Aural histories, the next gen

It might seem sheer folly for young artists to make new recordings of well-known concertos. They are competing with the great soloists of the past 100 years in a marketplace glutted with standard repertory. Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” to take but one example, has been recorded more than 200 times. Still, we count on each new crop of musicians to keep music alive.

*

Beethoven: Violin Concerto,

Romances 1&2

Maxim Vengerov, violin. London Symphony Orchestra. Mstislav Rostropovich, conductor.

(EMI Classics)

* *

Nikolaj Znaider: Beethoven and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos

Israel Philharmonic. Zubin Mehta, conductor. (RCA Red Seal)

* * 1/2

IT’S a dilemma for young violinists with sought-after record deals: Tackle Beethoven’s Violin Concerto or skip the over-recorded monument altogether? Unfortunately, neither Vengerov nor Znaider could resist the former challenge, and we are now left with two polished Beethoven discs that don’t need to be heard. Vengerov’s version, the less palatable of the two, begins so slowly it sounds fatigued; it soon vacillates between velvety light touches and deep-digging accents to form a self-contradictory approach. Here is a thoroughly mature artist sounding unusually unfocused. The disc eventually balances out with a unique cadenza and a well-contoured slow movement (to say nothing of soulful recordings of Beethoven’s short Romances), but this isn’t one for the ages. Znaider’s is. It’s just that he doesn’t play differently than a historic-soloist amalgam (cross Fritz Kreisler with Nathan Milstein, say) polished up for contemporary ears. He opts for lyrical, traditional tempos, offers spontaneous slides and pays genuine attention to the piece’s dynamics to create authentic contrasts. (His included recording of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, too, shows impressive singing style.) But overall, neither disc will add anything to your collection if you already own a favorite Beethoven Concerto. And if you don’t, why not buy a less expensive, revered rendition by a time-tested master?

-- Adam Baer