Rummaging around putting CDs away, I came across Paul Lewis's CD of the two last Schubert piano sonatas (A major and B flat major). I ended up listening to both, since there is something about later Schubert and its ever-changing moods that is most attractive. Enjoyed the A major this time round. Lewis's playing of D 960 is OK, but it does sound too thought-out and lacks spontaneity. Ideally, such restless harmonies, key and metre changes demand a feeling of improvisation. And we don't get this from Paul Lewis, nicely as he plays. I really like Richter in this music.

After enjoying the first CD of Kai Gleusteen and Catherine Ordronneau (Avie 0023 with the Janacek and first Prokofiev sonatas, plus Shostakovich Preludes) it was good to find their second CD (Avie 0037) where they play the Franck Sonata, Dvorak Sonatina, plus the third Grieg sonata. They play as a true duo, and the tempi all seem to be well chosen (well flowing and not erring on the slow side, as so often today). There are better recordings of each work to be had; but these two CDs make a handy mini-collection of two hours of highly enjoyable violin & piano music, well played and well recorded. What is particularly welcome is the absence of evidence of studio playing; the playing sounds as if it were for real.

Spent a pleasant two hours discovering Renato de Barbieri (died 1992). A formidable violinist (particularly in his 1973-75 recordings of Handel, Tartini, Paganini, Ysaye, et al). I confess I had never heard of him before. Just shows just how much the "fame" of well-known names such as Stern, Zukerman, Bell, etc is due to PR managers and publicity machines. Renato de Barbieri was a major violinist, particularly in the bravura repertoire.

Mention must also be made of the highly superior Crémant de Loire and Pinot Noir d'Alsace that I brought back from Paris on this trip. Excellent accompaniments to de Barbieri !

Easter has been a big time for catching up, and also making some CD copies for Dave Gomberg and Ken Gerberg. It was interesting to meet Ida Haendel again (1999 in Boston, with the Dvorak concerto). For someone in her 70s her technique is marvellous. Rock steady, well articulated, spot-on intonation. Her playing is still very reminiscent of Carl Flesch but, like her teacher, she has always lacked any sense of fantasy or real emotion in her playing. A flawed dame of the violin.

I had to modify my views on Oleg Kagan, who had always struck me as a "critics' violinist". But the live performances of him playing the Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich First concertos revealed a violinist with a lot of heart and a real willingness to go for broke. If, alongside the very greatest (including Repin and Stoika Milanova) he did not quite come out on top in the Shostakovich, it remains a very memorable performance. His unaccompanied Bach is excellent, but very "Russian"; no trace of any dances, and all very solemn and grand manner. But well played.

Also sat back with enjoyment and listened to Tossy Spivakovsky playing the Bartok concerto in the 1950s. However, I really do not like the Bartok concerto -- and in fact very little of Bartok's music. It is music without heart, without emotion.

This was Mischa Elman weekend (plus Jamieson Whisky, moules marinière and good Tetbury steak). The eight CDs from Testament arrived, comprising all the Decca recordings 1954-56 that have been unavailable for so long. This also enabled me to tidy up my Elman collection, and amalgamate a few old CDs -- as well as throw out a few Ace of Clubs and Ace of Diamond LPs.
I was surprised to like Elman in the two Mozart concertos, as well as in the Beethoven. Whatever: the man was inimitable and one of the 4-5 great violinists of the twentieth century. The Elman sound is completely unique. Sad that he was soon deemed "unfashionable" and condemned to linger unheard except by a few violin-loving fanatics. Anyway, this weekend I shall have had around six hours of Elman listening, and feel better for it. There are not many violinists who could keep me interested for six hours in one weekend!

Back to Vasa Prihoda, with a recital of musical snippets in 1958 (Turin). Paganini, Hubay, Dvorak, etc. He really was an extremely proficient player and a truly formidable technician. Strange how people such as Ruggiero Ricci received the acclaim and the recording contracts back in the 1940s and 50s, rather than Prihoda (who was miles in advance of Ricci, technically).

Also bought the new Sarah Chang recording (with Lars Vogt). She plays the first Saint-Saens sonata, the Ravel sonata, and the Franck sonata. The recording is a problem, with a high dynamic range. A bit like Flesch's description of Hubermann: "He either shouts, or he whispers". Well, as recorded here, the duo blow you out of the room at climaxes; if the volume is turned down, the many admirable pianissimi become well-nigh inaudible.

