Shlomo Mintz, Claudio Abbado - Brahms: Violin Concerto (1988)

I can pretty much award any playing of the Brahms Violin Concerto with a 4 to 5 star rating even before I hear the very first note, IF, we have a soloist and conductor such as this combo, Shlomo Mintz and Claudio Abbado. A quick glance at the CD cover and you are struck by at least two things. Number one, these two artists are refreshingly youthful in appearance, and that is nice to see once again, as the camera caught Maestro Abbado before he was struck by stomach cancer, in 2000, which eventually led too his passing in January of this year, 2014, at age 80. He will and IS sorely missed. An eloquent lover of music all his life and staunch anti-fascist since the 1930's or earlier, his family tried to shelter Jewish families from the Nazis during the war and occupation of the Italian homeland.
Shlomo Mintz was born in 1957 in Moscow and emigrated to Israel in 59. Violinist pedagogue introduced him to Isaac Stern, and at age 11, he subbed in for an ill Itzhak Perlman and the Israel Philharmonic to offer the Paganini First Concerto and was an immediate hit, of course. A Carnegie Hall debut via the assistance if Stern helped launch his American career. At age 18, he began to conduct, mostly from the violin but also in purely orchestral roles as well, most likely Chamber pieces, such as small concerti or Sinfonia of Bach and other early composers. He is fond of offering master classes and sitting on competition juries as a judge. He is today 57 years old., and of course, still going strong.

Arising from such technical heavy weights as Paganini and some of the other Italian stylistic composers, he has developed a flashy and smooth flare for the athletic adventures found in lively music for the violin, but this Brahms is surprisingly sedate and restive, especially in this first movement cadenza, that of "co-author" Joseph Joachim, Brahms' best friend and life long advisor on all things pertaining to the violin for the Great German composer.
I found the Joachim cadenza beginning at about the 18:31 mark to be quite exquisite and as it gradually tapers out and back to full orchestral re-entry, the delicate touch of Missers Mintz and Abbado is strong and quite beautifully presented. One of the better ones I've yet to hear, it is rich, lyrical and warmly gentle and tender. I loved it immediately, and was forced to encore it just for the sheer pleasure of it. Truly a marvelous closing by both soloist and maestro.
The lovely Adagio follows for 9:41 and seem longer, with the gentle flowing pace set by the orchestra, none other than the Berlin Philharmonic in this September 1987 recording. The concerto runs a leisurely 42 minutes and the filler, the Academic festival Overture stretches the total disc to about 52 and a half minutes. Sound is just fine and typical of the quality one receives from DGG, especially in the Berlin Philharmonee, the orchestra's home hall.
the famous Hungarian style finale is an "Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace"
that could use a little more heft, but Abbado sees it as being more fleet of foot and dancing/skipping for it's 8:45 length and it still works rather well. In 1880, the University of Breslau awarded Brahms an honorary Doctor of Philosophy and as an expression of gratitude he composed this bight and highly rhythmic concert overture based, in part, on traditional college drinking songs, proving that college does have it's party majors, and minors, etc. L.O.L. Written along side the better tragic overture it was, nonetheless one of my early obsessions, especially when the percussion steps in with cymbals and soon bass drum, and triangle lending a sparkling aura about this festive mood. I simply loved the way Abbado slowly builds up the tension and excitement of this short piece of music, and at the precise moment, when the tension gets to a fever pitch, he unleashes all the glorious sound on this great world elite orchestra, every bit the measure of his Principal Guest Orchestra, my own Chicago Symphony, with whom he spent his years of 1982-86 as principal. guest Conductor.
This fine DGG product rates a grateful 4.0 stars from me, with deductions for a small lack of heft from the BPO but still, soloist comes through wonderfully bright and clean, in a wholesomely romantic interpretation one can live with for a very long time.