Anne-Sophie Mutter - Dutilleux, Bartok, Stravinsky (2005)

Long admired for her powerful playing and respected as a champion of new music, Anne-Sophie Mutter is the recipient of numerous pieces composed especially for her by the leading contemporary masters. Henri Dutilleux wrote his nocturne for violin and orchestra, Sur le même accord, for Mutter, and this live, world-premiere recording of the debut performance demonstrates why composers trust her with their music. Dutilleux's work is as fastidious and well-crafted as ever, transparently orchestrated to keep the violin part clear at all times, and expansively drawn to highlight Mutter's rich lines and sweeping bowing. With her penetrating interpretation and strong execution, Mutter guarantees this work a place in the repertoire. Yet Sur le même accord is extremely short at nine minutes, and the disc is necessarily filled with longer concertos, plainly not written for Mutter. Her 1991 recording with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra of Bartók's Violin Concerto No. 2 is a fine choice, for it fits comfortably with Dutilleux's piece in its dark moods and subdued timbres. Stravinsky's Concerto in D, recorded in 1988 with Paul Sacher and the Philharmonia Orchestra, is also worthwhile, though its placement after Bartók's longer Concerto makes it seem anticlimactic and a bit like padding. DG's sound quality is fine.