Over all, the combination of German and American doesn't sound too much at home in this recital of very French music. The Saint-Saens, in particular, sounds ill-digested (almost as if it is being -- very well -- sight-read at times). I have always admired Sarah Chang, but think she is more attuned to Romantic music than to this French period. Not surprisingly, the Franck sonata probably comes off best. This is not an encouraging CD, and I shall no longer buy Sarah Chang automatically.

After Ronald de Haas had described Vasa Prihoda as "the greatest violinist per se" I returned to my one Prihoda CD. And, yes, he was a phenomenal violinist, even heard in the Biddulph acoustic transfers of Paganini, Vieuxtemps and Wieniawski. Strange how good violinists such as Stern, Bell, et al become household names, whilst far superior ones -- such as Prihoda -- are known only to a handful of connoisseurs. Somewhat depressing. At any rate, I shall become an assiduous collector of Prihoda recordings. Yet another rising violinist whose career was blighted by the 1939-47 interruption to most musical careers in Europe.

Watched the Monsaingeon video "Art of the Violin" (at Steve's house in Kentucky). Interesting and well worth watching. Montsaingeon's bias towards Menuhin and against Heifetz shows. Perlman proves to be a more interesting commentator than he is violinist. Pity there wasn't more on Kreisler. Milstein had a big chunk, but I thought the Brahms concerto excerpt showed him on autopilot again. The Oistrakh excerpts were better than expected; in fact, he came out of it well. And it was interesting to watch Kogan playing; as Hilary Hahn remarked, he looked so awkward and uncomfortable while playing. I didn't think too much of Ida Haendel's contribution. Thanks to Dave Gomberg for the loan of the videocassette.

This blog has been a little neglected of late. Trying times. However, much to my surprise, I have very much enjoyed a CD (from de Haas) of Vaclav Snitil (violin) and Josef Hala (piano) playing violin & piano pieces by Ferdinand Laub, Frantisek Ondricek, Otakar Sevcik, Jan Kubelik, Jaroslav Kocian, and Vasa Prihoda. An all-Czech treat! Found another similar CD on the web by the same duo, and will get it. Snitil is an efficient violinist, rather than a charismatic one. But it is nice to hear short pieces that aren't yet another Liebesleid, Banjo & Fiddle or Humoresque ! And good to hear efficient, Czech-style fiddling rather than something luscious and long-drawn-out from the heirs of the Russian school of violin playing. Snitil and his music will be regulars on my turntable. A very serendipitous addition to my collection.

Well, finally I have heard the famous 1950s recordings of Emil Telmanyi playing the Bach unaccompanied suites and sonatas with the Vega “Bach Bow”. Copies of Testament transfers kindly sent by Dave Gomberg.

I had put off listening for some time; a Hungarian with a funny bow playing Bach in the 1950s did not somehow appeal. However, when it came down to it, I enjoyed the performances very much. There are pluses and minuses to the Vega Bow. On one hand, much of the harmonised writing with double stops is quite entrancing, and many of the chords sound distinctly enhanced. However, some of the fugal writing sounds strained (but this may also be the results of the inevitable strain on almost all violinists when playing the fugues). And the richochet passages in the Chaconne just do not come off as played by Telmanyi. Still, much comes off very well indeed, and there is an old world charm to Telmanyi’s playing that is a welcome respite from hot-shot young violinists striving to make their marks. An admirable two hours of enjoyable music making.

Finished the weekend with von Karajan’s 1950s Philharmonia recordings of Sibelius’s sixth symphony, plus Debussy’s La Mer. These two recordings have now been giving me much enjoyment for 48 years! Though not normally a lover of von Karajan’s music making, I make an exception for many of his 1950s recordings with the Philharmonia when he was more concerned with clarity and first class orchestral playing and less with smooth effects.

For about the first time, I was unable to listen to something to which I wanted to listen, because I couldn't find it! The multiple-disc Karajan set from the 1950s proved impossible to track down. I wanted to listen to Sibelius's 6th Symphony. But couldn't, because I couldn't find it. The time has come to do something about my CD collection and its chaotic organisation (for rarely listened-to works).

