Repertoire: The BEST and WORST Mozart Violin Concertos

Only nineteen when he composed his five violin concertos, Mozart's remain the earliest works of their kind in the modern repertoire. Most major violinists have recorded at least a few, and a very large number have done the whole set. Here are many of the best, and just to keep things interesting, some of the worst.
Musical Examples courtesy of Brilliant Classics, Haenssler, Orfeo, Oehms, and Naxos Records

[thomass.]

Dave, even though we both know how utterly minuscule my contribution was to your latest fashion line, I appreciate the shout out nonetheless. That, along with some very fine music selections, sure put a silver lining on my day. For that I thank you.

[ftumschk]

In a move that would please my physics teachers, I'll show some resistance to the Oehms.

[TobyS]

A great review (and overview). Grumiaux is truly the King of the Mozart concertos. Needless to say, the five authentic violin concertos with him and Colin Davis and LSO are marvellous, yet the Sinfonia Concertante with the same forces and Arrigo Pelliccia on the viola is an outstanding achievement and to me the best after having listened to several versions of this great work. It gives Grumiaux plenty of opportunities to display his wide palette of tonal colors and his fantastic ability to vary the intensity of his vibrato, qualities Henryk Szeryng greatly admired and all working to the great benefit of the music. The Andante is searingly moving. Pelliccia is every bit well matched with Grumiaux in intensity and tonal color and Davis provides alert and dynamic accompaniment to complete a deeply satisfying account of the score. As Reinhard Goebel and Mirijam Contzen, Goebel had said he hates all music composed after 1749 and it shows in the excerpt played - the beautiful Adagio is turned to a kind of travesty.

[daniellibin]

I’m looking forward to your video of the best Sinfoina Concertante recordings! Hope that comes soon.

[elizabethj]

Add "aberrant" to the list of adjectives. Thank you, Dave, for the brief critique of modern music sopranos. A magpie can imitate sounds to the same effect.

[steve.schatz]

Re: Mirijam Contzen performance: I thought I had my YT playback speed set at 1.5 ... but found it was normal 1.0. So the performers' speed here is Allegro. That said, for those on a tight schedule and who want to listen to a 25 minute concerto in about half the time, this might be the performance for them.

[bil]

Marvelous overview! In the slow movement of Mozart #3, Baráti for me. Chacun à son goût! "Horribleness" is an understatement for that atrocity of a performance that must not be named. Thank you for finally calling out Kremer's unlovely tone; I have NEVER understood the fawning idolatry of most music critics for him, although perhaps in Schoenberg or Stockhausen he might be worthy. Not a fan of Faust, either, in anything. There are a few too many anti-music performers around these days. Grumiaux is nonpareil. Love your reviews, a highlight of my days.

[bplonutube]

I also would buy that T-shirt. Grumiaux! I remember my first set. The LP box with David and Igor Oistrakh. It also had the Concertone! And Igor played viola in the Sinfonía. The orchestra was the Berlin Philharmonic and David Oistrakh conducted.I don’t know if I have the LP anymore but I just pulled it up on Apple Music. It will be fun to go back and listen to that and see how it holds up compared to Grumiaux And Fischer. I was never a huge fan of the Issac stern recordings or the Heifetz recordings.

[carlcurtis]

Great review (and overview). Happily, I have the Grumiaux on what is, I gather, a rare Grumiaux Mozart box set, which, needless to say, includes the Symphonia Concertante (which I own on vinyl also). That said, I'm interest in Ehnes and Tetzlaff--both of whom are available via my streaming service along with Anne Sophie Mutter. I got it made.

[adrianoseresi]

17:56
The moment you all have been waiting for.

[marqde]

I was always partial to the Zino Francescatti, Bruno Walter vinyl LP of of K 216 and 218 I then picked up
K 207 and 211 by Arthur Grumiaux and Colin Davis

[AlexMadorsky]

I love the Mozart violin concertos precisely because they are lyrical and lovely rather than virtuoso showpieces. There have been dozens, probably hundreds, of truly excellent violin concertos written in the Romantic period and ever since where technical pyrotechnics are the point. Sometimes it is nice, however, to listen to something gorgeous yet relatively uncomplicated.

I don’t listen to the Mozart violin concertos (or any violin concertos) with any regularity, but I have stumbled across the Naxos/Nishikazi/Gunzenhauser recordings you mention and they are elegantly delightful. I’ll keep on listening to one or two of the other classic boxes you mention, and of course, contrarian that I am, I’ll give one of the stinkers a go. The most exciting bit of this video is that Classics Today tees hit the market soon!

[rebeckyc]

Years ago my Mom found Grumiaux no 2 at Safeway for $2 thinking I should like it…Such a favourite!

[jimwhitson]

Speaking of Menuhin and the "singing" needed in #3, his EMI recording with the Bath Festival Orchestra is about as dialed in for pitch and taste as any of those you mentioned Dave. Glorious. Great to see so many excellent contemporary recordings among your picks, but one can't argue with Grumiaux.

[stradivariouspaul]

For me number 3 is head and shoulders above the rest, but then as Dave says the sinfonia concertante is better still and makes a case I think for being Mozart'sgreatest work. The coupling of that work with the S. Concertante for wind with Bohm is well worth tracking down, it makes an hour of sublime music!

[bastiatintheandes]

Who can argue? Of course, Grumiaux was born to Mozart. Most beautiful tone ever, superior musicality and absolute charm. Thanks David. BTW, I thought you were going to mention Szeryng. Never mind.

[thiinkerca]

Great set of reviews and I really enjoyed the depth of the review of the mozart concertos and your great sense of humor. BTW is that a real gong . If so wow . Cheers David

[Nyssa]

As always, thank you for the reviews! Not mentioned is Rachel Barton Pine with Marriner/ASMF. All five concerti and the Sinfonia Concertante. I stumbled on it accidentally and love it.

[patrickhows]

Thank you for another excellent talk. I managed to get the Zimmermann and Tetzlaff from the Amazon marketplace for @ 26 USD, the Tetzlaff only @ 10USD. I am looking forward to listening to them. I must admit to a guilty secret, I do like the Oistrakh full fat recordings, though of course Grumiaux is king.

[edhanslick]

Hello Dave, I just wonder what you think of Wolfgang Schneiderhan recording with Berlin Philharmonic.
I just love his No. 5 A Major with Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt and NDR Sinfonie-Orchester - unfortunately
it is a single concerto, that I prefere to the one with Berlin Philharmonic conducting by Schneiderhan himself.