The name of French virtuoso-composer Rodolphe Kreutzer remains best known for the dedication of
Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47, and for the grimly fundamentalist Leo Tolstoy novel named for that work. The CD booklet notes (in English and French) by Bruce R. Schuenemann for this Naxos release tell more about Kreutzer and include the entertaining sidelight that Kreutzer probably never performed
Beethoven's sonata, which was unsuitable to his style. Nevertheless, these concertos, the last three Kreutzer wrote (they date from 1806 or later), show the influence of
Beethoven, and they're quite attractive works. Virtuosity is matched to structure in the outer movements, with double-stopping and the like reserved for significant thematic junctions; there is little in the way of
Paganini-like fireworks. The slow movements, beginning with unison or simply chordal statements like
Beethoven's Violin Concerto, have long, serious melodies. For sheer musical interest these pieces outdo the concertos of Kreutzer's contemporary
Viotti, which are more often heard, and San Francisco-based violinist
Axel Strauss, with the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra, offer lyrical performances that bring out the best early Romantic qualities in the music. The disc inaugurates a series of Kreutzer discs from the same forces, and one looks forward to hearing more music from this famous-named but largely forgotten composer.