<<  -- 2 --  Lawrence Budmen    GLISTENING QUALITY

Long noted as an eloquent interpreter of Tchaikovsky and Mahler, Tilson Thomas is also a protean Brahmsian. His passionate, caressing performance of Brahms's Third Symphony two seasons ago was memorable. His grandly spacious readings of the First and Fourth Symphonies cut to the essence of the Central European conducting tradition. From the first bars of the Violin Concerto the dark, subtly colored tones of the violas, cellos, and basses captured that uniquely burnished Brahms sonority. Tempos and accents were expertly judged. The sheer beauty and romantic ardor of the music were powerfully realized. Tetzlaff and Tilson Thomas literally breathed the music's glowing aura together. A superbly idiomatic collaboration between a virtuoso conductor and a stellar soloist!

Tetzlaff has achieved renown as an interpreter of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. As an encore he offered the Gigue from Bach's solo Violin Partita No 4. The clarity, grace, and imagination of Tetzlaff's playing were astonishing! The thoughtfully, intellectually rigorous yet always humane qualities that Tetzlaff brings to this repertoire has set new artistic standards. Bach playing of such deeply felt emotion, dedication, and elegance has not been heard since the superb performances of the late Henryk Szering. Tetzlaff was rewarded by repeated standing ovations.

Continue >>