Brahms Violin Concerto

[makropulos]

Rather inspired by this edition of the Gramophone collection to go through my own . Starting with Kreisler/Blech I am still inclined to prefer his later recording with the Barbirolli as a better performance all round but hell how well he plays in 1927 - absolutely captivating you cannot pull your ears away from his playing .Most certainly not a record for background listening.

I agree –both Kreisler performances are tremendous in slightly different ways, but Barbirolli certainly brings something special to the orchestral contribution in the later recording, Kreisler's playing sounds wonderfully free, the recorded sound is good for its age, and I don't know any performance that is quite so magical when the orchestra steals back in after the first movement cadenza. For me, a magical record.

[mikealdren]

I agree –both Kreisler performances are tremendous in slightly different ways, but Barbirolli certainly brings something special to the orchestral contribution in the later recording, Kreisler's playing sounds wonderfully free, the recorded sound is good for its age, and I don't know any performance that is quite so magical when the orchestra steals back in after the first movement cadenza. For me, a magical record.

And IIRC it was the version chosen by the much missed Interpretations on Record in about 1970 with the Oistrakh/Konwitschny as 2nd choice.

[Barbirollians]

I agree –both Kreisler performances are tremendous in slightly different ways, but Barbirolli certainly brings something special to the orchestral contribution in the later recording, Kreisler's playing sounds wonderfully free, the recorded sound is good for its age, and I don't know any performance that is quite so magical when the orchestra steals back in after the first movement cadenza. For me, a magical record.

Absolutely .

[Barbirollians]

Absolutely .

Next up is Huberman/Rodzinski , Reed about by Rob Cowan I think but did not really do much for me when I first heard it.

No still doesn’t do much for me.

[Barbirollians]

I have listened after a long time to the Menuhin/Furtwangler today . It had not really ever made as much an impression on me as their Beethoven (both)and Mendelssohn recordings I suspect largely because the 1943 Boult and 1959 Kempe are both so stupendous but on having a day off today and really listening to it - it’s magical no wonder Charlotte Gardner put it up there in her top four in Gramophone.

[smittims]

I well remember buying the Menuhin/Lucerne/Furtwangler when it appeared on HMV Treasury (HLM 7015, 1972), with their Philharmonia recordings of the Beethoven Romances as a fill-up. For several years it was my only disc of the concerto; I still have it , and still think it ideal. There's a lovely photo on the sleeve of the two artists acknowledging applause.

As an impecunious student I appreciated the HMV TReasury LPs. They were cheap but well-engineered and documented. And apart from Anthony Griffiths' splendid 'Retrospect Series' on World Records, not many companies were interested in old recordings. Another early favourite was the 1936 Bruno Walter Das Lied von der Erde.

[Barbirollians]

I see Robert Layton was very positive about the HMV Treasury reissue in Gramophone.

[Barbirollians]

I see nobody even mentioned DON's winner in this whole thread !

[Barbirollians]

Bought the Kennedy/Tennstedt secondhand for a couple of quid .

sums up all that was so annoying about NK’s late 80/early 90s posturing . At times his playing is breathtakingly beautiful but other first movement is unbearably slow. It’s not anywhere near an Allegro non troppo.

His cadenza is interesting no silly nonsense as in the Four Seasons recording but not really a threat to Joachim or Kreisler except when he integrates the main theme ever so quietly.

Forget to add the Adagio is also very slow if again very beautiful but then comes an orthodox tempo and very fine finale - all very odd.

He made some much better remakes later in his career . His Vivaldi recordings with a reduced BPO are a joy but I don’t think he ever re-recorded the Brahms .