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Violin Concertos

Could you recommend the best violin concerto recordings (performance & sound quality) you have ever heard by the following composers-Dvorak, Beethoven, Paganini, Mendelssohn, and Saint-Saens. Also, if there is any chinese audiophile on this forum, please recommed violin concerto Liang-Zhu (Butterfly Lovers). To me this is one of the most beautiful violin concerto, but I haven't seen any famous violinist recorded it. I have two copies, one by Yu Li-na, one by Sheng Zhong-guo. None of the sound quality is good.
aliu
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ivanj
35 posts
 
As far as performances of these concertos go, I would look at any with David Oistrakh.
vvrinc
323 posts
 
Hello Aliu,

If you don't mind some "off-the-beaten (bowed)-path" repertoire, try the Barber and Korngold violin concerti. A fine sounding CD is available on DGG with violinist Gil Shaham, André Previn and the LSO. Another fabulous "new (1977)" violin concerto is by Einojuhani Rautavaara, a Finnish composer. It is available on the Ondine lable with Elmar Oliveira, violin and the Helsinki Philharmonic conducted by Leif Segerstam. The sound on this cd is demonstration class.

With best wishes,
Santiago
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Get the Chung, Montreal/Dutoit recording that has both Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. Both are excellently played and recorded.

Also check out the Goldmark concerto. Recordings are available by Perlman and Sarah Chang.


The Perman Beethoven mentioned is very good.

My favorite Beethoven by far is by Oscar Shumsky with the Phiharmonia Orchestra conducted by Andrew Davis. If you have never hear of Shumsky, he is someone who decided against a career as a full time touring artist. He is usually referred to as a Violinist's Violinist; or Musician's Violinist. In other words, the concerts he did give were usually filled with other musicians in attendence (ie, people who wanted to hear great playing, not just a player with good PR hype.) Among his colleagues (including David Oistrakh), Shumsky was considered to be one of the greatest violinists, on the level of Kreisler and Heifetz.

gregm
3,405 posts
 
Sugar, interesting! What's the ref for Shumsky/Davis Beethoven? I couldn't locate it... Cheers
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Gregm....

http://shopping.yahoo.com/shop?d=c&id=43726
It is also available from the Music Heritage Society.

Shumsky made this recording later in life, so it's not up to the peak of his powers, but still very impressive. It is probably the only Digital recording of anything by someone who plays with a style similar to Heifetz.

I actually had the pleasure of hearing Shumsky play the Beethoven years ago live at Harvard University with Ben Zander conducting.

Also check out.
http://www.violinist.com/discussion/response.cfm?ID=199
http://www.shumskymusic.com/
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