[TR24][OF] Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto In D, Op.77; Clara Schumann: Three Romances for Violin and Piano, Op.22 (Lisa Batiashvili, Alice Sara Ott, Staatskapelle Dresden, Christian Thielemann) - 2013 (Classical)

Warmth, tenderness, love
Following her critically hailed Deutsche Grammophon debut, Echoes of Time – and growing acclaim for her concert appearances – violin virtuosa Lisa Batiashvili meets every challenge of Brahms’s monumental Violin Concerto.
With maestro Christian Thielemann and the instrumentalists of the Staatskapelle Dresden, for whom German Romanticism is the birthright, Lisa Batiashvili’s elegant, eloquent artistry finds ideal partners. Meeting Thielemann exceeded all her expectations: “. . .his conducting was wild and fiery. At the same time I always had the feeling that I was being supported by the orchestra and that I had time to react.”
Rounding out the programme are Clara Schumann chamber pieces that Batiashvili plays together with young pianist Alice Sara Ott. For the first time in their careers they teamed up to play the three romances.
'...this performance is lively and warm, partly thanks to Batiashvili [the concerto's electrifying soloist on this album], who sets the dominant tone in her darkly sensuous opening line... throughout Batiashvili remains herself: less showy than some but deeply responsive to the music's inner workings and its colours. The range of hues summoned within her long phrasings is wondrously wide, each one delicately applied. The slow movement, the concerto's singing heart, is tender without being sentimental. And Batiashvili and Thielemann jointly triumph in the first movement's chief necessity -- keeping the scale epic and muscular while maintaining an intimate focus. Here is the sort of thoughtful reading that makes you fall in love with the concerto all over again...[in Clara Schumann's fetching violin and piano 'Romances'] Batiashvili is brightly partnered by Alice Sara Ott. (Geoff Brown, The Times)
'... impeccable technique and sense of timing... in the opening tutti the orchestra sits well in the hall, with a natural sense of perspective... a beautifully played oboe solo [in the second movement]... [her quieter playing] allows her seamless legato and tonal sophistication to shine. It's a welcome surprise to hear the Busoni cadenza in the first movement... [C. Schumann' Romances are] satisfying...' (Martin Cotton, BBC Music Magazine)
Lisa Batiashvili, voilin
Alice Sara Ott, piano
Staatskapelle Dresden
Christian Thielemann, conductor
Executive Producer: Angelika Meissner
Producers: Sid McLauchlan (Brahms, Schumann), Arend Prohmann (Brahms)
Recording Engineer (Tonmeister): Peter Hecker
Assistant Engineers: Tilo Feinermann, Teresa Kunz (Brahms); Clemens Deller (Brahms & Schumann)
Project Coordinator: Veronika Weiher
Mixed and mastered at WHITELAKE STUDIOS BERLIN