Search - Edward Elgar, Niccolo Paganini, Jules Massenet :: Romantic and Virtuoso Music from the Golden Age of the Violin

Romantic and Virtuoso Music from the Golden Age of the Violin
Edward Elgar, Niccolo Paganini, Jules Massenet
Romantic and Virtuoso Music from the Golden Age of the Violin
Genres: Dance & Electronic, Special Interest, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (18) - Disc #1


     
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CD Reviews

It takes two...
beesquare | FALLS CHURCH, VA United States | 07/26/2002
(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ultimately this CD is disappointing even though the violin performances are astounding. The problem is the piano... not Boris Barere's playing, but the microphone that recorded it or the mixer who mixed it (there is no clue in the liner notes as to the date of these recordings - The 40s, 50s, and 60s were David Nadien's "heyday"). The piano sounds leaden and subdued as though it were from a 1920s recording. It doesn't match at all the violin sound, which is loud, crisp, and modern. Sound volume is boosted for the violin, reduced for the piano. Yes, these duets are meant to showcase the violin, but the piano has to add something to the overall impact of the piece, not detract from it. The two instruments have to blend and combine into an integrated whole (but they don't). The CD is full of old favorites, so you can be sure that the other performances you've heard will have sounded better, even if the violinist was not as good. Hence the disappointment with this CD. It could have been great. Too bad."