Track Listing

1. Bach: Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 - I. Allegro moderato
2. Bach: Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 - II Andante
3. Bach: Concerto in A minor, BWV 1041 - III Allegro assai
4. Bach: Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 - I. Allegro
5. Bach: Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 - II Adagio
6. Bach: Concerto in E major, BWV 1042 - III Allegro assai
7. Gubaidulina: In tempus praesens, Concerto for Violin and Orchestra

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26987 in Music
• Released on: 2008-10-07
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
Anne-Sophie Mutter's new recording combines the popularity of Bach with the radiance and intensity of the contemporary composer Sophia Gubaidulina. Gubaidulina's In tempus praesens receives its world-premiere recording; the work was commissioned by Ms.Mutter herself. This is also Anne-Sophie Mutter's first Bach recording for Deutsche Grammophon. The Bach Concertos reunites Mutter with the Trondheim Soloists, with whom she recorded the Vivaldi Four Seasons. Also available is a deluxe version of this recording that presents this CD in a hard bound book format that features the essay in various languages and additional photographs of the artist.

The Strad, Harrow, January 2008 (Concert review)
Gubaidulina couldn't have wished for a stronger advocate than Mutter, whose full-bloomed, ever-purposeful sound never wavered, and whose dialogue with the orchestra became increas-ingly assertive.

