Search - Mendelssohn, Milstein :: Violin Concerto

Excellent

violadagamba | New York, NY | 03/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nathan Milstein doesn't need any recommendation. He belongs to that generation of wonder with Jascha Heifetz and David Oistrakh. These two concertos are truly excellent, even by his standard (probably the reason for this coupling by EMI Classics). His playing here is simply poignant, mesmerizing and contains the kind of individuality no longer found in modern recordings of these pieces. I even recommend it above Heifetz's version (no offense to any Heifetz's fan!)."

Glistening Milstein Quicksilver

Passionate | Stoke on Trent, UK | 08/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard this on vinyl when it was released in the UK on HMV Concert classics, and I paid £2.50 for it. I still have it, though it has worn badly, the fate of favourite LPs in bygone days! I took delivery of this CD today, and I am totally blown away by this remastering, it is so true to Milstein's silvery glistening articulation. The recording was made in 1961, with the stellar Christopher Parker / Richard Jones recording and balancing team, so this is not a duff old version, this is practicallly demonstration standard sterophonic sound, the digital remastering being bright but not brittle. The Mendelssohn performance is absolutely fabulous, swift and joyous, with no hint of exaggerated over-romanticism. The slow movement is utterly lovely, and the outer movements are full of brio and bounce, with the unique clarity of bowing that only Nathan Milstein could ever produce. I agree with the previous reviewer that this performance ranks amongst the finest versions ever committed to disc, along with the Heifetz / Munch collaboration (1959), and the legendary 1981 recording made in Montreal by Kyung Wha Chung with Dutoit.
The Bruch is very good indeed, I rate it as his finest performance on disc, but I don't think it displaces Kyung Wha Chung's later version with Klaus Tennstedt for sheer poetry and spontaneity in the first two movements. The final movement is fabulous of course."