Tchaikovsky/Sibelius: Violiin Concertos/ Mullova, Seiji Ozawa (180g 2LP)

Label: Analogphonic

Mastered from Universal Music’s Original Masters!
Audiophile Analog Mastering by Sidney Claire Meyer At Emil Berliner Studios!
Pressed at Pallas!

Violinist Viktoria Mullova performs Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D (Op. 35) as well as Sibelius’ Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Minor (Op. 47), along with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa. This album was recorded in October 1985 in Boston.

Listening to the Mullova again confirms my earlier impression. The Sibelius is magnificent: stern, vigorous and entirely free from the kind of sentimental inflation that has distorted our view of the work. The sound of the Mullova disc is magnificently spacious with the soloist well forward… the stopped horns in the finale sound as if they’re coming from a completely different part of the hall. The violin tone is well captured: even Mullova’s terrifying crescendo molto in the first movement of the Sibelius is contained without loss of impact. (Comparing other recordings) Mullova, I think, wins outright in the Sibelius.
-Gramophone