Maxim Vengerov, Daniel Barenboim - Brahms: Violin Concerto, Violin Sonata No. 3 (1999)

The inside covers of this CD's booklet show violinist and conductor engaged in a whimsical pose of arm wrestling. It's a curious visual misnomer for the actual character of the Brahms Violin Concerto, which is notably not cast as a bravura showdown between soloist and orchestra. Rather, as this live performance recorded in Chicago Symphony Hall in 1997 so amply demonstrates, the score's beauty and fascination emanate in large part from its spaciously symphonic conception. Maxim Vengerov imbues his account with all the variety of expressive color, intellectual weight, and deeply personal statement necessary to make Brahms's poetry vivid--he even supplies his own cadenza in lieu of the usual one by Joachim--yet never detours from the larger vision at stake. The first movement's coda in fact creates the sensation of a beguiling reverie from which both violinist and ensemble are reluctant to awaken. Gently tapered phrasing from Vengerov, together with Daniel Barenboim's attention to the gorgeously crafted woodwind scoring, creates a statement of lofty serenity in the Adagio. And in the finale, where performances too often tend to sound watered-down after the weight of what has preceded, bold, snappy accents ensure an exhilarating momentum. A more intimate example of the synergy between Vengerov and Barenboim can be heard in Brahms's D Minor Violin Sonata. In contrast to Anne-Sophie Mutter's huge, luxurious sound, Vengerov brings a more introspective but no less passionate demeanor to bear. Despair and peace alternate with moving contrast in this superb work, which has been interpreted as a character portrait of its dedicatee, conductor Hans von Bülow. -- Thomas May