Search - Max [composer] Bruch, Ludwig [composer] van Beethoven, Ida Haendel :: Violin Concertos

This disc offers what collectors of historical recordings look for: personality. Ida Haendel is one of the most sought-after violinists among LP collectors. She doesn't have the eccentricities that mark most cult objects. She just plays the music with singing tone, keeps things moving even in the placid Beethoven concerto, and holds your attention with the force of her imagination and the composers'. Although these are very different pieces, she performs them equally well. Rafael Kubelik and the orchestra are carefully integrated with the soloist. Although the orchestral sound could be more transparent, the violin comes across vividly in these excellent transfers from late-'40s 78s. --Leslie Gerber