Violin and voice
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Violinist Maxim Vengerov / Courtesy of Credia
Vengerov finds link between Mozart's concertos, operas
Mozart wrote five violin concertos between 1773 and 1776 in Salzburg for his own use as concertmaster of the Archbishop of Salzburg’s orchestra.
By Do Je-hae
A talented violinist, Mozart wrote many works for the violin, many of them intended for his own performances. It is easy to marvel at the exceptional blend of elegance and buoyancy found in his violin compositions.
The superstar violinist Maxim Vengerov, who will be in Korea next week with a Mozart program, said he was particularly drawn to Mozart's violin concertos because of their connection to operas. The Russian virtuoso will perform the last two of Mozart's five violin concertos during a two-day Korea tour starting on May 20 at Seoul Arts Center, followed by a performance in Daejeon.
"Mozart violin concertos come from his operas," Vengerov said in an interview with The Korea Times. "The violin sometimes imitates human voice and all the character and personality in the opera."
Mozart was a prolific opera composer whose works like "The Marriage of Figaro" or "The Magic Flute" remains a constant favorite with many opera goers. Mozart had finished the first seven of his operas at the time he was writing the fourth and fifth concertos that Vengerov will be bringing to the two Korean cities.
"The fourth and fifth violin concertos are written as a part of his series of five concertos that he wrote in his youth," Vengerov said. "As Mozart wrote the first three concertos which are magnificent already, the beautiful fourth and fifth concertos are also masterpieces. They offer audiences very intimate experience of late Baroque and early classical period."
Operatic influences are readily found in Mozart's violin works, like the k296 sonata in c major where the second movement sounds like an aria sung by a young soprano.
A born technician whose performances unfailingly arouse edge-of-seat excitement, Vengerov has not been associated with Mozart throughout his career. The former prodigy, now 40, is more known for his achievements in the Romantic repertoire and the music of his homeland, particularly Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Prokofiev.
As such, his focus on Mozart is a surprise for those who have followed his career.
It seems Vengerov is following in the footsteps of legendary violinists ― such as David Oistrakh and Itzahk Perlman ― who have left indelible legacies with Mozart's violin music. He plans to record all five Mozart violin concertos and his violin sonatas in the future.
Besides concertos, Mozart wrote 15 sonatas for violin and piano that has been indispensable for the violin repertoire. His "Sinfonia Concertante," a double concerto for violin and viola, is considered one of Mozart's most important works.
"Although I recorded no. 2, 4 and concertante, I would still like to do another complete Mozart edition. That will come in next year or within 10 years," Vengerov said.
Oistrakh has left behind several iconic Mozart recordings and Perlman has earned high praises for his Mozart concerto cycle for Deutsche Grammophon in the 1980s with the Vienna Philharmonic under James Levine. Perlman teamed up with the famed pianist and Daniel Barenboim to record all of Mozart’s sonatas for violin and piano for Deutsche Grammophon.
Vengerov has programmed several show pieces by Tchaikovsky in his Korea tour as well.
"Tchaikovsky's style belongs to Romantic and Mozart's late Baroque and early classical, yet there are a lot of resemble of between two genius," Vegerov said. "Tchaikovsky's favorite composer was Mozart. He always refers to Mozart as his idol, and there are certain similarities in writing."
Vengerov is a multi-tasking musician who performs as a soloist and conductor, while teaching at London's Royal Academy of Music. He is also a violist who, when on hiatus several years ago, learned the instrument in a few weeks so that he could perform and record the Walton viola concerto. Conducting has added new depth and sensitivity to his violin-playing. During his performances in Korea, he will also double as a conductor.
Vengerov, who plays the 1727 “Ex-Kreutzer” Stradivarius, is a devoted teacher who serves as Menuhin Chair in Violin, named in honor of the violin virtuoso Yehudi Menuhin, at London’s Royal Academy of Music.