But, by fortunate chance, I picked up Furtwängler and Erich Röhn in the Beethoven Violin Concerto (1944, Berlin). This really is probably the greatest recorded performance ever of this work, not the least because it is a true duo partnership, with Furtwängler playing the Berlin Philharmonic. The performance has muscle and vigour; after all, it is around 1803 and very soon after the 18th century. Would that the likes of Nikolaj Znaider or Hilary Hahn would listen and take note! But you do also need a conductor of genius.

Sunday evening (basking after "The Return of the King" on Saturday) listened with great pleasure to Michael Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Pathétique. This is a work I really like. Tried to follow it with Mahler's 9th (Haitink) but this just didn't work; Mahler sounded all noise and not much substance, after Tchaikovsky. Turned instead to Chausson and the Poème de l'Amour et de la Mer. Chose the new version with Felicity Lott; this really is very good indeed.

A question mark under all these different versions; when I want to listen to the Pathétique, I always turn to the Pletnev recordings. And when I want the Chausson, I think I'll always turn to Felicity Lott. So what am I going to do with all these alternative versions? Mahler's 4th will always be Barbirolli from now on (with perhaps just occasional excursions into the old Kletzki). I think that one of these days I am going to have a truly massive throw-out !

Audition round-up (2)

Nicolaj Znaider's recital CD was fairly typical. Exemplary technique, lovely sound (followed by lovely sound, followed by lovely sound ... ) with slow tempi in slower places that borded on the ludicrous. Why did he not listen to Heifetz and Achron playing the Hebrew Melody before embarking on his adagio molto rendition? These marvellous salon pieces simply do not have the content or the stature to be dragged out endlessly.

Enjoyed Isabelle van Keulen playing the Elgar concerto (BBC, with Halle and Mark Elder). Following the unfortunate example of Menuhin with Elgar, she kept slamming on the brakes in the first movement, despite a promising allegro for the first movement overall. But the andante was andante, and the final allegro molto was allegro molto. An unfortunate passage in the finale, and an unfortunate chord in the same movement. But, taken altogether, the performance was full of energy. Good partnership with the Halle. She has come on as a violinist; I recall being unimpressed with her debut LP (Saint-Saens third concerto, plus Vieuxtemps 5th, back in 1986). But her Mozart in 1991 was better. And this Elgar was very fine; fully the equal of the impressive Hilary Hahn performance (2002, with Colin Davis).

Audition round-up:

Highly impressed with 13-year old Chinese Tian-Wa Yang playing the Paganini caprices. She plays many of them deliberately rather than rapidly, but this enables you to hear that she is playing every single note. Incredible intonation in double-stops (it probably helps if you have the slender fingers of a 13 year old Chinese female). And a truly incredible right arm.

A bit angry with "Chloe", Chloe Hanslip's debut CD. Seems to me everything is wrong except her playing:

1. I don't know why a CD presenting a new violinist is covered in posed photos of a 14 year old girl. Is the disc aimed mainly at the paedophile market?

2. She should not have made her debut in a variety of salon pieces with orchestral backing. The main point of a debut CD is to feature the playing of the young artist. The orchestral backing is a distraction from listening to Hanslip's playing (viz, Sarasate's Romanza Andaluza, with its castanets and trumpets). She should have stuck to a good pianist so her playing really stood out.

3. Most of the pieces are somewhat slushy. She should have chosen more carefully. The Paganini "Campanella" at the beginning is really good; after that: too much slush (not even thinking of Williams' mawkish film theme).

4. I am always advocating "natural" balance between violin and orchestra in duo music. However, in this kind of repertoire, where the only real interest is in how well the violinist measures up to her predecessors and competitors, a balance between violinist and orchestra more like that given to Rabin or Heifetz would, for once, have been useful. Miss Hanslip plays a del Gesu violin; we do not really have a chance to appreciate it.

5. The liner notes have too many gushing adjectives: thrilling, great, magnificent, acclaimed. Do they not teach the English language at Warner?

I am very impressed with Chloe Hanslip's playing. But I don't know that I think much of her artistic management, her (ex) record company nor, probably, her pushy family. Let the girl play!