About the Artist
Anne-Sophie Mutter was born in Rheinfelden in Baden. She embarked on her international ca-reer as a soloist in 1976 at the Lucerne Festival and a year later made her Salzburg debut at the Whitsun Concerts under Herbert von Karajan, followed by first appearances in the US (1980), Japan (1981) and Russia (1985). She made her first recording with Deutsche Grammophon at the age of 14 with Mozart Violin Concertos nos. 3 and 5 with Karajan and the Berliner Philhar-moniker; in the years that followed she recorded concertos by Beethoven (1985), Brahms (1982, 1983), Bruch (1981) and Mendelssohn (1981). The violinist has also committed herself to alleviating the medical and social problems of our times and gives regular benefit concerts to this end. She has been the recipient of numerous im-portant honours and distinctions, including the Order of the Republic of Germany (First Class), the Bavarian Order of Merit, the Baden-Württemberg Medal of Merit and the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art. In 2002 she was awarded the Bavarian Maximilian Order for Sci-ence and Art and the Munich Cultural Prize of Honour. In 2003 the Bavarian State Ministry of Science, Research and Art bestowed on her the "Pro Meritis Scientiae et Litterarum" distinction, in 2005 she was made an "Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" by the French Minister of Culture and in 2006 she received the Victoire de la Musique in Strasbourg. In 2008 Mutter is awarded the international Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and donates half of the prize money to the "Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation", which will be established during the course of the year, and whose objective is to further increase worldwide support for promising young musicians. She also receives Leipzig's Mendelssohn Prize for "her unique musicality and interpretational skill, and her untiring services to classical music". Her recordings have been crowned with in-numerable prizes. 1986 Appointed to the International Chair of Violin Studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London. First performance of Lutosławski's Chain 2, with the Zurich Collegium Musi-cum under its dedicatee Paul Sacher 1987 Founds the Rudolf Eberle Trust, which supports young string players throughout Europe. This foundation's activities are complemented ten years later by the establishment of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Circle of Friends Foundation 1988 Introduces Norbert Moret's En rêve, which is recorded and released in 1991. Releases this year: violin concertos by Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky, and Lutosławski's Chain 2, and Partita for violin, piano and orchestra. Extended recital tour of Canada and the US 1990 The Anne-Sophie Mutter Festival in London and Stuttgart ranges from the Baroque to the contemporary, demonstrating her artistic versatility 1991 Recording and release of Bartók's Violin Concerto no. 2 1992 Appears at the Tanglewood and Ravinia festivals in the US. Plays the premiere of Wolf-gang Rihm's Gesungene Zeit; release of the Rihm work, coupled with the Berg Concerto (Internationaler Schallplattenpreis Frankfurt 1993; Grammy, Edison, Classic CD Awards 1994; Golden Harmony Award 1995) 1993 CD release of Carmen Fantasy, with Levine and the Wiener Philharmoniker 1994 World premiere of Sebastian Currier's Aftersong with Lambert Orkis in Kiel 1995 World premiere of Penderecki's Metamorphosen, with the MDR Orchestra of Leipzig under Mariss Jansons. Release of Sibelius's Violin Concerto and other works by him, with Previn and the Dresden Staatskapelle (CD Compact Award, Barcelona, 1996; Edison Award 1997) 1996 CD release of the Berlin Recital with pianist Lambert Orkis 1998 Records and performs exclusively Beethoven's Violin Sonatas all over the world with Orkis (Echo Award 1999; Grammy 2000). Other releases include the premiere recording of Penderecki's Second Violin Concerto, dedicated to Mutter, with the composer con-ducting the London Symphony Orchestra (Grammy 1999) 1999 Release of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, with Mutter as soloist and conductor of the Trond-heim Soloists (Amadeus Music, Golden Harmony Awards 2000) 2000 Back to the Future project: a retrospective of 20th-century major violin repertoire with concerts in the US and Europe and on CD. Tour and recording of Recital 2000, works by Prokofiev, Crumb, Webern and Respighi with Orkis (CD Compact Award, Barcelona, 2000). Premiere of Penderecki's Violin Sonata, commissioned by Mutter, in London 2001 Performances on two evenings of Mozart's complete Violin Concertos, as artist-in-residence at New York's Carnegie Hall, and as soloist and conductor of the Wiener Phil-harmoniker in Vienna and Germany 2002 Recording sessions include works by Gershwin, Brahms, Fauré, Kreisler and Tango Song and Dance, composed for her by Previn. Tours Germany and Switzerland with Orkis and Lynn Harrell, performing Piano Trios by Beethoven, Brahms and Mendelssohn. Pre-mieres Previn's Violin Concerto, written for her, and records it with the composer con-ducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Grammy 2005). At the Royal Festival Hall she plays the acclaimed world premiere of Dutilleux's Sur le même accord, dedicated to Mutter, and records it with Kurt Masur