Search - Bela Bartok, Max Bruch, Felix [1] Mendelssohn :: The Art of Ivry Gitlis

Can I only give 5 stars??

Gregory M. Zinkl | Chicago, IL | 02/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Wow.Wow.I'm speechless. The playing is incredible. Why Gitlis isn't better known is beyond me.These performances render each piece such that they were tailor-made for Gitlis. Fresh-minted. Impassioned playing, but somehow, it doesn't seem artificial or distracting, as so many performers today can sound.While Lin still has a stranglehold on the Sibelius, IMHO, Gitlis's is not behind; it deserves to be put beside the Lin. The Mendelssohn displaces all of my other recordings, even if one of my least favorite conductors accompanies (Swarowsky sounds better here as an accompanist than when on his own...), and the list goes on. But for me, the Bruch has never been better performed. It is gripping.Another asset to this set is another legend who does some of the honors in conducting: Horenstein. His contributions are mostly outstanding (He does the Bruch, Sibelius and Bartok). One can not accuse him of giving faceless accompaniments!Finally, the sound is hardly modern, but the music is transmitted just fine.This set should be ALWAYS available. And please, if any other recordings of Gitlis's art can be found, grab them.Wow."

Last of the greats

Nabih B. Bulos | Baltimore, MD USA | 02/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Simply put, this violinist is phenomenal.
I had the honor of playing with him quite recently when he was 82 years old. I have never heard anyone breeze through the 3rd movement of the Tchaikowsky like this man. Simply unbelievable.
Of course, if it was just about speed, he wouldn't be the violinist that he is. Gitlis is one of the most impassioned musicians I can think of, whose love and mastery for the violin does not overshadow his ability to serve the music.
Is he the best in all of these concertos? Such a concept is incorrect in the first place, since there can be no "best" interpretation. Is this set worth being a part of anyone's music collection? Undoubtedly.
Incidentally, Amazon France has many more of his CD's, including the one with Martha Argerich mentioned in another review. Gitlis enjoys a good deal more fame in France anyway (it is his home, after all), but one wishes these CD's would be made available for those of us in the US."

Maybe the best deal in Classical music!

Brian Kelly | Music City, TN USA | 07/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Up until I bought this CD I barley knew who Ivry Gitlis was. I bought it because it was such a great deal and had pieces included that I liked very much all in one package. My plan was to leave it in my car and put my favorites back in the house where they couldn't get damaged. Man, was I surprised byt the quality of these performances and the recording in general. Mr. Gitlis is about as good as you can get and all the performnces are of a very high quality. Much better than I expected. Even the sound is pretty good. I just wish I had more CD's that I was this happy with."