Spent around two hours transferring (with the new Terratec interface and software) and then listening to, Gioconda de Vito's 1952 performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto (Furtwängler conducting the Turin Radio Orchestra, public concert). Well, the sound wasn't too bad (though there is a lot of stage and audience noise). But the orchestral playing sounds amateur and under-rehearsed, and de Vito sounds technically below par. Bit of a disappointment. It was a relief to turn to Sergei Khachatryan playing the Sibelius violon concerto (Emmanuel Krivine and the Sinfonia Varsovia). Good to hear things in tune again !

With time, I have become very partial to Janacek's violin and piano sonata. It is both lyrical and passionate, tender and vivacious. A very fine new recording comes from the -- previously unknown to me -- Kai Gleusteen and Catherine Ordronneau. I like the music (which also includes around 20 of the Shostakovitch preludes arranged by Tziganov and the Prokofiev first violin & piano sonata). The playing is exemplary by both parties. The balance is exactly how it should be. And the recording quality is excellent. A thoroughly enjoyable CD (Avie). But I am a little shocked by my rejection of my "historic" Brahms violin concerto.

I have become somewhat hooked on the two CDs of Benno Rabinof, with excerpts from his New York radio broadcasts 1943-44. Having had Rabinof's "Gypsy" LP transfer for some time, I always thought he was somewhat "yesterday's virtuoso". However, as so often, live comes out so much better than studio. Rabinof, almost entirely in the virtuoso repertoire as befits American radio in the 1940s, really thrills. I particularly like the longer pieces: Ernst's "Otello" fantasy (11 minutes) and Hungarian Airs (8 minutes), plus Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian pot-pourri (11 minutes) and the Paganini-Kreisler "Le Streghe" (12 minutes). In particular, Ernst's Otello fantasy appeals to me greatly (I know it from Kavakos's performance). Certainly Rabinof is slick; but he is also thrilling to listen to (though I doubt I'd like his Bach or Mozart).

And, speaking of Kavakos: his new CD (with Peter Nagy) makes an excellent impression; I think he certainly joins Batiashvili, Suwanai and Repin in my quartet of younger violin players who give me a lot of pleasure. Kavakos does not go for slow tempi and oh-so-rich sound; he just plays the music with a wide variety of dynamics, colour and expression. On the new CD, I particularly like the Enescu third sonata, a work that falls to bits if taken too slowly.

This was really Arkady Volodos weekend. Played two recital discs (Miami, 2000 and Amsterdam 2003). There is an infectious enthusiasm about Volodos's playing; he radiates enjoyment and exhilaration. I very much enjoyed these two recitals of Scriabin, Rachmaninov, and various virtuoso pieces.
Less keen on Milstein, recorded 1983 in Berkely, California. For a start, the sound capture was bad (sounds as if it is a hand-held job from within the audience). A shame, since Milstein plays the Franck sonata that he never recorded commercially. The piano sound dominates in this recording, and the violin sounds distant (recorder was probably on the right hand side, facing the stage). From what one can hear, Milstein doesn't seem to be too enthralled by the Franck sonata; tempi are fast (same overall timing as Heifetz) with not much sign of love. Probably why it wasn't among Milstein's chosen 30 or 40 pieces that he kept recording and re-recording most of his life.

Took Hilary Hahn off the shelf, playing the Elgar concerto (Colin Davis, Bavarian Orchestra). It is a nice performance – partly due to Davis, who knows that Elgar must keep going and must never wallow. I am usually a bit disappointed in Hilary Hahn; when I heard her in the Wigmore Hall, she came over as too loud and powerful for a small recital hall. In Portsmouth (Guildhall) she played the Shostakovitch concerto immaculately, but missed the “blood on the fingers” trauma of the Passacaglia; Shostakovitch demands emotions that a girl from Baltimore has never experienced. And her Beethoven concerto recording was too slow. But she is a highly talented violinist and, for some reason, I think Elgar is on her wavelength in a way Shostakovitch is not.
Earlier, spurred by a review in Le Monde de la Musique, I took off the shelf my “Talents of Russia” CD of Marina Yashvili. She, also was quite a violinist! A beautiful performance of the De Falla siete cancones and a performance of the Paganini Cantabile just as I would like to play it.
The evening showed the advantages of having an extensive CD collection ! None of the listening was remotely pre-planned.