Mendelssohn / Britten: Violin Concertos – Sebastian Bohren

   in Classical Music (Mar, 2019)
Bohren plays on a 1767 Guadagnini; his solo Bach has already impressed, and here in an inspired concerto coupling he once again shines. Bohren has recorded Mendelssohn’s earlier D minor concerto; he shows a real feel for the flow of the E Minor, the RLPO is on top form under Litton. The Andante is rapid, yet one attunes via Bohren’s glorious long-breathed melodies. The transition between Andante and Finale is far more than a linking passage here, the Finale a model of clarity.

The Britten violin concerto is one of the composer’s finest works, deserving far greater currency. Timpani at the opening are crystal clear here, the work’s mix of tension …