Maria Duenas
, 21 years old when this album appeared in 2023, became the talk of many towns when she began touring with the
Beethoven
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
, and even more so when the album hit stores and streaming services. So it was no surprise to see the album hit classical best-seller charts in the spring of 2023. The
concerto, emotionally rich more than virtuosic, is a gutsy choice for a young player, but
Duenas
steps up with an absolutely distinctive performance. The rest of the program, following on the
, announces the general style; this is Romantic, melodic
, warm rather than monumental.
has some big encore-type pieces by
Ysaye
,
Wieniawski
, and
Kreisler
that establish her technical credentials, but more unusual and more indicative of his ambitions is the lovely
Symphonie Concertante in G major for violin, harp, and orchestra, WoO 13
, of
Louis Spohr
, not a world premiere (harpist
Ursula Holliger
recorded it many years ago) but certainly not a common item.
' smooth performance would be worth the price of admission in itself, but consider the
! Her phrasing is flexible, and there isn't a moment where some kind of expression hasn't been added. Conductor
Manfred Honeck
, leading the
Vienna Symphony Orchestra
, has been a backer of
and knows enough to stay out of her way; her big entrance in the first movement gives the listener a very strong sense of entering another world. Some "bonus" versions of the album, both physical and online, include a set of five cadenzas for the first movement by various composers (
uses her own in the performance of the whole concerto). One might think that cadenzas with no tutti would seem unnatural, but actually, the device is delightful, suggesting the violinist's preternatural immersion in the work. Heads up, violinists! There is certainly a new kid on the block. ~ James Manheim