Beethoven: Triple Concerto & Symphony No. 7
Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
The Triple Concerto’s orchestral opening sets the standard, with every player palpably involved, and with Barenboim making every phrase and inner line come alive while not getting in the way...
Beethoven: Triple Concerto & Symphony No. 7
Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Daniel Barenboim
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The Triple Concerto’s orchestral opening sets the standard, with every player palpably involved, and with Barenboim making every phrase and inner line come alive while not getting in the way...
About
This new recording celebrates a triple anniversary – the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, the 20th birthday of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, and it will be released 40 years after the legendary Triple Concerto recording made by Anne-Sophie Mutter and Yo-Yo Ma under Herbert von Karajan.
Beethoven: Triple Concerto And Symphony No. 7 was recorded at concerts held in Buenos Aires and Berlin – in July and October 2019 respectively – to mark the West-Eastern Divan’s 20th birthday. The orchestra, co-founded by Daniel Barenboim in 1999, now stands as a symbol of multicultural understanding, and is positive proof that working together for a shared goal can break down barriers and lead to reconciliation.
Daniel Barenboim considers Beethoven, a confirmed humanist, to have been probably the first truly unconventional composer and noted, “He couldn’t care less about what people thought.” He also underlines the real physicality and dedication Beethoven demands from his players, “He forces you to go to the edge, to the precipice and then the abyss. That takes a tremendous amount of courage.”
Beethoven’s music, with its existential profundity and ability to speak to all of humanity, remains as timelessly compelling and universally relevant as the day it was written. As Anne-Sophie Mutter observes, he understood how important it was for all of us to stand up for our fellow men, “The idea that we should live in a brother- and sisterhood is, for me, his major achievement … That’s what makes him a messenger from the past pointing the way to a better future.”
Both works recorded for the album reflect that life-affirming message. Beethoven considered his Seventh Symphony one of his best works. The symphony is famous for its joyful, dance-like character and was described by Wagner as “the apotheosis of the dance”. The Triple Concerto also has a special place in Beethoven’s output, revealing both his sense of humour and his revolutionary spirit. Yo-Yo Ma noted, “The constant invention is so surprising, and it’s so celebratory, so positive. The second movement is noble and open, but the first and last movements are just joyous!”
Contents and tracklist
- Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello)
- West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
- Daniel Barenboim
- Recorded: 2019-10-23
- Recording Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin
- West-Eastern Divan Orchestra
- Daniel Barenboim
- Recorded: 2019-07-31
- Recording Venue: CCK, Buenos Aires
Spotlight on this release
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Awards and reviews
July 2020
The Triple Concerto’s orchestral opening sets the standard, with every player palpably involved, and with Barenboim making every phrase and inner line come alive while not getting in the way himself. While all three soloists contribute on the expected level, Yo-Yo Ma’s extraordinary cello playing deserves mentioning…The orchestral response conjured by Barenboim in the Seventh Symphony transcends the extremity of the music’s obsessive-compulsive streak.
September/October 2020
a Triple Concerto so powerful and virtuosic, I can remember only one comparison from the past, the famous recording under Karajan with Richter, Oistrakh, and Rostropovich...Mutter and Ma play like genuine superstars, and if Barenboim at the keyboard isn’t quite stellar, he easily holds up the partnership...the Triple Concerto is one of the best new offerings in this Beethoven year.
June 2020
Here’s a performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto that conveys a palpable sense of occasion...Although Anne-Sophie Mutter and Yo-Yo Ma’s partnership is stronger on dramatic juxtaposition than tonal blend, both really dig into their parts, sometimes even throw caution to the wind..Barenboim (conducting from the piano) facilitates real flexibility in regards to tempo, resulting in a convincing sense of improvisatory abandon, and the orchestra match their fervour.
July 2020
Their mutual understanding shines through in an account that is simply a joy to hear. Th e concluding Rondo all Pollacca catches perfectly what Mutter calls the ‘underlying mood of life- affirming celebration’. The brief central Largo, which dovetails into the finale in a similar manner to the contemporaneous Fourth Concerto, is ideally shaped, contrasting beautifully with the outer spans.
