Customer Reviews

Bronislaw Gimpel Plays Bruch, Kreisler, Dvorak And Goldmark (2 CD Set)

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This is probably the best performances of all of these pieces played here. It is obvious Gimpel had a technique to match that of Heifetz, the seriousness of Oistrakh, the elegance and charm of Kreisler, The experimental qualities of Milstein, and added to all that, a sound closer to the human voice than that of any other violinist. It is very disappointing to see that this is the only cd of Bronislaw Gimpel available, although there are many other recordings of his. From this we can see he was equal if not better than any other violinist in his time. He received inadequate attention and got much less than deserved, but here's a tribute to one of the greatest violinists of all time.

Although Bronislaw Gimple played these pieces with beautiful clarity of tone, his playing lacked spark and often dragged. His pace and rhythm were far too slow and dull to capture the most out of these pieces. If you want to hear a richer and far better treatment of the Goldmark concerto (a very underrated work in my opinion and one that certainly deserves wider exposure), as well as livelier interpretations of Kreisler, I recommend Itzhak Perlman's recordings of these pieces. They are well paced and snappy without being played too fast and truly bring out the best in Kreisler and Goldmark.