Elisabeth Watts - Mitchell, Madeleine: Violin Songs (2006)

Dessert is nice. Some people with a rather large sweet tooth might even enjoy a big dessert after every meal. But even those with a penchant for sweets cannot live on a steady diet of it. Violin Songs by violinist Madeleine Mitchell is just that: a constant flow of high-fructose corn syrup. There's nothing wrong with any of the works on her program by themselves. Many of them, in fact, are completely beautiful, soulful compositions. But putting them all together like this is a bit much, and even the most dedicated listener will have a difficult time maintaining an interest and attention from beginning to end. Adding to this is Mitchell's constant use of glissandos, overdone interpretations, and immeasurably wide vibrato and the result is an album that is at best suitable for background music. The most worthwhile component is actually a set of comprehensive and informative liner notes, providing an abundance of information about these short works that is often hard to come by. Too bad most people don't buy a CD just for the liner notes.© TiVo