Two hours yesterday evening spent listening to Mela Tenenbaum playing 40 short pieces. Ms Tenenbaum plays adroitly, swiftly and highly efficiently. The 40 pieces could almost all have come from Elman or Heifetz recitals in the 1930s. But why did violinists such as Kreisler, Elman, Heifetz and Szigeti play them so much better? I suspect the answer is: love. Either they really loved the music they were playing (think of Kreisler), or they really loved the violin (think of Kogan digging deep into Paganini's Cantabile and obviously relishing the sound of his violin; Ms Tenenbaum dispatches the same piece swiftly, beautifully and efficiently).
Remarkably efficient playing from Ms Tenenbaum. But not much love or charm. Sounds a bit as if someone told her: "We'll pay you $100 a-piece for 40 pieces. And don't hang about, Mela; time is money".

Work has impeded additions to this journal. However, life resumes. Strange to be very impressed at this stage with performances of the Brahms and Mendelssohn violin concertos. Strange, also, that the violinist concerned should be Johanna Martzy, always a superb violinist but often, in the studio, somewhat straight-laced and severe. But her live performances of the Mendelssohn concerto (in The Hague, 1954 with Klemperer conducting) and Brahms (Stuttgart, 1964 with Günter Wand conducting) are fast, fiery and dashing. The Mendelssohn has to be one of the fastest performances on record (and ditto the finale of the Brahms concerto). Both performances get lots of stars in my listing -- and the recording of the Brahms is especially acceptable. Martzy's studio recordings showed she was an excellent violinist; her live recordings show she could have been fully the equal of all but Kreisler and Heifetz.

Tried yet again with Shostakovich's sonata for violin & piano (Oistrakh playing, with Yampolsky). Yet again, I found it a work without talent and utterly unmemorable. Shostakovich was so uneven!

On the bright side, a large oxtail stew awaits me tomorrow evening. It's already looking good.

Five hours this weekend listening to ... Mozart; the complete sonatas and variations for piano & violin, from K 296 to K 547. A very enjoyable way to spend five hours! Players were Vaclav Snitil and Jan Panenka; Panenka surprised me, since I had always considered him a kind of Czech Emmanuel Bay but, on this CD set, he plays with verve and sparkle. This is my third complete set of the Mozart sonatas (all sent to me by others). There is Joseph Silverstein and Derek Han, and Oscar Shumsky and Artur Balsam. From recollection, both are as good as the Snitil / Panenka set. Three fine sets!

Seized once again by Georg Friderik Haendel; this time by Saul in the new vigorous recording by René Jacobs. Very fine music indeed. The performance and recording are great, but one suspects that the desire to get all the 150 minutes on to just two CDs means that some of the pieces are brisker than might be thought desirable. Still, glorious music well performed. Handel is definitely up with my front runners when it comes to listening for enjoyment.

My first internet-download CD: Philippe Koch playing morceaux de salon by Vieuxtemps. CD created with no problems, and music is most enjoyable in the background.

Viola Day. Listened to Lars Tomter (with Andsnes) playing the two Brahms sonatas, plus Schumann's Märchenbilder: very good, with a fine, gruff viola sound. Then to Katz and Shteinberg playing Hindemith (dull), Bach and Mozart (K 378, arranged). The two Israeli's sounded like an agreeable chamber music concert in Bad Godesberg on a wet Wednesday: polite, well-mannered, smooth. But not memorable, and the viola sound was "pseudo-violin".
Refreshed myself by listening again to Lise de la Salle. It really does sound as though she is improvising, so surely does the music come from inside of her. Most enjoyable.

Well, spent another 27 minutes of my life listening to the Berg violin concerto (this time in a performance by Leonidas Kavakos at the Proms; very well recorded). That has to be around the twelfth time I have listened to this concerto and, I have to confess, it does absolutely nothing for me. That is the last time I waste another 27 minutes on it. Life is too short. I haven't a clue as to whether Kavakos played it brilliantly, or whether he lost his place after the first few minutes and improvised thereafter. Bah!
I also revisited Des Knaben Wunderhorn before shelving it. I like the music. I really do not like Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (at least, not in this music). She too arch; he too gusty. And Szell isn't terribly gemütlich, either.

Once again, I was able to make an excellent CD of the (Edinburgh Festival) recital by Magdalena Kozena (Ravel, Britten, Debussy, Strauss and Shostakovich). Very much my kind of singer: a lovely voice, extreme intelligence, excellent linguistic skills.
This weekend I also enjoyed Mahler's Des Knaben Wunderhorn -- despite the participation of Mr and Mrs Legge plus Mr Fischer-Dieskau, none of whom warms my heart. But the music (Szell conducting the LSO) is attractive and I did not know it very well.

