Beethoven; Pössinger: Violin Concertos – A giant meets his lesser-known contemporary

Violin virtuoso Anton Steck finds dynamic connections between the two composers

Beethoven Pössinger Violin Concertos Steck
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Artist: Anton Steck; L'arpa festante; Matthew Halls; Ludwig van Beethoven; Franz Alexander Pössinger
Genre: Children's Music
Label: Accent

German violinist Anton Steck couples the Beethoven Violin Concerto with a work by the little-known violinist and composer Franz Alexander Pössinger, who appears to have been involved in editing the violin part of the Beethoven concerto.

The CD’s main interest is not Pössinger’s music, but Steck’s use of alternative readings for the solo line in the Beethoven. He chooses virtuosically inclined options, and often plays in a style to match. The changes in character are less  a matter of speed than of attitude. Conductor Matthew Halls encourages impressively vivid colours from L’arpa festante’s period instruments.

If the work has ever seemed too serene for you, Steck’s your man.

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor