Those unfamiliar with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto arrangement of his Violin Concerto should start with disc 2, where they’ll find much to fascinate. Beethoven was pretty much note-faithful in transcribing the solo violin part, adding primarily accompanying chords and simple filler in the piano version. Yet the piano’s vastly different timbre makes the change in the work’s overall character unmistakable. Also, unlike the violin original, Beethoven composed his own cadenzas for the piano version, with the extended first movement one (featuring a playful piano-timpani duet) the most captivating. Mykola Suk presents a strongly articulated and solidly musical rendering of the piano part which makes no apologies for the concerto’s second-generation status.
After this, there are still more surprises to be found in Violin Concerto, which incorporates L. Bulatow’s transcriptions of Beethoven’s piano cadenzas. It’s an intriguing concoction, but in this case the more violinistic cadenzas composed by Joachim, Kriesler, et al seem to fit the style of the music better. Cadenzas aside, Oleh Krysa’s highly polished, energetic, and robustly toned reading makes this performance very enjoyable, as does Virko Baley’s bold and Beethovenian accompaniment with the Kiev Camerata in this, as well as the piano version. The recordings naturally balance soloists and orchestra in a warm, spacious acoustic, with satisfying dynamic range. No matter how many times you’ve heard the Beethoven Violin Concerto, with this release you just may find yourself irresistibly compelled to listen to it twice in a row.
