Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op. 61 & Violin Sonata No. 9, Op. 47 "Kreutzer"

Album review

Violinist Nemanja Radulović is a charismatic and adventurous figure who backs up his experiments with impeccable chops. Here, he expands his chamber ensemble Double Sens in order to take on a pair of repertory Beethoven works, producing results that are satisfying as long as listeners know what they're getting into. The big news is that he arranges his own version of Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9 in A minor, Op. 47 ("Kreuter"), for a small string orchestra. It is unorthodox, but one may remind oneself that Radulović comes from lands where playing classical music in arrangements made for cafés and the like has a long history. He takes liberties beyond mere transcription, adding some details that take the version beyond that. There are some folkish accents in the first movement and plenty of details in the string accompaniment that, more often than not, are at least in the spirit of the original piano part. The finale is a bravura piece of work, played lickety-split without missing a beat. In the Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61, Radulović more or less plays it straight, using Fritz Kreisler's expansive cadenzas. Even with Double Sens bulked up, this is a chamber-spirited performance that carries some surprises in the finale, and the interactions between soloist and orchestra have a good deal of subtlety and agility. Warner Classics deliberately mikes Radulović so as to make him blend into the ensemble. Listeners should sample and see whether they like the effect; to these ears, it is more of a problem in the violin concerto than in the sonata, but mileages may vary. What is hard to dispute is that Radulović lives up to his reputation for excitement and originality here.

© James Manheim /TiVo