Search - Johannes Brahms, Eugene Ormandy, Philadelphia Orchestra :: Brahms: Violin Concerto in D; Symphony No. 2 in D

More Fabulous Francescatti

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 10/14/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For those who read my recent review of Zino Francescatti Plays Beethoven, this is another Biddulph disc featuring the great violinist that I picked up dirt cheap online at the Berkshire Record Outlet. It features the Brahms Violin Concerto, with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, from 1956 -- one of the very last mono recordings issued by Columbia Records. Francescatti remade the Brahms Concerto in stereo in 1961 with Bernstein, and that account might sound crisper overall, but his technique is much stronger here than it is in that later reading. Paired with the VC is a 1953 performance of the Brahms 2nd Symphony, again by Ormandy and the Philadephians. It is a solid reading, but selfishly I would have much preferred a rendition of the 3rd, as an Ormandy studio performance of that symphony has yet to surface on CD. As is, this is a fine disc, and if you can still purchase it from Berkshire, it will be even better!"