Mutter - Beethoven Concerto - Romances SACD

Format: Hybrid SACD 5.0, SACD Stereo, CD audio.
Price: $17.99

When one begins listening to classical music, one of the most logical composers to start with would have to be Ludwig van Beethoven. Even the most novice listener knows Beethoven's most famous four notes. Aside from his symphonies, Beethoven also composed several other types of music. In 1806 he composed the Violin Concerto in D major. Beethoven's Violin Concerto No. 1 is an excellent show off piece and can only be played by the most advanced violinist.

While doing research on Anne Sophie- M utter, I found that she is well respected for her accuracy on the violin, but is criticized at times for being too rigid. After reading this I was quite interested in hearing her interpretation of this great concerto. The insert states that Anne Sophie- M utter began learning this concerto in 1978. A year after debuting with Herbert von Karajan, he suggested that she learned the Beethoven concerto, so that was exactly what she did. AS M spent 6 months working on the concerto and went back to play it for him. At this time, she was told to go practice more and come back next year. When returning the following year she said that he wasn't nearly as critical as he was before.

The Romances are of a much smaller scale and are very easy to listen to as well. All three of these works have been a favorite of mine for quite some time. So I was quite anxious to give this disc a spin once I found it in the SACD format.

Review Methodology
Discs are listened to a minimum of 2 times with at least a 24 hour separation between sessions. During session one subjective notes are taken on the SACD 5.0 surround implementation. I also spent a brief amount of time listening to the 2.0 layer on this disc; this was useful in determining the use of the surrounds in the 5.0 mix. I split the second session into two parts; the original notes are compared and expanded upon during the listening experience with my speakers set-up in my normal HT configuration. For the second part, I rearranged my speakers to follow the ITU standard. The ITU standard calls for 5 full range speakers and a subwoofer. To accomplish this I disconnected the Athena Center Channel and moved one of the AS-F1 speakers to the front of the room. I also set all the speakers to Large in the DVD player menu. Before each section of the review, speaker calibration is checked using an SPL meter and the test-tones on a typical set-up disc using the 5.1 analog out from the Denon DVD-2200. Careful attention was also used in speaker placement to ensure optimal accuracy. (See the ITU 5.1 graphic for details)

The Music

1) Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major op.61

The violin concerto follows the typical concerto form with three movements. The first movement is quite long (27:08) when compared to music in other genres. The other movements are 11:00 , and 10:08 respectively for a total time of 48'26 for the entire concerto.

2) I. Allegro ma non troppo -27'08

The concerto begins with the timpani followed by a short orchestral introduction. The first time the orchestra plays a forte (loud) passage (1'07) the effect was quite impressive. My listening room was filled with sound. The dynamics found in Beethoven's music in my opinion are one reason this disc sounds so incredible. When playing a concerto it is always a challenge for the orchestra to play behind the soloist, this disc is an example of how it should be done.

The dynamic contrast on this recording was very impressive. The quiet passages were very transparent and it was very easy to distinguish each of the different instruments playing. The loud passages were very convincing and powerful. Even though the first movement is 27 minutes long, I felt that it was very easy to listen to. Actually, I was surprised to find that I was 22 minutes into the movement when AS M started playing the cadenza (virtuosic solo). The cadenza in the first movement is very good; (this could be your only chance to have a Stradivarius playing in your living room!) Her use of rubato (varying speeds) and dynamics throughout are impeccable. I must say that AS M 's interpretation is very good and is a far cry from her rigid reputation.

3) II. Larghetto -11'00

This movement is simply beautiful, and provided great music to relax to. This Larghetto was calm and quiet in comparison to the other movements. The contrast in sound in this movement is proof of why SACD is such a great format. It allows the listener to appreciate the very quiet and delicate moments as well as the fast and powerful. At the end of this movement there was a nice transition to the last movement.

4) III. Ron do Allegro -10'08

The last movement was my favorite movement in this concerto. The rondo form can be described as a theme and variation. So it was quite interesting hearing the different colors introduced as the orchestra modulated into other keys. When the melody returned to the main theme, it was nice to come back to familiar ground. The variation that really stuck in my mind happened around the 3 minute mark. The violin and orchestra modulated from the happy major key into a darker minor key. The cadenza in this movement started at (6'55) and I must say the precision of AS M 's playing was incredible. Once again the clarity and tonal qualities of the Stradivarius were captured quite well in this recording.

5) Romance for Violin and Orchestra no. 1 in G major op.40 7'10

A romance by definition is an expressive work with romantic lyrical qualities. Both of these violin romances are such examples. In Romance no.1 the melody was often exchanged between the soloist and the orchestra. Once again the use of dynamics played an important role in creating a "being there" feeling for the listener. Not only did the orchestra have an important role in accompanying the violinist, there were plenty of places for the orchestra to play out its own melodies. One thing I did not like about this Romance was the abrupt ending. I am not one to be critical of a great composer such as Beethoven, however I just feel as if he had a deadline to meet and felt it was a good place to stop. Again I would like to say that my opinion on this matter is purely subjective.

6) Romance for Violin and Orchestra no. 2 in F major op.50

Romance no.2 is more of a violin solo with accompaniment. The melodies in the romance were more lyrical than those found in the first romance. The recording itself was on par with the other tracks mentioned above. The depth and clarity between the soloist and the orchestra were easily heard throughout.

Audio Quality

This disc is a great example of all that is wonderful with the SACD format. The dynamics on this recording are outstanding. During the loud passages the orchestra had a very powerful and clean sound. The quiet passages were very transparent and effective.

I have always wanted to take full advantage of SACD playback with five equal and equidistant loudspeakers. Replacing my center channel with one of the AS-F1s was well worth the extra effort. Not only did using the AS-F1 for a center speaker improve my sound, but moving the front speakers further apart also widened the soundstage to create a more three dimensional listening experience. After calibrating the speakers, localization of the violin became almost impossible. It really felt as if Anne Sophie- M utter was standing in front of me while playing. For those of you getting into multi-channel music, you really need to consider getting 5 full range speakers. As I experienced, this can present a huge improvement over the typical 5.1 home theater set-up.

Surround Implementation

With most classical recordings, the surround speakers are either used for ambiance or they give the listener an idea what it is like to be on the stage with the musicians. The surround speakers on this recording were utilized with both methods. For the quiet passages or when the soloist was playing the surrounds were used to create the feeling of being in the hall. You could hear some crowd noise at times, which for me wasn't too distracting. For the forte passages, the surrounds were used to give the orchestra a fuller sound. I really liked this effect; it enhanced the dynamic contrast normally found at the concert hall.

Conclusion

The Beethoven Violin Concerto and Romances have always been a favorite of mine. I have listened to several recordings of these works and I would have to say this is easily among the best. The ensemble between the soloist and the orchestra was impressive. This should be expected when considering the caliber of the NY Philharmonic and Anne-Sophie M utter. If you are a novice listener or an audiophile on the hunt for music in these "newer" formats, this disc is sure to please.

This disc is a Hybrid SACD, and I feel that having the ability to listen to this recording on an SACD player and a regular CD player is a big plus. At times I get frustrated with the single layered discs or DVD-A / DTS discs, especially when I want to listen to a particular recording on the road. For that reason I added a score to the features rating found below.