Mozart: Violin Concertos (2006)

This ambitious double-disc set is entirely shaped musically by the hot young violinist Leonidas Kavakos, who plays the violin in Mozart's five concertos while conducting the Camerata Salzburg and also conducts the Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K. 543. It's an impressive performance that can't be accused of not adding anything to the dialogue surrounding these works. Kavakos seems determined to transmit a sense of standing forward on the stage. (Incidentally, though this is billed as a live recording, it's not clear what ... Read More

This ambitious double-disc set is entirely shaped musically by the hot young violinist Leonidas Kavakos, who plays the violin in Mozart's five concertos while conducting the Camerata Salzburg and also conducts the Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K. 543. It's an impressive performance that can't be accused of not adding anything to the dialogue surrounding these works. Kavakos seems determined to transmit a sense of standing forward on the stage. (Incidentally, though this is billed as a live recording, it's not clear what that means in this case; the booklet lacks any indication of recording location or time, and the recording is completely free of audience presence.) He adds a good deal of ornamentation to Mozart's lines, and he writes his own cadenzas -- big ones. In these he is not alone, but his other stylistic trait is more unusual: often he takes a big pause before his entrances, especially in the opening movements. It's like a pregnant pause in a string quartet, but it comes as quite a surprise... Read Less