Bruch - Violin Concerto 1 [Suwanai/Marriner-Academy Of Saint Martin In The Fields]
In some ways Bruch was like Holst, they are both famous for one work, and everyone forgets about all the other compositions they wrote, with Holst it was the Planets, with Bruch it was his First Violin Concerto, it's easy to see why it was such a 'hit', phenomenally great tunes.
Akiko Suwanai is a 28 year old Japanese girl, she's blessed with stunning looks, as the booklet cover testifies [i have a thing about Oriental women, ha ha], but also with a stunning musical personality to go with it.
As soon as i heard the slow movement i fell in love with it right away, the main tune played gently by Suwanai has such a heart tug to it [0:00-0:50], and then it deepens with a similar tune [0:51-1:31], there's some great inventiveness created out of this simple tune, with a lovely fortissimo later on, the ending is brilliant, a very innocent use of the tune, which gradually grows out of nothing, and the Violin goes high into the stratosphere, and it takes your spirit with it, and your breath away too [7:24-8:28], it must be noted that the main tune comes back in the finale with such great power, not once but twice [2:10 & 4:38], to such incredible effect, my heartstrings get pulled about all over the place.
Here's Suwanai playing the slow movement on YouTube.
