The main attraction here is the instrument played by soloist Christoph Koncz – Mozart’s own violin, which he used during his Salzburg years and while composing these early works. Koncz is accompanied by the period group Les Musiciens du Louvre, who’s Mozart’s C Minor Mass recording we recently reviewed.
Mozart’s instrument is a well-preserved baroque violin made by the Klotz family of Mittenwald in the early eighteenth century, kept by Mozart’s sister Nannerl after he moved to Vienna and eventually arrived at the Mozarteum foundation in 1955. The violin has a sweet tone in its upper register, and Koncz takes full advantage of it. The violin does resist playing it too hard, which calls for modest sound production.
The playing is well-considered and measured, with a natural approach to phrasing and vibrato. There is little here that will raise eyebrows or offend, not a bad thing in this case. It will sound tamed and much more “classical” next to Isabelle Faust and Giovanni Antonini’s celebrated account; Il Giardino Armonico gave something of Italian baroque view, as if coming to this repertoire from Vivaldi, which made for thrilling moments (though I find Faust’s interventive phrasing unnatural).
Related Classical Music Reviews
- Review: Mozart – String Quintets K. 515, 516 – Quatuor Van Kuijk
- Review: “Mozart y Mambo” – Sarah Willis – Horn
- Review: Mozart – Mass in C Minor – Les Musiciens du Louvre , Minkowski
The slow movements here are the most convincing, as well as the entirety of the third Concerto, the best performance of this set. Les Musiciens Du Louvre doing a good job at accompanying the soloist, not calling attention to themselves. The only thing I take issue with is that sometimes the orchestral sound tends to be blurry due to the resonant recording, and the horns barely auditable. Koncz, however, is well recorded and we are able to appreciate the special qualities of the instrument.
Many will first turn to the most famous Concerto from the cycle, the fifth, “Turkish” Concerto. This is where Koncz’s modest approach may take listeners aback, especially when compared to wild accounts of the third movement by Faust and other period instrumentalists. Overall, this set will stand next to the tender and classical view of the Violin Concertos by Monica Huggett, though with a more refined orchestral support.
“Mozart’s Violin
Mozart – Violin Concertos No. 1-5
Christoph Koncz – Violin
Les Musiciens du Louvre
Sony Classical, CD G010004353645E
Mozart Violin Concertos – Recommended Comparisons
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