Composers: Bohuslav Martinů; Béla Bartók
Works: Violin Concerto No. 1; Violin Concerto No. 2; Sonata for Solo Violin
Performers: Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin; Bamberger Symphoniker
Conductor: Jakub Hrůša
Label: BIS
Catalog Number: BIS-2467
Format: SACD / Digital
Release Year: 2020
Duration: 74:18
Frank Peter Zimmermann is one of those violinists who can make seriousness sound like a form of seduction, which helps when the program is Martinů plus Bartók—a bill that promises brains, backbone, and not much small talk. What’s surprising here is how much sheer pleasure the disc generates.
The Martinů concertos are the main event, and Zimmermann plays them like somebody who knows that “eclectic” is often a polite way of saying “hard to pin down.” The First, written in 1932–33 but not premiered until 1973, has all that neo-classical tensile strength and quicksilver formal business that can sound clever in lesser hands; here it sounds urgent. The Second, from 1943 and written for Mischa Elman, is the warmer sibling, more openly lyrical without going soft. Hrůša gives Zimmermann exactly what he needs: shape, momentum, and orchestral support that doesn’t turn the accompaniment into deluxe wallpaper.
And then there’s the Bartók Solo Sonata, which is where violinists either bare their souls or just prove they practiced. Zimmermann does both, but the trick is that he never makes the music sound like an obstacle course. This performance has power without macho strain, intellect without chalk dust, and enough command of line to remind you that Bartók’s severity is only half the story.
Best of all, this isn’t one of those “important” releases that you admire once and shelve next to your vegetables. It has drive, color, and enough interpretive authority to make you feel like the case for the music has been settled, at least for now. Zimmermann doesn’t sell Martinů short, doesn’t make Bartók sound dutiful, and doesn’t confuse polish with caution. That’s a neat trifecta.
Grade: A-
