Pine's recording of Beethoven, Clement concertos one to treasure

Your first reaction might be, "Why another recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto?"

But this is not "another recording." In her latest CD (her 10th) from Chicago-based Cedille Records, violinist Rachel Barton Pine has brought new insights into one of the classical repertoire's landmark compositions, joining forces with conductor José Serebrier and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London in a totally refreshing account of this often-performed masterpiece. In Pine's own words, "I take a Classical (period) approach to the Beethoven, which accentuates its difference from the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto."

Beethoven of course, was the major composer bridging the classical period of Haydn and Mozart with the early romantic period of Mendelssohn and Schubert. The D Major Violin Concerto from 1806 (the only one Beethoven wrote), can be viewed as purely classical, purely romantic or something in-between. Pine opts for the former, and her stunning performance of the 44-minute work validates her choice.

As further evidence of her choice of classicism over romanticism, Pine performs on this two-disc set (sold for the price of a single CD) the world-premiere recording of the recently discovered violin concerto (also in D Major), of Beethoven's classically trained Viennese contemporary, Franz Clement (1782-1842).

The two composers knew each other personally and were great admirers of each other's music. It is no small stretch to believe the 41-minute-long Clement concerto, completed a year earlier than Beethoven's, was a stylistic influence. In fact, British musicologist Clive Brown, who rescued the Clement score from obscurity, mentions in his essay accompanying the recording: "Individual figurations in Beethoven's Violin Concerto - appear to allude directly to passages in Clement's concerto."

Pine's performance of the Clement piece sparkles with the enthusiasm of a new discovery, and she enhances the enjoyment of both concertos by playing her own cadenzas, two for each concerto. Those she composed for the Clement were necessary because the long-lost manuscript was missing the cadenzas, while for the Beethoven, Pine recorded those she wrote in 2001 for her concert performances.

Serebrier and the RPO are fine collaborators, keeping the familiar Beethoven fresh and exciting and taking the time to thoroughly study and rehearse the Clement, which conductor and players were seeing for the first time.

This CD joins Pine's earlier, similar project for Cedille Records in which she pairs the Brahms and Joseph Joachim concertos in performances with conductor Carlos Kalmar and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

If you want to purchase the new Beethoven-Clement recording (or any of Pine's CDs), visit cedillerecords.org. The regular two-CD set is $16, or you can buy it as an MP3 download for $7. The CD is also available at area Barnes & Noble and Borders locations.

Another honor for Davis

Sir Andrew Davis, Lyric Opera of Chicago's music director, has won Gramophone magazine's prestigious "Best of Category - Concerto" award. The 30th-annual awards ceremony was held in London's Dorchester Hotel on Sept. 25 and is among the category leaders vying for the magazine's overall "Record of the Year" award.

The recording for which Sir Andrew was honored, Sir Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto featuring violinist James Ehnes and London's Philharmonia Orchestra, was released on the Onyx Classics label in January 2008. That month, the record was also named Gramophone's "Editor's Choice." The CD is available for purchase on the Onyx Classics label through Amazon.com, Arkivmusic.com and other online retailers.

The annual Gramophone Awards encompass 15 classical music categories: early music, Baroque vocal, Baroque instrumental, chamber, choral, concerto, contemporary, DVD, historic reissue, historic archive, instrumental, opera, orchestral, recital and vocal.

Gramophone Magazine, based in Great Britain, asks the music industry to nominate discs for each award. A panel of critics reduces the list to six CDs per category before selecting one winner for each category. It is from these winners that a smaller group of critics will select the "Record of the Year."