Search - Eugene Ysaye :: Violinist & Conductor

Ysaye--One of the Violin Immortals

Peter S. Lunde | 03/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Eugene Ysaye is one of the great 20th century violinists. This cd contains all known Ysaye recordings. The last four tracks are tracks of him conducting the Cincinnati Symphony. His touch and sweet tone are remarkable. When you hear him play, his style is unmistakable. Isaac Stern regards Ysaye as one of the great influences on his playing. This is a cd to have if you value hearing all the great violinists. The quality is fine and very clear, considering how old all of these originally were."

Magnificent

David Saemann | 06/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am tempted to call this disc essential if you are interested in the history of violin playing. Ysaye plays with a rich, expressive tone and oodles of virtuosity. His playing of the finale of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto is simply staggering in its accomplishment. Elsewhere, he creates dreamy moods that are unmatched in my experience by any other violinist. The Prize Song from Die Meistersinger is a work I never have heard on violin before. It is truly glorious as presented here. Some of Ysaye's tempos are very broad. This is the slowest version of Dvorak's Humoresque that I have ever heard. Not the be slighted are the four orchestral selections recorded in 1919 with Ysaye conducting the Cincinnati Symphony. The sound engineering is not bad at all, even with tubas substituting for the double basses. These all are morsels from the French repertoire that receive beautiful and vigorous playing from the orchestra. It is worth noting that one of Yayse's predecessors in Cincinnati was Leopold Stokowski and that Ysaye's successor was Fritz Reiner. Don't be deterred by the antiquity of these recordings. They are a refreshing musical experience."

Best sound of any Ysaye transfers. Magical music.

A techno geek | Kihei, Maui, HI USA | 02/06/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, dreamy. Ysaye transports you into other realms in a way no other violinist does. I've been listening to numerous compilations of the earliest violin recordings, and Ysaye stands out notably. Several recordings of Kreisler playing his own composition Caprice Viennoise are available, and they are lovely. But in Ysaye's hands, your jaw drops at the profound poetry.



Ysaye's recordings can be found among the various compilations, and there are at least three compilations of his complete recordings. This 1996 Sony release has by far the best sound. One forgets that it was recorded without electricity! The MP3 version Eugène Ysaÿe available here has very muffled sound in comparison. These transfers even outdo Pearl's job from Recorded Violin, Vol. ll."