John Williams & Anne-Sophie Mutter Williams: Violin Concerto No. 2 180g LP

TAS Rated 4.5/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the October 2022 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

Following the huge success of John Williams' The Berlin Concert, which topped the German pop charts, Deutsche Grammophon presents the world premiere recording of John Williams' Violin Concerto No. 2. The work was written for and recorded by the venerated composer's friend and frequent collaborator Anne-Sophie Mutter. Her impassioned performance was given with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Williams, who celebrated his 90th birthday on February 8, 2022.

Williams and Mutter have worked together often since she gave the first performance of his Markings in Boston almost five years ago, and have co-starred on two previous hugely successful Deutsche Grammophon albums: Across the Stars (2019) and John Williams in Vienna (2020). Williams' second violin concerto reflects his deep admiration for the lyrical warmth and dynamism of Mutter's playing and for her sense of musical adventure.

John Williams recalls: "When Anne-Sophie invited me to compose a concerto for her, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to write for one of the world's greatest artists. It was also a challenge, of course, because there are so many great violin concertos in the repertoire."

Full of stylistic contrast, Williams' Violin Concerto No. 2 begins with the rhapsodic "Prologue." This is followed by the atmospheric, Debussyesque "Rounds," and then by the tense, jazzy "Dactyls," which includes a brief cadenza for violin, harp and timpani. Violin and harp duet again in the "Epilogue," which concludes the work with what the composer describes as "a gentle resolution in A major that might suggest both healing and renewal."

"I knew from the recording we made together for DG of my theme from Cinderella Liberty of her remarkable feeling for jazz," Williams adds. "So I wrote a quasi-improvisation for solo violin at the start of the concerto's 'Prologue' and she was completely at home with it. I can only think of this piece as being about Anne-Sophie. This is a truly personal album for me, because of the rapport I have with her and because of my long relationship with the wonderful musicians of the Boston Symphony."

"The idea for the piece formed when we worked together on Markings," says Mutter. "I had no idea then that it would grow into such a gigantic composition, so rich in material and with such enormous emotional and expressive scope. I've always loved jazz, so it was a particular joy to discover that the violin's first entry has the freedom of jazz. It's the 'stem cell' of the whole piece, a terrific starting point for such a complex work. I was overwhelmed by the piece and its technical difficulties at first. But it became a very dear friend as I worked on it every day during lockdown. It was precious to have time to explore this incredible music in depth and feel part of the creative process, to speak to John as he composed and revised the score and discover just how much he loves violin."

Mutter and Williams gave the world premiere of the concerto on 24 July 2021 at the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home in Tanglewood. "Mutter carried the solo like an old friend, shaping each phrase with intention and panache," observed the Boston Globe.

Williams conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra crisply and with good control. He could certainly be forgiven for resting on his considerable laurels, but this does not happen, either compositionally or as a conductor. The violin concerto has entirely fresh structural ideas. Those coming from Williams' work as a film composer will recognize his essential voice, but it is grafted onto novel relationships between the violin and orchestra....[T]here is something for everyone in this remarkable document...

brilliantly performed and warmly recorded