Like the Latvian visionary Gidon Kremer, he takes Beethovian interpretation beyond the conventional approach popularized mainly by Russian virtuosos over the last seventy-five years. He doesn't only play the music, he plays the silence too. He ranges across a piece's tonal map like a youthful explorer, lingering in crevices previously unknown to the listener and allowing his violin to sing, all the while finding shades of both introspection and an outward, social energy. To be sure, this new approach to performing Beethoven has its share of detractors. But a repertoire without precise performance directions or a living composer to enforce his intentions has to be interpreted in paradigm-shifting ways.
New interpretation lets performers and listeners alike rediscover classical music again and again.
As this performance shows, a gifted interpreter like Zimmermann is a credit to his art. I prepared this piece, I realized that my experience of hearing it might be unique. I listened to those files in the order I wanted, only later to realize that they might be webcast to the listening public in a different sequence. This is not a minor consideration. Concert hall administrators plan the order of pieces very carefully.