Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Otto Klemperer :: Beethoven: Violin Concertos; Bach: Partita No. 2, BWV 1004 - Chaconne

The best beethoven - really i've been looking for awhile

J. Myers | Columbus, OH | 03/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A few months ago I pulled out my old recording of Heifetz playing the Beethoven Concerto with Boston and Munch. I had forgotten how great of a concerto it was and was fairly satisfied with the Heifetz - Munch recording. The only thing I really didn't like were the fast tempos and the sometimes strange phrasing of Heifetz. I then proceeded to look for the "perfect" recording. I first started out with Christian Tetzlaff's new recording and was disappointed by the poor tone of his playing. I then moved to Hilary Hahn's recoding and was missing the musicality the piece needs. I decided to give one more contemporary violinist a try, Joshua Bell. Wow did I make a mistake buying that recording, It was repulsive the way he destroyed the piece. After the Bell recording I tried Francescatti, Oistrakh, Milstein. All close but no cigar. One day as I was looking through my old LPs I came across Henryk Szeryng playing the Tchaikovsky Concerto with Dorati and London. I was stunned by his incredible technique and intonation. I then decided to give his Beethoven Concerto with Haitink. It was again close but a bit slow (the first movement a full 6 minutes longer than Heifetz). I liked what I heard and researched Szeryng some more and came across this recording. I was blown away! This is a live recording of Szeryng with Klemperer from 1959. Though the recording quality is not the best, the music means so much. His technique is amazing and tone unmatched. I am so surprised that Szeryng was not more well-known. He plays the Kreisler cadenza with incredible accuracy and musicality. Szeryng's slow movement is beautiful, his sound is pure and never pressed. The last movement is full of excitement and energy. If you're looking for THE BEST Beethoven I suggest you give this great recording a try. The Bach is a nice addition and is one of Szeryng more musical accounts of the piece. All together this is a great must have CD. I highly recommend this CD for the Beethoven and the Bach."