Kristof Barati is
a very fine violinist, as he has proved many times since winning the
Queen Elisabeth competition in Brussels in 1997. Being a Hungarian
violinist living in Hungary, he is perhaps not as well known
internationally as he ought to be. His recorded opus to date,
however, is extensive – and enjoyable. The latest addition is two
hours of Mozart violin concertos and a few pieces for orchestra,
recorded live in Hungary last year and just issued by Brilliant
Classics in a well recorded and low priced double CD album. I enjoyed
it immensely.
Barati is a brisk
player in Mozart, particularly in the first movements of the
concertos. A little perturbed at first, I soon began to enjoy the
image of a young Mozart flaunting his prowess on the violin. One does
not always enjoy young Mozart for violin virtuosity, but one does
here; Barati is always interesting. I also much approve of his
brief cadenzas (Joachim's in the first movement of K.219); often
violinists choose cadenzas that go on and on and thus interrupt the
flow of the music. Not so here.
The Hungarian Chamber
Orchestra (directed by Barati) contributes appropriately. Inevitably
in two hours of live recording there are a few bits and pieces that
would have been re-done and patched in a studio. Such things rarely
worry me. I have recently enjoyed Mozart concertos played – very
differently – by Arabella Steinbacher, and by Katrin Scholtz. There
is room for everyone in Mozart interpretation, but I'll always enjoy
coming back to Barati's brisk, virtuosic versions that hold my
interest from the first bar onwards, even in this music I have known
backwards for around six decades.
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