Thomas Zehetmair - W.A. Mozart: Violin Concertos 1-5 - Sinfonia Concertante, K.364 (2009)

Because Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his five violin concertos in his youth, between 1773 and 1775, it is appropriate to regard them as works in the stile galant of the Rococo serenade, and to interpret them with a light, delicate feeling, rather than with a more robust, late:Classical approach. To the extent that they can render the music in this hyper:refined, mannered style, violinist Thomas Zehetmair and conductor Frans Brüggen give the concertos a sometimes fragile but generally warm treatment, and the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century plays them with radiantly idiomatic timbres on original instruments. The Sinfonia concertante of 1779 is more advanced in style, closer to Mozart's mature symphonic expression, especially in the brooding Andante, and it receives richer orchestral textures and a more fluid approach in the exchanges between Zehetmair and violist Ruth Killius. The recording is immaculate, and the subtle distinctions between orchestral tutti and accompanimental playing are made clear, so it isn't entirely a showcase for the two elegant soloists. This 2008 double:disc set from Glossa allocates the Violin Concertos No. 1, No. 4, and No. 5 to the first disc, and the Sinfonia concertante and Violin Concertos No. 3 and No. 2 :: in that order :: to the second disc, so listeners should be attentive to the tracklist.