Richard Morrison in his appreciation of Anne-Sophie Mutter, given here in the booklet, accurately describes this disc as a ''feast of lollipops'', but with the flavours well-varied. It is unashamedly a fun record, and even Mutter has rarely played with such freedom and warmth, obviously enjoying these display pieces every bit as much as the repertory concertos and new works that are her staple diet. The gipsy flavours of the two Sarasate pieces, as well as of Ravel's Tzigane, sound even more exotic than usual, and rarely have I heard the brilliant sound section, with its Hungarian fire, sound quite so exciting with a stunning accelerando at the end. The tender repose which she then brings to the Massenet ''Meditation'' is thus all the more affecting.
Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy, which provides the whole disc with its title, is as high-powered as the Ravel, and I was fascinated to compare it with Itzhak Perlman's 1972 version with Lawrence Foster and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra for EMI, which has long been a favourite of mine and which recently reappeared on their four-disc Perlman compilation (5/93). In all five sections (each given separate tracks) Mutter is even more sharply characterful than Perlman in her expressive inflexions and underlining. Yet Perlman clearly gains in the ease of his performance, seeming to try less hard and therefore to convey more of the fun of the piece. I still prefer it, when over and over again it tickles one's funny-bone. But with James Levine and the Vienna Philharmonic providing Mutter with comparably weighty and committed accompaniment, I have to say her performance thrusts home even more powerfully. Fairly enough Mutter treats the Tartini sonata not as an eighteenth-century work so much as another piece in the same vein as the rest, using the Zandonai arrangement and taking a heavyweight view.
The recording is almost aggressively up-front, which matches the approach of both soloist and conductor, though the closeness involves quite a number of distracting bumps, presumably caused by one or other artist thumping on the stage in sheer enthusiasm.'