Menuhin and Nathan Milstein. They're probably overrepresented here, but you'll also notice that they by no means play the piece the same way whenever they play it.
MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64:
i. Allegro molto passionato -- ii. Andante -- Allegretto non tanto --
iii. Allegro molto vivace
[ii. at 12:32; iii. at 20:24] Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwängler, cond. EMI, recorded in the Jesus-Christus-Kirche, May 25-26, 1952
[ii. at 12:22; iii. at 20:13] Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra, Efrem Kurtz, cond. EMI, recorded in Abbey Road Studio No. 1, Apr. 30, 1958
[ii. at 12:20; iii. at 21:03] Joseph Szigeti, violin; London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, cond. EMI, recorded Sept. 27-28, 1933 [transfer by F. Reeder]
[ii. at 11:06; iii. at 18:58] Nathan Milstein, violin; New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter, cond. Columbia, recorded in Carnegie Hall, May 16, 1945
[ii. at 11:53; iii. at 20:39] Nathan Milstein, violin; Swiss Festival Orchestra, Igor Markevitch, cond. Live performance from the Lucerne Festival, Aug. 12, 1953
[ii. at 11:30; iii. at 19:19] Nathan Milstein, violin; Vienna Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado, cond. DG, recorded in the Grosser Saal of the Vienna Musikverein, Mar. 13, 1973
Technically, it's not really even part of a movement of the Mendelssohn E minor Violin Concerto, these 14 bars of Allegretto non tanto which provide a transitional bridge from the sublime central Andante to the romping rondo (as announced in the Allegro molto vivace above). I'm used to having the Andante seize control of me -- but this little Allegretto non troppo?
by Ken
Okay, I admit I was having a little fun with the part about our having "a soloist and conductor so closely in sync," but I wasn't kidding about "the conductor [having] the orchestra not just phrasing but practically breathing with the soloist."
LAST WEEK WE HEARD IT TACKED ONTO THE ANDANTE
ii. Andante -- Allegretto non tanto
Utah Symphony Orchestra, Joseph Silverstein, violin and cond. Pro Arte, recorded in Symphony Hall, Salt Lake City, Nov. 19 & 21, 1983
And I wrote this about it:
"No, don't crank up the volume at the start! Our soloist is really choosing to play this music -- which I sometimes think just may be the most beautiful ever written -- so, er, confidentially. There's plenty of presence in the sound; I'd describe it as quite intense; the soloist just isn't going to make a display of it. Meanwhile the conductor has the orchestra not just phrasing but practically breathing with the soloist. How often do you get a soloist and conductor so closely in sync?"NOW LET'S BACK UP A BIT -- INTO THE ANDANTE --
AND LET IT RUN THROUGH TO THE END OF THE RONDO
end of ii. Andante -- Allegretto non troppo [at 1:05] --
iii. Allegro molto vivace [at 1:51]
Joseph Silverstein, violin, with the Utah Symphony (credits as above)
WE'VE ACTUALLY HEARD A BUNCH OF PERFORMANCES
OF THE ANDANTE OF THE MENDELSSOHN CONCERTO
And in a number of cases I stopped the clip at the end of what I would call "the Andante proper." No reason for this than I can recall -- I think it just hadn't occurred to me to be sure to tack on the Allegretto non tanto. Very possibly I was thinking that such a hanging-in-mid-air ending would be bad form for our listening experience, and only later came to realize that this very up-in-the-airness teaches us a lesson about the structure of the concerto.
MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64:
ii. Andante (i.e. just the Andante!)
Again, it's just how I happened to have made these clips. Indeed these are some of the fiddlers one would most like to hear stretched into the Allegretto non tanto -- notably Menuhin, Grumiaux, and Heifetz. (I think the glowingly straight-talking Menuhin-Kurtz may have been my favorite performance of the movement!) I thought of remaking these clips, but suffered an uncharacteristic lack of will for such a proven stalling tactic. (In this group, by the way, I might put in a word for the robust accompaniment of the youngish -- only 30! -- Wolfgang Sawallisch.)
Johanna Martzy, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch, cond. EMI, recorded in Kingsway Hall, June 9-10, 1954
Jascha Heifetz, violin; Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch, cond. RCA, recorded in Symphony Hall, Feb. 23 and 25, 1959
Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra, Efrem Kurtz, cond. EMI, recorded in Abbey Road Studio No. 1, April 1958
Arthur Grumiaux, violin; New Philharmonia Orchestra, Jan Krenz, cond. Philips, recorded in Wa1thamstow Assembly Hall, London, Sept. 29, 1972
But now let's tack on the "tail":
ii. Andante -- Allegretto non tanto
Josef Suk, violin; Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Karel Ančerl, cond. Supraphon, recorded in Dvořák Hall of the Rudolfinum, Mar. 25-26, 1964
David Oistrakh, violin; Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy, cond. Columbia-CBS-Sony, recorded in the Academy of Music, Dec. 24, 1955
Nathan Milstein, violin; New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter, cond. Columbia, recorded in Carnegie Hall, May 16, 1945
Nathan Milstein, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra, Leon Barzin, cond. EMI, recorded in Abbey Road Studio No. 1, Oct. 1-3, 1959
Joseph Szigeti, violin; London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, cond. EMI, recorded in Abbey Road Studio No. 1, Sept. 27-28, 1933
Already in 1945 Milstein knows just how to step up the anticipation level with the Allegretto non tanto. Josef Suk does too, and has the special advantage of the really classy framework provided by Karel Ančerl. That avatar of superior musical taste David Oistrakh surprises a little here by carefully raising the "schmaltz" level in the Allegretto non tanto, really adding to the sense of expectation, and after all, when all musical hell breaks loose in the Allegro molto vivace, it's going to come with the full weight of Ormandy's Philadelphia Orchestra. A snazzy performance. (Is it possible, by the way, that Oistrakh never made a stereo recording of the Mendelssohn Concerto? I don't recall coming across one.)
WE WANT TO HEAR THE COMPLETE CONCERTO, RIGHT?
LUCKILY, WE'VE GOT PERFORMANCES IN THE ARCHIVE
I might have mentioned earlier that for the Mendelssohn Concerto my mind tends to gravitate to the straight-talking expressivity of Yehudi Menuhin and Nathan Milstein. They're probably overrepresented here, but you'll also notice that they by no means play the piece the same way whenever they play it.
MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64:
i. Allegro molto passionato -- ii. Andante -- Allegretto non tanto --
iii. Allegro molto vivace
[ii. at 12:32; iii. at 20:24] Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwängler, cond. EMI, recorded in the Jesus-Christus-Kirche, May 25-26, 1952
[ii. at 12:22; iii. at 20:13] Yehudi Menuhin, violin; Philharmonia Orchestra, Efrem Kurtz, cond. EMI, recorded in Abbey Road Studio No. 1, Apr. 30, 1958
[ii. at 12:20; iii. at 21:03] Joseph Szigeti, violin; London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham, cond. EMI, recorded Sept. 27-28, 1933 [transfer by F. Reeder]
[ii. at 11:06; iii. at 18:58] Nathan Milstein, violin; New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter, cond. Columbia, recorded in Carnegie Hall, May 16, 1945
[ii. at 11:53; iii. at 20:39] Nathan Milstein, violin; Swiss Festival Orchestra, Igor Markevitch, cond. Live performance from the Lucerne Festival, Aug. 12, 1953
[ii. at 11:30; iii. at 19:19] Nathan Milstein, violin; Vienna Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado, cond. DG, recorded in the Grosser Saal of the Vienna Musikverein, Mar. 13, 1973
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