conducting the Orchestre philharmonique de Ra-dio France (Echo Award 2005 "World-Premiere Recording of the Year"). Performs the Beethoven Concerto with Masur and the New York Philharmonic; the recording wins a CD Compact Award, Barcelona, 2002 and an Echo Award 2003. Plays and conducts the Mozart Concertos with the Wiener Philharmoniker at the Salzburg Festival 2003 Tour of Germany with the Munich Philharmonic under Previn, and a European tour with Previn and Harrell. Concerts in Europe with the Oslo Philharmonic and Previn perform-ing Previn's Concerto. The CD Tango Song and Dance furnishes the programme of a European recital tour with Orkis. Performs and records Tchaikovsky's Concerto with Previn and the Wiener Philharmoniker, and performs Beethoven's Concerto in Berlin with Previn and the Berliner Philharmoniker 2004 Appearances with the world's greatest orchestras and conductors, presenting contempo-rary works composed for or dedicated to her: Dutilleux (Sur le même accord, including its US premiere); Lutosławski (Partita, Interludium, Chain 2); Rihm (Gesungene Zeit); Previn (Violin Concerto "Anne-Sophie") - as well as traditional concertos and chamber music. CD release: concertos by Korngold and Tchaikovsky with Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and Wiener Philharmoniker respectively 2005 The season 2005/06 features a comprehensive homage to Mozart: she performs the Con-certos and Sinfonia concertante (with Yuri Bashmet) as soloist and conductor of the Salzburg Camerata and the London Philharmonic Orchestra; with Orkis she performs the Violin Sonatas on a world tour; and with Previn and Müller-Schott she plays the Piano Trios in Europe. Further performances of concertos by Beethoven, Previn and Korngold with Previn and the Philharmonic Orchestras of London and Oslo, and Beethoven with Masur and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Echo Awards as "Instrumentalist of the Year" (concertos by Tchaikovsky and Korngold), while her interpretation of Dutilleux's Sur le même accord is named "World-Premiere Recording of the Year" 2006 Concerts with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Masur (Beethoven) in Great Brit-ain, Ireland and the US; with the Ensemble Intercontemporain and Pierre Boulez (Rihm Gesungene Zeit) in Switzerland; and with the SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra under Previn (Beethoven) in Stuttgart. At the Lucerne Festival she celebrates the 30th anniversary of her concert debut with recitals of Mozart Violin Sonatas together with Orkis, which she also performs throughout Europe, the US and the Far East. At further Mozart Festival concerts, she directs the Tivoli Symphony, London Philharmonic and Guangzhou Symphony Orchestras. Releases include: Mozart Piano Trios with Previn and Müller-Schott, and a 4-CD set of Violin Sonatas with Orkis. On DVD: Mozart's Violin Concertos and the Violin Sonatas, each in a 2-disc set 2007 Concerts with Previn conducting the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven) in Vi-enna, the Concertgebouw Orchestra (Tchaikovsky) in Amsterdam and Germany, and the London Symphony Orchestra (Gubaidulina) in London; with Masur and the Orchestre national de France in Paris and Madrid (Previn's Concerto "Anne-Sophie"); and with Maazel and the New York Philharmonic (Berg) in New York. She directs the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Luxemburg and Manchester (Mozart Concertos nos. 1, 3 and 5), tours Europe with the Trondheim Soloists led by her in a Bach Festival programme, and performs Brahms at the Verbier Festival. Further performances of Mozart's Violin Sonatas with Orkis in Germany and Switzerland. In April she premieres Previn's Con-certo for Violin and Double Bass with Roman Patkoló and the Boston Symphony Or-chestra under Previn, and in August she premieres Sofia Gubaidulina's Violin Concerto In tempus praesens with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle at the Lu-cerne Festival. Releases this year: Simply Anne-Sophie - an album with a unique collec-tion of her Deutsche Grammophon recordings, a 5-DVD set of Mozart's Violin Concer-tos, Sonatas and Trios, and a single DVD with the Piano Trios 2008 The year begins with a benefit concert with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Ozawa, with whom she goes on a tour "in memory of Herbert von Karajan's 100th birthday" throughout Europe. Further appearances include concerts with the Orchestre national de France and Masur in Essen and Paris, with the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Masur in Leipzig, and with the London Symphony Orchestra under Previn. In the double function of soloist and conductor she goes on tour with the Camerata Salzburg in the US, and ap-pears with the Trondheim Soloists on a tour of the Far East (Bach's Violin Concerto no. 2, Vivaldi's Four Seasons) and at the Lucerne Festival. Recitals are scheduled with Bashmet and Harrell in Madrid and Germany playing Beethoven String Trios; and with Orkis on a tour of the US and in Germany, Denmark, Zurich and Vienna (Brahms's Vio-lin Sonatas). Release of Bach Concertos BWV 1041 & 1042 with the Trondheim Soloists coupled with the world-premiere recording of Gubaidulina's Violin Concerto In tempus praesens, which was dedicated to Anne-Sophie Mutter, with the London Symphony Or-chestra under Valery Gergiev 5/2008

