BaL 25.01.25 - Brahms: Violin concerto

[Pulcinella]

1500
Building a Library
David Owen Norris chooses his favourite version of Brahms' Violin Concerto in D, Op. 77

(They seem to have stopped adding the guff about the chosen piece!)

Presto list (441 entries!) here:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/works/26478--brahms-violin-concerto-in-d-major-op-77/browse

There have been two BBC MM CD releases.
Volume 6, Number 1: Menuhin/BBCSO/Boult (recorded in Studio 1, Mauda Vale, London, on 5 April 1943, for the BBC Home Service)
Volume 24, Number 1: Haendel/BBCSO/Rozhdestvensky (BBC Proms, 23 July 1982)

[pastoralguy]

Looking forward to hearing this. So many great recordings. I didn’t know there was a BBC disc available of the great Ida Haendel playing it. I must track it down.

[Pulcinella]

Looking forward to hearing this. So many great recordings. I didn’t know there was a BBC disc available of the great Ida Haendel playing it. I must track it down.

You must!
The coupling is a 1994 Proms performance of the Britten concerto (Haendel/BBCSO/Andrew Davis).

Copies available here:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Britten-Brahms-Violin-Concertos-Concerto/dp/B079G2M585/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HVMFE90TD5K5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.DJXrEf4UoO6vrS_o7ClSTg16AhWzs_kazkfBSCQJ6nWS-dy28DV5n3QH__auE-5rtofnwS6E6rDd6huvh1G1Eg.0H90esR_psL7tYM2urxs89Vhf0F4qemqI83CGqF1j0U&dib_tag=se&keywords=Haendel+britten+brahms&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1736495892&s=music&sprefix=haendel+britten+brahms%2Cpopular%2C83&sr=1-1

[smittims]

Many years ago I heard Ida Haendel give a fascinating talk on the interpretation of this work.

By coincidence I was listening to the famous Menuhin/Lucerne/Furtwangler today. Another favourite of mine is the Kulenkampff/BerlinPhil/Schmitt-Isserstedt, from 1937, a wonderful performance but sadly not a good resording. I wouldn't expect either of these to be considered today but I think it would take a very good modern soloist to equal their insight and eloquence.

[Barbirollians]

Depressing choice of reviewer .

Ida H's BBC disc is excellent and the Britten VC is a better performance than the Brahms I think . It comes from her last ever Prom after that she was dispensed with after nearly 60 years by BBC ageism - despite still playing very well for a number of years afterwards as her 1996 Bach Sonatas and Partitas on Testament shows.

Again I have lots of outstanding recordings but my favourites remain my first - Menuhin/Kempe and Perlman/Giulini - though Menuhin's earlier recording with Furtwangler and his 1943 Boult radio recording are terrific too as is Perlman's remark with Barenboim . A recent addition to my pantheon was the live Szeryng/Kubelik on Orfeo .

Again Mutter , Jansen, KWC, Francescatti. Oistrakh ( with Klemperer could never get on with the recording with Szell) Milstein, Hahn, Stern, Grumiaux , Little, Renardy , Neveu, Heifetz , Ferras - also give a great deal of pleasure in their recordings.

[Barbirollians]

Many years ago I heard Ida Haendel give a fascinating talk on the interpretation of this work.

By coincidence I was listening to the famous Menuhin/Lucerne/Furtwangler today. Another favourite of mine is the Kulenkampff/BerlinPhil/Schmitt-Isserstedt, from 1937, a wonderful performance but sadly not a good resording. I wouldn't expect either of these to be considered today but I think it would take a very good modern soloist to equal their insight and eloquence.

Wasn't that an Interpretations on Record ? I never heard it but I understand she raved about Heifetz's recording.

[smittims]

Yes, it was. I don't recall the raving, though! just her insights into the music . There is, perhaps,something to be said for Heifetz' approach , as there is in the Elgar concerto, where he was also somewhat controversial. .

[mikealdren]

Wasn't that an Interpretations on Record ? I never heard it but I understand she raved about Heifetz's recording.

There was an Interpretations on Record in about 1970, was that it, I suspect not as they were usually prepared by critics like a longer version of Building a Library? The first choice then was Kreisler and the 2nd, my favourite, Oistrakh/Konwitschny, the 2nd LP I bought.

[Barbirollians]

She definitely did one on Brahms VC not sure when but I recall reading about it on BbC Genome. Probably late 70s.

Appalling that I missed out her terrific mono recording with Celibudache from my list as well as Martzy/Kletzki.

[smittims]

1970 sounds right to me , mike.

It was a pleasure to see Ida Haendel make a 'comeback ' on HMV with Paavo Berglund in the the Walton, Britten and Sibelius concerto, all still front-runners in my opinion, and the recordings seem hardly to have aged at all. Her spiccato and saltando (bouncing the bow,to put it crudely!) playing are a joy to hear .

[Roger Webb]

Joachim's Strad on which he played at the premiere of Brahms' Violin Concerto comes up for auction in New York on 7th Feb, $12 - 18 million estimate. Will it be made available for a new recording of the Brahms, and who would you choose to be that lucky soloist?

[pastoralguy]

Joachim's Strad on which he played at the premiere of Brahms' Violin Concerto comes up for auction in New York on 7th Feb, $12 - 18 million estimate. Will it be made available for a new recording of the Brahms, and who would you choose to be that lucky soloist?

I have every faith that my Euromillions ticket will come up trumps so I can bid! Mrs. PG and I saw it in Cremona in a glass case and the photo I took served as a screensaver for a few years!

When I take possession, I’ll loan it to the wonderful Alina Ibragimova.

Wish me luck!

[Roger Webb]

I have every faith that my Euromillions ticket will come up trumps so I can bid! Mrs. PG and I saw it in Cremona in a glass case and the photo I took served as a screensaver for a few years!

When I take possession, I’ll loan it to the wonderful Alina Ibragimova.

Wish me luck!

Good choice, but, as she has it in her rep. at the moment, and bearing in mind the Elgar she played, I'll go Vilde Frang....but with a conductor who'll keep it moving!

[gurnemanz]

Joachim's Strad on which he played at the premiere of Brahms' Violin Concerto comes up for auction in New York on 7th Feb, $12 - 18 million estimate. Will it be made available for a new recording of the Brahms, and who would you choose to be that lucky soloist?

Charlie Siem was interviewed about the instrument on Radio 4 the other day. He played an extract from the Brahms Concerto on it. I can't find a link to that broadcast but did find this.

[Roger Webb]

Charlie Siem was interviewed about the instrument on Radio 4 the other day. He played an extract from the Brahms Concerto on it. I can't find a link to that broadcast but did find this.

Thanks for that......there was supposed to be an item on it in the morning news on Radio 4 before 9 o clock this morning but it didn't appear...we had a reminder of the vocal skills of Sam and Dave, one of whom has just died apparently.