Make no mistake, there was nothing wrong with Christian Tetzlaff’s first recording of the Dvorák Violin Concerto for Virgin, and for that release he had the Czech Philharmonic under Libor Pesek as idiomatic partners. Ironically, the couplings here are more suitable than the Lalo Symphonie espagnole on the prior release. John Storgards and the Helsinki Philharmonic really do just as fine a job as did the Czechs, and most importantly Tetzlaff’s view of the concerto has matured in the intervening years.
For all that it tends to get short shrift in the critical literature, Dvorák’s Violin Concerto is one of the most perfectly balanced of all romantic works in the medium: three movements, each of equal length (about ten minutes each), with a finale that isn’t overwhelmed by the opening and which truly provides a satisfying culmination. It is this formal balance that Tetzlaff and Storgards project so satisfyingly. Typically, and unlike the recent Mutter/Honeck version for DG, the interpretation is emotionally less fulsome, but certainly not cool. Rather, Tetzlaff’s focus on the long line and, for example, the smoothest possible transition between the first movement and the adagio, gives the piece an exceptional feeling of unity for all the passion; and the finale truly dances, with crisper than usual articulation supported by Storgards’ firmly rhythmic accompaniment.
The lean, lithe performance of the Dvorák finds a perfect counterpart in Suk’s Fantasy in G minor. This concerto-length, single-movement masterpiece hardly ever gets played by non-Czech violinists, and Tetzlaff deserves kudos for taking it on (never mind doing it so well). Only the fact that it’s not called a “concerto” keeps it out of the international repertoire, and perhaps this vibrant account will serve as a welcome corrective. Dvorak’s lovely Romance in F minor rounds out the program as a poetic encore, and it’s beautifully engineered. First class, all the way.