After two hearings, I am highly impressed with Sergei Khachatryan playing the first Shostakovich violin concerto (Prom, 29 July). Yet another phenomenal violinist! Of course, the playing is impeccable. But there is an extraordinary absence of striving for effect or of point making, a total immersion in the music, a wide variety of vibrato, a dynamic range from pp to ff based on musical sense, a willingness to observe rests (viz, the cadenza to the Shostakovich concerto). The huge Albert Hall is pretty silent as if the audience were mesmerised (which it probably was). The control (and audience lack of even breathing) is also really noticeable in the Andante from the Bach second unaccompanied sonata played as an encore.
I was alerted to Khachatryan being something special by the off-air recording of the Beethoven violin concerto (sent to me by Akiko). But this Shostakovich really suggest that we have a violinist even "better" than Jansen, Fischer, Batiashvili, Repin ... or all the others. Superb! This really is a golden age of young violinists.

Sunday, and the day of The Crab. Bought yesterday at Fishworks, and truly superb -- despite the price. A large crab is one of my favourite things ... as is Handel. Had a second Handel evening in a row, basking first in Patrizia Ciofi and Joyce di Donato in opera duets, ending up with Magdalena Kozena in two Italian cantatas. What is it about Handel? I just know that, along with the Beethoven string quartets, Handel's vocal music is something I shall always have to have within arm's length. Marvellous listening. And The Crab was marvellous eating.

My birthday. Celebrated it by buying and eating a large Cornish brill (Fishworks, Bath). Actually, it was not outstanding, and no patch on plaice, lemon sole or Dover sole. Adequate, but not more. The cheese (Bath) was a lot better.
For music, as is becoming traditional for special occasions, it was George Frediric Haendel (opera arias, sung by Sandrine Piau). That, at least, was excellent.

Not often that, after 50 years of listening, one discovers a "new" composer. But (thanks to Carlos) I have been very attracted to the two violin and piano sonatas of Leo Weiner. And the two violin concertos are on their way to me, via Kentucky. Weiner writes well, and has some good tunes; a sort of Hungarian Vaughan Williams. Why his chamber works (along with those of Alkan) are not better known defies the imagination. It would make a good duo change from endless Brahms, Ravel and Debussy!
Like the CD of Lise de la Salle, my Weiner CD is one that I am reluctant to shelve in the main collection.

Ye gods; yet another fine young violinist. A double CD featuring Liza Ferschtman reveals a young Dutch violinist in the same mould as Janine Jansen or Julia Fischer. Lithe, fleet of foot, technically on the ball, with an excellent palette of tone colours. The CDs feature sonatas by Franck, Debussy and Poulenc, plus pieces by Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich. A fine collection of Franco-Russian music played by an excellent Dutch violinist. Good pianist is Bas Verheijden and the Brilliant Classics recording features a good balance.

Listened to the new CD from Lise de la Salle. This 16 year old from Cherbourg certainly sparkles and sounds as fresh as the dew. And what dexterity! The opening Bach has the same effect as opening a bottle of good champagne. The disc contains Bach, Bach-Busoni, Bach-Liszt, and Liszt. A really delightful CD that I'll keep near my player for some time.

Weepy evening; Chausson's Poème de l'Amour et de la Mer (Felicity Lott) and Delius's Sea Drift (Beecham). Interval was Lott singing three songs by Duparc. Highly satisfactory, and I particularly enjoyed the Chausson. Another Chausson on its way to me this week (Susan Graham) and it will be interesting to hear how it compares.

Listened again to Isabelle van Keulen playing the Elgar violin concerto (just a few days after listening to the Hilary Hahn studio recording with Colin Davis). Van Keulen is a bit rough at places in her attack, and there are several unfortunate lapses in the finale. But she plays with spirit and one hears clearly that her heart is in what she is playing. Hilary Hahn is technically more secure and immaculate; but one does not get the same impression that she is really feeling the music. Van Keulen wins on points, but it's a pity about the intonation lapses, and also a pity that the violin is balanced a little too closely to the microphone. I must re-listen to Hahn's live performance (also with Davis, but with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra).

Evening spent with Sergei Khachatryan and Hilary Hahn. Quite bowled over by the 17 year old Khachatryan in the Beethoven violin concerto. Maybe conventional wisdom that says you need to be an experienced, mature artist to tackle a work such as this is not necessarily correct? K. plays beautifully, and frequently with an extraordinarily absorbing pianissimo. This is certainly the best Beethoven concerto since Batiashvili in August 2000, and I was very surprised by just how much I enjoyed it, since it is no longer a concerto I enjoy automatically. The recording made off-air with the NHK orchestra in Tokyo is a model of its kind, with exemplary balance and real dedication from the orchestra (with "old" horns in the Russian style). The encore, the andante from Bach's second sonata, is quite stunning and technically the best since Heifetz. Three stars all round! And thanks to Akiko for the copy.

Hilary Hahn really shows off in the first Paganini concerto (off-air in California in September of last year). She does not quite have the élan of Kogan or Mullova, nor the vulgar panache of Michael Rabin. But, technically, she is anyone's equal. Let down, however, by the recorded balance (very much in the American style, with the "star" well to the fore; why could the engineers not have recruited Khachatryan's Japanese?) Also let down by Hahn's habit of slamming on the brakes every time a lyrical passage turns up. Paganini's concerto was contemporary with Beethoven and Rossini and he simply would not have expected such a degree or frequency of rallentandi to interrupt the flow of the music. However, a thoroughly enjoyable romp through Paganini's evergreen music, and a quite terrifying rendition of the Sauret cadenza.