Comp.violin Concertos: Frank(Vn)zinman / Zurich Tonhalle.o

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Mozart only wrote five violin concertos. All belong to the period when Mozart was in the employ of the Archbishop of Salzburg. They possess the lively themes and almost universally sublime adagios of the early maturity of the young composer.
And bring them to us Frank does: playing with an even and controlled virtuosity, she executes runs and cadenzas with the same authoritative care as the distinctive thematic entrances. Her lines are melodic and lyrical, and her high notes floating yet rich with sound. The playing in the 'Haffner' Serenade is particularly Mozartian, light and warm, yet with a subtlety that belies the serenade's original single-performance purpose. Covering the spectrum of a composer's works for a genre is not easy. Yet Frank's skilled playing leaves the listener with only the presence of the music, of Mozart, which is one of the better compliments that may be paid to an accomplished instrumentalist.