Anne-Sophie Mutter / Berliner Philharmoniker / Manfred Honeck DVORÁK

Anne-Sophie Mutter is convinced that Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto exerted a particular influence on the structure of the movements of Dvořák’s concerto, too. “The directness of the violin’s first entry is unusual for this period, but this is just one aspect among many. The mini-recapitulation in the opening movement, followed immediately by the wonderful transition to the songlike Adagio, is very unusual but you find something similar in Mendelssohn. I genuinely hear in this work a kind of successor to Mendelssohn’s concerto, albeit an original piece that certainly does not obey classical concerto form in terms of its overall structure.” Why has Anne-Sophie Mutter waited until this relatively late date to record the Dvořák concerto? “There have been periods when I have been passionate about Dvořák, and the concerto has repeatedly been on my wish list, but other projects have got in the way. With many of the works that have been close to my heart since childhood – Mozart and Beethoven, above all – I now find that I have to a certain extent made my peace, and I should now like to devote myself to a repertory that is performed less often. The Dvořák concerto has become increasingly important to me in recent years. The time had come to record it, no doubt in part because of the Berlin Philharmonic and Manfred Honeck. They were ideal partners with whom to get to the heart of this splendid work. To make another recording with this orchestra after thirty years has stirred many wonderful memories. One cannot wish for more sensitive and at the same time more passionate musical partners – inspired by the wonderful conductor Manfred Honeck.” The element of Bohemian folk music is admittedly important with Dvořák, but Anne-Sophie Mutter has no wish to privilege it at the expense of other aspects. Rather, she sees a magnificent link not only with the Romance op. 11 that Dvořák completed in 1877 on the basis of the Andante from his String Quartet No. 5, but also with the striking Mazurek op. 49. “They embody two important elements in Dvořák’s output: the wonderfully cantabile Romance embodies the element of song, while the Mazurek represents the folk dance. These may be occasional works written on the spur of the moment, and there is no trace of the shadow of the composer’s great friend Brahms in either of them. Dvořák is entirely at home here in his very own musical language. (Oswald Beaujean)