Virtuoso Violinists at the BBC - 11.3.16

[ardcarp]

Would he [Nigel Kennedy] really like to be represented by that version of the 4 seasons, wouldn't some Elgar have been a better choice [?]

Or his Lark Ascending; a particularly favourite version of mine

Sadly the Bach double was not good, two ill matched players, poor recording and very dated stylistically

Maybe they were trying to out-do each other a bit, but you can't blame a historic clip for being, er, historic. It's the way everyone played it in those days...the slow movement being almost literally half the speed of the HIPPsters. I have very happy memories of accompanying my father, a talented fiddler. He having been taught in the 1910s/20s, played in the same way, not afraid of portamenti and with a different sort of vibrato. Heiffetz and Oistrakh were on all our LPs at home. Menuhin too.

[verismissimo]

RUDOLF SCHWARZ, one of the finest 'musician conductors' ( as opposed to 'showman conductors') I've ever been privileged to play for. ...
He was at various times Principal conductor of the CBSO, Bournemouth S.O., BBC SO, and Northern Sinfonia...

The first professional orchestral concert I ever attended: CBSO under Schwarz at Uppingham in 1957. But what did they play?

[verismissimo]

Milstein played immaculately of course but dreadful sound quality...

The high point for me of the whole programme. A real aristocrat of the fiddle.

[mikealdren]

Maybe they were trying to out-do each other a bit, but you can't blame a historic clip for being, er, historic. It's the way everyone played it in those days...the slow movement being almost literally half the speed of the HIPPsters.

Yes, I agree entirely, it was the mismatched playing that really failed, the Oistrakhs together would have been better but I suppose they wanted to show Menuhin and it was rather special that they became friends.

Since the previous post I keep thinking of ommisions, Kogan's another!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Kennedy ... surely not great

Szerying ... wasn't a truly great player.

I don't really agree about the Menuhin either,

Milstein ... dreadful sound quality.

Vengerov ... In and out of focus, shots from all angles and usually the wrong one for the music, terrible!

... the Bach double was not good, two ill matched players, poor recording and very dated stylistically as was Stern's Mozart.

... but apart from that ...

[mikealdren]

... but apart from that ...

Well yes.......... I really enjoyed DON's programme on pianists and had high hopes for the companion programme. With the archive available to the BBC, it was really not good, I was very disappointed.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Well yes.......... I really enjoyed DON's programme on pianists and had high hopes for the companion programme. With the archive available to the BBC, it was really not good, I was very disappointed.

[ardcarp]

I suppose DON (though a very able pianist) is known mainly as a communicator; insightful, intelligent, pithy, sometimes witty. I wonder if there is a violinist equivalent who could have been asked to 'front' the progrmme? Suggestions?

[french frank]

I suppose DON (though a very able pianist) is known mainly as a communicator; insightful, intelligent, pithy, sometimes witty. I wonder if there is a violinist equivalent who could have been asked to 'front' the progrmme? Suggestions?

Two points: one is that pianists are generally more 'versatile' than violinists (is that true?), but more important (perhaps!?) is that a 60-something presenter/musician is likely to have a more extensive knowledge than a 20-something one.