Anyone else got the old set of Paganini violin concertos with Accardo/Dutoit on DG? The sound holds up remarkably well for recordings more than a quarter century old, and I've always found the balance between soloist and accompaniment to be just about ideal.

I'm fond of the Perlman/Previn recording of the Korngold/Goldmark concertos, as well as his Prokofiev 1 & 2 with Rozhdestvensky. The violin tone of both is nothing short of luscious. My only reservation is that EMI consistently uses such a close microphone that the violin can be a little overwhelming. Never a problem in his chamber recordings. Oh, and the Saint-Saens/Wieniawski under Barenboim on DG has P. similarly close to the mic. Might be his preference.

Question: Every Heifetz performance I've encountered sounds as if RCA recorded him in an airplane hangar. Any recommendations for a different perspective?

BW

Was looking at the reviews for Hilary Hahn Bach Violin Concertos and I saw this review and just had to laugh a bit:

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Burn all those Hahn CDs!!

Scott

That is odd- is it just the one note, or does she change key early?

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I don't know, but I just like how the review makes it sound like the whole piece should be thrown out, am I off on this? Maybe it's the review perception of the piece. I haven't heard it, so I can't say. Heck, I wouldn't know how to find a specific note in a specific bar just by listening.

Scott

It wouldn't throw the whole piece off, but it would have the potential to disrupt the harmonic progression. The reviewer probably won't have noticed the note immediately, just felt an oddness about the section and looked closer. It's a rather lovely passage (the first violin solo) which first goes to the limits of A-minor (with its ambiguous accidentals) and then starts changing key (F major to E major to A minor again). (I have the benefit of a score here ). If it's just the one Bb, then that makes that bar f major (you don't know for sure till the last note) but immediately after that back to A minor - a bit confusing. Also B-flat, A, B in quick sequence, would probably sound ultra-romantic. Or it stays in F, which is odd since there isn't an F in sight till it's supposed to be there .

So you see, it's possible to go on about one note!

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*Watches most of that fly right over his head*

Some day I'll take the time to learn some music theory. At least enough to get by.

Scott

BRAHMS!

I like the Oistrakh, Mutter, and Heifetz already mentioned. For a great performance on good sounding vinyl, one might start with Perlman/Giulini/Chicago.

I think I have most of the major violin concertos in my CD collection, counting to a total of 30. The major exceptions may be Barber (which I heard in concert), Elgar and Shostakovich. I love this music genre a lot, probably becuase I learned violin in my childhood. My favorite violin concerto is Paganini's #1. Paganini's violin concertos (six in total) are not a very well known, and #1 is generally considered the best.

Paganini's #1 is an incredibly sweet sounding, romantic concerto. The emphasis is mainly on the soloist, but the orchestration is also first rate. Contrary to what people may assume, the violin part is not just a technical showpiece of devilish difficulty. It is technically challenging but incredibly lyrical. I highly recommend Perlman's recording issued by EMI. IMO, Perlman's impeccable technique and honey-sweet approach makes Paganini's #1 a rearding romantic concerto comparable to those of Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky or Mendelssohn.

An equally incredible version, IMHO, of this concerto is performed by Massimo Quarta, released by the Italian audiophile label Dynamic. It is a recording of supreme documentary importance. It is the only recording of the autographed manuscript, played on Paganini's own violin (Guarneri del Gesu, 1742) by the second Italian to win the Paganini competition. It is a recording of extreme sound quality. Out of all the violin recordings I have, its tonal balance of the violin is the most realistic to my ears. But, most of all, It is a recording of highest musicianship. It is not about showmanship, or some kind of historical correctness, but just "sheer violinism." Great violin composition convincingly performed on an unbelievable instrument, captured on a great recording.

Paganini is actually a talented composer, but his composition achievements are totally obscured by his stereotypic image as an eccentric virtuoso. It is too bad that his excellent concerto is often neglected.

I think the thing about concertos are that the greatest magic comes from those playing it. That said, I prefer the old violin virtuosos such as Jascha Heifetz, David Oistrakh, Fritz Kreisler, Leonid Kogan, etc...

As for major violin concertos, I cannot live without the Brahms D Major, Brahms Double Concerto, Beethoven D Major, Glazunov A minor, Bruch G minor, and (like you said) the Mendelssohn E minor.

My other favorites are player specific...
For instance, I only listen to Heifetz with the Korngold Concerto, Conus Concerto, Bruch Scottish Fantasy, and Waxman Carmen Fantasy.

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Hey I am already spending enough on CDs, let's not start down the vinyl path! How about SACDs?

Scott

I picked up Hilary Hahn's Bach Concertos this weekend, I have mixed feelings about it. While technically it seems wonderful, there seems to be something missing in the warmth department. I'll keep the CD for sure, but I may seek out other perofromances of these Concertos for good measure as well.

Scott

Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in A Minor, Allegro (tho i love all three)

Perhaps my favorite classical piece of all time spare Furtwangler's 1994 recording of Beethoven's 9th.

Barber's Violin COncerto!

The one that I keep coming back to over and over again is Bartok's Violin Concerto No. 2 / Rhapsodies with Gil Shaham and Pierre Boulez conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. There's something about it. And I like Bartok.

I just got Prokofiev's Violin Concertos done by Joshua Bell (part of the Decca Trio of all of Prokofiev's Concertos), it has surpassed the Stern CD I have, if only for the recordinging quality. Bell plays it very warm (the warmth that seemed to be lacking on the Hahh/Bach CD).

Prokofiev: Complete Concertos