ANNE-SOPHIE MÜTTER - Hommage à Penderecki (2018) 2CD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

With one exception, the recordings on the double-album Hommage à Penderecki are all reissues (the new one is the quite haunting Violin Sonata No. 2 of 1999 at the end of disc one). Yet the collection will be well worth the time and money even of Mutter fans, for it offers an ideal deep dive into a key aspect of the violinist's career. The beginning of her interaction with Penderecki was close chronologically to the point where she became well established as one of the world's preeminent violinists, perhaps even the very top one. Her technically precise but emotionally edgy style not only fit Penderecki unusually well, but also became part of her efforts to shape her legacy in an ongoing way. The collaboration has resulted in four works to date. All are representative of Penderecki's late style, which is less neo-Romantic than aimed at showing that there is still a lot of room to incorporate dissonant structures into Romantic idioms. Sample the Metamorphosen, the Violin Concerto No. 2, on CD two, perhaps the finale, where Mutter's violin is truly transcendent as it ascends to pure high notes. La Follia, written in 2013, is a rethinking of the Baroque ground-bass piece, and it and really all the other pieces are calibrated to Mutter's undiminished skills. There's a work for solo violin, a duo, a violin sonata, and a violin concerto (with Penderecki himself conducting the London Symphony Orchestra), and the whole is a satisfying compilation of Mutter's effort to redefine the violin repertory, nicely illustrated with photos of Penderecki looking adoring. by James Manheim  

Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)

CD1
1-10    La Folia (2013) For Solo Violin
11    Duo Concertante (2010) For Violin And Double Bass. Andante, Quasi Una Cadenza – Allegretto Scherzando – Andante, Quasi Una Cadenza
Double Bass – Roman Patkoló
Violin – Anne-Sophie Mutter
12-16    Sonata No. 2 (1999) For Violin And Piano
Piano – Lambert Orkis
Violin – Anne-Sophie Mutter

CD2
1-6    Metamorphosen (1992–95): Concerto For Violin And Orchestra No. 2
Conductor – Krzysztof Penderecki
Orchestra – The London Symphony Orchestra
Violin – Anne-Sophie Mutter

RIHM : Lichtes Spiel • PENDERECKI : Duo Concertant • CURRIER : Time Machines (Anne-Sophie Mütter) (2011) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Veteran violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is not performing the usual Beethoven or Mozart repertoire here, but branching out to embrace new music commissioned for her. Along for the ride are the excellent New York Philharmonic under the baton of Michael Francis for the first Rihm work, and then under Alan Gilbert for the Currier piece, along with contrabassist Roman Patkoló. Lichtes Spiel (for violin and small orchestra) is indeed a "light game," with layered voices in the strings. There are moments of singing romanticism and beautiful vibrato, even a section that sounds vaguely classical, while the piece constantly stays in motion. Rihm clearly gets interesting colors and characters from Mutter's violin, in surprising, exciting ways. Duo concertante shows off a really lively, rapid, eager violinist full of emotion that pours forth, and it is precisely this explosive quality that makes the piece so engaging to hear. But equally in the spotlight is contrabassist Patkoló, who plays with such agility that it is hard to believe he is not playing a smaller string instrument like a viola or cello. Composer Penderecki, tricks the listener into believing the intensity has died out, but no, it resumes again, a vigorous duet between the violin and contrabass. The piece is, in a word, fun. Rihm's Dyade is quite a contrast in programming, moody and layered, the voices of the two instruments intertwining. Sometimes the lines are long, sometimes shard-like and shrieking. Mutter clearly relishes the textures and notes, and the excellent recording quality allows the listener to truly feel each bow stroke, heavy and into the string, or bouncing, or attacked tremolos. The dark contrabass is a nice contrast in register and mood. Sebastian Currier's Time Machines (for violin and orchestra) contain seven movements representing different aspects of time. Particularly interesting are the urgent, frenzied "Fragmented Time"; the perpetual motion of "Compressed Time"; the melodic patterns that climb in the violin and xylophone in "Entropic Time"; and the "Harmonic Time" with her solo violin soaring above the sound "scenes" that fade in and out like movie images. Mutter has chosen to explore a new direction, and both she and her listeners are rewarded. This is an album that will delight not only fans of Anne-Sophie Mutter, but also fans of new music who like to take their time to reflect on and savor thoughtful compositions. A most unique album indeed. by V. Vasan  

Wolfgang Rihm
1    Lichtes Spiel (2009)
Conductor – Michael Francis
Orchestra – New York Philharmonic
Violin – Anne-Sophie Mütter

Krzysztof Penderecki
2    Duo Concertante (2010)
Double Bass – Roman Patkoló
Violin – Anne-Sophie Mütter

Wolfgang Rihm
3    Dyade (2010-2011)
Double Bass – Roman Patkoló
Violin – Anne-Sophie Mütter

Sebastian Currier
4-10    Time Machines (2007)
Conductor – Alan Gilbert
Orchestra – New York Philharmonic
Violin – Anne-Sophie Mütter