Tetzlaff's Beethoven Violin Concerto

[Rach3]

Christian Tetzlaff plays the Beethoven Violin Concerto, live video, with the Sinfonia Grange au Lac at Evian,France, July 2,2021, Lars Vogt,conducting. Tetzlaff always interesting, here with dynamics and tempi, and a first mov. cadenza accompanied in part by a timpanist, apparently a cadenza Beethoven wrote for the piano version of the Concerto which Tetzlaff re-worked. A wonderful performance ; gave me a new appreciation for the work ; others seem a bit lifeless in comparison, even Heifetz/Munch/BSO. From an article by Tetzlaff :

“Beethoven’s Violin Concerto was not successful at its first performance, so Beethoven rewrote the whole thing for piano – including cadenzas. Over the centuries the cadenza has become a display of virtuosity, often recapturing the beauty of moments in a piece, but in his piano cadenza Beethoven goes to a very different place. He expands on the idea of his first-movement military march theme, now at a ridiculously fast tempo, and he makes the timpani beat relentlessly to emphasise the element of struggle present throughout the movement.

Beethoven’s cadenza is extremely lengthy. I’ve made a shorter version for violin, because I find that the fiddle doesn’t carry such a big solo in a concerto as well as a piano would do. It isn’t ideal to transcribe a piano part for violin, but musically I find Beethoven’s ideas far better connected to the piece than other cadenzas, which are often just 20th-century ideas of what a cadenza should be. Kreisler’s is most often played, but it is a Romantic display cadenza and for me it has little to do with the underlying Classical drama of the concerto.

Remarkably Beethoven, unlike Kreisler, never lets the second subject enter his cadenza. Only afterwards is the protagonist allowed to sing out the melody freely all alone for the first time, supported sweetly by the pizzicato of the strings playing the timpani motif from the opening. For me that is the holiest moment in the piece.”

The brief 3rd mov. cadenza I suspect also by Tetzlaff, as may be a brief solo “riff” earlier in that mov.I believe both Tetzlaff cadenzas are in both his recent recordings of the work with David Zinman and Robin Ticciati, but I have neither cd.

https://www.medici.tv/en/concerts/lars- ... -tetzlaff/

[maestrob]

I have the Zinman, but haven't heard it yet. In fact I've got the Sony box of his complete Beethoven recordings, and recommend it highly.

[barney]

Not being a subscriber, the link gave me only the first three minutes of the concerto, and none of the soloist. I did have time to note the diversity of the orchestra, though.

[Rach3]

Not being a subscriber, the link gave me only the first three minutes of the concerto, and none of the soloist. I did have time to note the diversity of the orchestra, though.

I am not a subscriber, either. Sorry for the confusion.

Try this link again, and sign up for a free "Guest Account ". Otherwise , you will get just 3 minutes. A guest account should let you view it all, as well as view all other concerts that have just a " Replay" button alone without a "Subscriber" button. I've watched most of the Verbier so far.

https://www.medici.tv/en/concerts/lars- ... -tetzlaff/