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MOZART: Violin Concertos – Isabelle Faust/ Il Giardino Armonico – Harmonia mundi (2 CDs)

by Audiophile Audition | Jan 1, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

MOZART: Violin Concertos – Isabelle Faust/ Il Giardino Armonico – Harmonia mundi (2 CDs) 902230.32, 67:53, 61:26 (11/26/16) *****: (Isabelle Faust; violin/ cadenzas by Andreeas Staier) Mozart’s brilliant violin concertos are much enhanced by the fiddling of Isabelle Faust and newly composed cadenzas. Isabelle Faust has arrived at her preeminent position in the classical music world by an unusual route. Rather than putting personal flair and dazzling virtuosity to work on the popular repertoire in highly visible concerts and recording, she has developed a rigorously intellectual approach informed by an almost self-effacing aesthetic. As for imposing challenges on oneself, try to top this: her first three projects were Bartok, Beethoven (the complete sonatas) and the incomparable J.S Bach sei solo. She is much aided by her much-talked-about fiddle, the “sleeping beauty” 1704 Stradivarius. On the Bach partitas, this instrument was tamed with gut strings and a baroque bow. Ms. Faust illuminated the the architecture of these profound works with a celestial tone and unerring focus. While the pleasures of this recording are those of contemplation, the Beethoven sonatas, (with Alexander Melnikov) demonstrated a different sort of intelligence. Here the Strad sings with the full range human voices, now ravishing, now […]