Anne-Sophie Mutter, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa - Bartók: Violin Concerto No.2, Sz 112, Moret: En rêve (1991)

Anne-Sophie Mutter's Bartók Second is clearly one of the best around. The first movement is a difficult piece to bring off, if only because the beginning is so simple and tuneful compared to later developments. Mutter proves an excellent guide to the music's ongoing development, never losing site of that folk-like opening and always returning to it as if to say, "See, it was there all along!" A great supporter of contemporary music, she has performed and recorded a large number of works composed especially for here of which En Reve (Dreaming) is a typical example. It's not hard to listen to, but it isn't particularly memorable. Seiji Ozawa's accompaniments certainly are, though. -- David Hurwitz