I’ve always loved the playing of German violinist Christian Tetzlaff for its chiselled, slightly austere beauty; his approach is totally unsentimental, with no concern for dazzle. So the romantic grandeur with which he opens Suk’s Fantasy in G Minor came as a bit of a shock. So much vibrato!
But then, he’s the kind of musician who gets under the skin of a piece and gives what the music needs, rather than applying his own house style no matter what. His performance of Dvořák’s Concerto in A minor is glorious and questioning: full-throttle in the chunky octaves and with a heavy bounce to the finale. But the real brilliance is in the vulnerability and tenderness he reveals in quiet melodies.
Conductor John Storgårds and the Helsinki Phil have a way of communicating breadth and darkness through a sound that is clear and stripped back. Listen to the luminous strings that open Dvořák’s Romance in F minor, the final work on the disc, to see what I mean.
