Beethoven - The Only Beethoven Album You Will Ever Need (2004)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks + cue + log) | No scans | 2 CDs
Classical | Label: Intersound | Catalog Number: 5727 | 519 MB (RAR 4% Rec.)
Review: I despise most CDs with titles like this one has, but have to admit that as a sampler, it%27s not bad at all. Some great orchestras, conductors, etc. A drawback is that they are not identified, but the excerpts are wonderful, nonetheless. Piano Concerto #5, for instance, is excellent. Haven%27t a clue who is playing, but it%27s more than adequate. The entire CD is uniformly well selected, so kudos to the producers for giving us a really good intro to the music of "the" genius of 19th century composition.

Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Romances - A.S.Mutter, Kurt Masur (2002)
1CD | EAC Rip | FLAC(tracks) + CUE + LOG | 64:04 | No Scans | 268 MB
Genre: Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Anne-Sophie Mutter%27s Beethoven Concerto was recorded live at the final subscription concerts of Kurt Masur%27s long tenure as the New York Philharmonic%27s music director. The beautifully played orchestral part is a tribute to his leadership. Mutter plays with a silken tone and astonishing technical command of her instrument--absolute ease in the stratospheric tessitura of the solo part, and an amazing array of microdynamic adjustments that display the infinite variety of pianissimos at her command. She continually varies phrasing, so moments of ethereal beauty are often followed by finicky lapses into mannerisms. For all her instrumental brilliance, the results are curiously unmoving. The depths of the music%27s emotions remain elusive, her virtuosity veering perilously close to showboating at times. Similar comments apply to the two Romances, whose verdant songfulness needs more lively tempos and straightforward playing. Mutter%27s fans will want this disc. Others may turn to Heifetz, Perlman, Suk, or Grumiaux.