Customer Reviews

THE GREAT ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER: SUPERB BACH & SOARING GUBAIDULINA
Five INSPIRING Stars!! BRILLIANT!! With the possibility of retirement taken off the table, Anne-Sophie Mutter, the brilliant Grammy-winning virtuoso violinist, seems to be back with an artistic vengeance presenting a program that bridges both her love of traditional and contemporary classical music. She revisits works by Bach which she recorded in her youth and performs the world premier recording of a five movement work which famed Russian contemporary composer Sofia Gubaidulina dedicated to Ms Mutter. Her performances are absolutely superb and inspiring. Her artistic choices are ably supported by Norway's famed Trondheim Soloists (TrondheimSolistene) with whom she has toured and the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Valery Gergiev. Ms Mutter uses a baroque-style bow (but no gut strings) and tightly controlled left-hand dynamics on the Bach concertos to achieve "transparency of sound and also the capacity to use Bach's original phrasing". Based on this recording, she succeeds wonderfully.

It has been over 20 years since Ms Mutter recorded the two Bach concerti and now she clearly demonstrates her changed attitude and "new ideas". Likewise, it has been almost a decade since Ms Mutter recorded the heralded Vivaldi: The Four Seasons/Tartini: The Devil's Trill with the Trondheim Soloists and the relationship, based on touring with them prior to this recording, produces a wonderfully cohesive sound and interplay on both Bach pieces. The 'pieces de resistance' of Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor are the wonderous beauty of the Andante and the Allegro assai movements. Similarly, the Adagio and Allegro assai of No 2 are of exceptional splendor. The performance of Ms Gubaidulina's dense and intense 32 minute "In tempus praesens" (In The Present Time) is soaring and emotional reflecting influences of both the Russia of her past and our modern day insecurities in her concerto without the conventional "hero" (soloist). Ms Mutter's blazing bow-work produces intense, incandescent beauty and force. The five movements are performed as one continuous passionate piece. Anne-Sophie Mutter, maestro Gergiev and the LSO, using unusual instrumentation, give this magnificent work the grandeur and angst it deserves. This is a CD of outstanding performances of great works. Kudos to all concerned. My Highest Recommendation. Five IMPRESSIVE Stars. (This review is based on an Amazon.com MP3 download. There is also both a CD and limited-edition hard bound CD package available.)
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A great new violin concerto
The Gubaiadulina concerto is magnificant, as is Mutter's playing and Gergiev and the LSO. I have listened to this work about half a dozen times now and am more impressed every time I hear it. One continuous piece that contains about every aspect of violin playing one could ask for, with a lean, but brilliant orchestration (the use of percussion is striking and very effective). Kudos to Mutter to learn such a demanding piece. Bravo!

"In tempus praesens" -- a triumph for Sofia and Anne-Sophie!
"I am a religious person...and by 'religion' I mean re-ligio, the re-tying of a bond...restoring the legato of life. Life divides man into many pieces...There is no weightier occupation than the recomposition of spiritual integrity through the composition of music." --Sofia Gubaidulina

"In tempus praesens" (2007 -- 32'45) is an absolutely stunning new violin concerto. Promised long ago to Anne-Sophie Mutter by Sofia Gubaidulina, it was finally finished in 2006/2007, and premiered at the Lucerne Festival in August 2007, performed by Mutter and the Berlin Philharmoniker with Simon Rattle conducting. For this premiere recording Valery Gergiev leads the London Symphony Orchestra. The now 77-year-old composer has been intimately involved in both of these premieres, supervising the rehearsals and insuring that her vision is conveyed.

"In tempus praesens" features a nearly unbroken solo line, a virtuoso vehicle for Mutter and surely many others to come. Though seemingly depicting a spiritual journey like her first violin concerto Offertorium (1980 -- 35'34 -- see my review), this new piece presents the soloist with less orchestral accompaniment, perhaps more purely. The orchestra menaces periodically, but not with as much vehemence as in the earlier work. And if the ending is not entirely unambiguous, the radiant rising tones of the violin nonetheless sound victorious. For Gubaidulina music always conveys a deep spiritual significance and, no matter how much she has been influenced by Webern, there is always a clear meaning to every note -- though there are no lyrics, this is not abstract, non-representational music. There are tones for good (generally high and major key), and for evil (generally low and minor key). An Orthodox Christian, her vision is practically Zoroastrian in its binary purity -- Light versus Darkness.

The two Sophies, Sofia and Anne-Sophie, seem to see it as natural to include violin concertos by Bach along with Gubaidulina, as Bach is a major influence on the Russian/Tatar composer. However, the music does not sound at all similar, structural or harmonic influences notwithstanding. It seems more likely to me that this was a marketing decision -- Bach will clearly outsell Gubaidulina, and so more people will probably buy this as a Mutter disc, or a Mutter/Bach disc than as a Gubaidulina or Mutter/Gubaidulina disc-with-Bach-thrown-in like me. On the bright side, this may mean that Sofia gains more listeners than she would otherwise. But we can still regret that Anne-Sophie did not record a new performance of "Offertorium" for this DG release.

As for the Bach concertos, they sound great. The melodies are instantly recognizable, some of the most memorable in all of classical music. Both of these works were later turned into keyboard concertos by Bach as well -- the recordings by Murray Periahia and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields of the "Concerto No. 3 in D Major" (Violin Concerto for E Major) and "Concerto No. 7 in G Minor" (Violin Concerto in A Minor) are sparkling and wonderful (Bach: Keyboard Concertos Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7).

All in all, one of the classical recording events of the year!

See my list SOFIA GUBAIDULINA: A LISTENER'S GUIDE for more by one of the best composers of our time, as well as my list THE 12 BEST LATE 20TH CENTURY COMPOSERS.