Min-Jung Kym, Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay, Philharmonia Orchestra - Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 & Mendelssohn: Double Concerto (2018)

Tracklist
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01. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 I. Allegro Moderato
02. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 II. Andante con moto
03. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58 III. Rondo - Vivace
04. Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra in D Minor, MWV O 4 I. Allegro moderato
05. Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra in D Minor, MWV O 4 II. Adagio
06. Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra in D Minor, MWV O 4 III. Allegro molto

The enticing prospect here is Mendelssohn’s seldom-heard Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra, a charmer written when he was just 14. It’s bursting with melody and displays an astonishing mastery of orchestral writing. Min-Jung Kym and Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay play it with great style and panache, and the Philharmonia support with their usual elegance. Kym takes center stage for Beethoven’s radical Fourth Piano Concerto, a work that throws up many surprises along the way. Her poetic approach works well with the orchestra’s heft and weight; together they nicely emphasize the concerto’s tiered textures, particularly in the central Andante con moto.