Felix Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, String Octet

Few violin concertos are as singingly beautiful as the Mendelssohn op. 64. It is a transportive joy to hear. Liza Ferschtman and Het Gelders Orkest under Kees Bakels perform this work as well as anyone in the catalog, and better than most. Ferschtman has a lovely singing tone with her violin, superb intonation, and a delightful knack of phrasing that brings the music very nicely to life. Her partnership with Kees Bakels and Het Gelders Orkest is an excellent match in which all performers sound completely aligned in their interpretative goals for this work. And together they create an extremely enjoyable performance that has become one of my two or four favorites of this work. When combined with the ever masterful recording talents of Bert van der Wolf, the results in this DXD download are just magical.

The accompanying String Octet, op. 20, is a very worthy addition to the album. It was an amazing innovation in scoring when introduced because Mendelssohn gives each of the eight instruments its own voice rather than writing in four parts. This lends a tremendous depth and complexity to the work. The first few measures immediately set this work apart as something very special as these eight performers play with an accord that honors the music, with no one musician seeking pre-eminence. And the concluding movement "Presto" is simply joyous!

"One of the leading Dutch violinists, Liza Ferschtman is especially known for her passionate performances, and here she pairs Mendelssohn's famous masterpieces - the Violin Concerto and Octet for strings - in lively and highly communicative accounts.

With conductor Kees Bakels and the Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra, Ferschtman's chamber-like approach to the Violin Concerto helps in making this performance lighter than usual and able to convey some seldom heard details of the score."

"Ferschtman places herself with this recording without a doubt alongside or even above more famous colleagues who have already made a recording of the violin concerto. The result is very, very impressive. Maybe this is due to the fact that the 37-year-old played this concert already when she was only 15 years old."

Mendelssohn's violin concerto with Liza Ferschtman is clear and fresh, breathes romantic melancholy, but above all spoils the joy of life and seems to dive through the orchestra especially in the Andante. A never superficial, sound-technically successful recording of this often-played concerto. Liza Ferschtman's Mendelssohn convinces with musical spontaneity and fresh harmony.

The octet, played live with renowned soloists of the younger generation, has the same spontaneous freshness. Adolescents' indifference is most satisfying for the understanding of chamber music. An orgy of upheaval, dominated by Ferschtman's slender radiance and the mysterious gentleness of this unique composition of 16-year-old Mendelssohn.