Customer Reviews

Itzhak Perlman - Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto ~ Live in Russia / Mehta

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a Perlman Lover and I own both the CD and the video of this concert. This performance contains some of my favorite show-pieces for violin, in particular Tchaikovsky's Concerto in D, Tartini's Devil's Trill, Wieniawski's Caprice in A minor, and Bazzini's Le Ronde des Lutins. The Tchaikovsky and Tartini pieces have been favorites of mine for many years and I grew up listening to them being performed by other virtuoso violinists.

Perlman's mastery of the violin is amazing. I prefer his performances to my long-time favorites. But, while I love his performance of each of the pieces individually, the real power of the CD or video for me is knowing that all of the pieces were all performed in a single concert. Hearing (or seeing) his brilliance in performing piece after piece is awe-inspiring. I am always moved to give him a standing ovation after the Bazzini piece that ends the concert. Recently, I listened to the CD with my eight year old son (who never claps for anything). At the end of the CD, even my son was moved to spontaneous applause.

Don't miss this one.

I have become a fan of Perlman over the years, and I particularly love the Tchaikovsky concerto, so of course I had to have this one. I bought this disc a few days after hearing Perlman perform this concerto live with the Boston Symphony under Ozawa. This live disc captured perfectly the feeling I had sitting in Symphony Hall hearing this concerto. Perlman was not flawless in concert, neither is he on this disc. But his knowledge and feel for the Russian flavor of the piece is uncanny, and his technique is breathtaking. The orchestra could have been captured a bit better. Perlman's encores on this disc are absolutely unbelievable. If you're buying the Tchaikovsky concerto try Perlman's earlier recording with Philadelphia Orch. under Ormandy, as I think the orchestra is heard much better.

This was one of a spate of classical recordings commemorating (or cashing in on) the end of the Cold War. _Bernstein in Berlin_ was one, celebrating the fall of the Berlin wall; a concert featuring Smetana's _Ma Vlast_ on the occasion of the liberation of Czechoslovakia was another. This disc records the first visit of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra to Moscow, in another sign of the communist crackup of the late 80s and early 90s.

Musically, it's sensational. The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto provides a generous showcase for Mr. Perlman's powers. IMHO it is a bit long, but that's all the more music to enjoy, I suppose. The liner notes contain the very interesting story of how this concerto came about--a famous violinist of Tchaikovsky's day, for whom the work was composed, rejected it for being "unviolinistic"!

The rest of the program features Perlman with a pianist, minus the orchestra. Some pieces, like Wieniawski's "Etudes-Caprices" are really musical bonbons. But reducing the second movement of Tchaikovsky's first string quartet to a single violin and piano is quite a feat. Every musical offering brings down the house; at the end the crowd practically carries him off the stage. The recording is crisp, with a good sense of the hall, with Perlman rightly being given acoustic center stage. A treat!

Perlman is not my favorite violinist, although he is definitely up there. I think there are others, such as Gil Shaham and Hilary Hahn, who are more consistently exceptional. However, Perlman has a few recordings which simply cannot be topped. This is one of them. I have listened to many recordings of the Tchaikovsky concerto (Shaham, Bell, Heifetz, and others) and seen it live a couple times, but no performance I have heard tops this one.

It must be said that the sound engineering is not the best. There is some light hissing noise throughout and the audience is quite loud (not to mention that it claps after the first movement of the concerto). However, the musicianship that shines through all this noise is simply astounding. If I could choose one word, it would be "gritty." Perlman's unique, intense sound is perfect for this piece. His amazing vibrato is warm in the 2nd movement and thrilling in the fast sections. His articulation in the virtuosic passages sounds like machine-gun fire, incredibly accurate and clean. His glides tenderly caress the music, particularly in the initial statement of the first movement and throughout the second movement. He is showy, but never self-indulgent, tender, but never sappy. I cannot say enough good things about this performance. The orchestra under Mehta is always excellent as well, although the recording does not always flatter it. Regardless of the recording deficiencies, though, in my experience, this is THE definitive Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto recording.

As for the Tartini and the encores, I have not heard as many recordings of them, but they also are excellent. Perlman's technical fireworks in the Tartini and the Bazzini are simply astounding. The Wieniawski and Prokoviev are excellent as well. The Bloch, Kreisler, and Tchaikovsky Andante Cantabile are all gorgeous. The pianist also is very good, and he and Perlman make an excellent team.

In summary, this is, in my opinion, a must-have CD. Whether you are a violin enthusiast, classical music connoisseur, or even a newcomer, you cannot go wrong buying this CD.

The first CD of Itzhak Perlman that I bought, was this one, and I couldn't have done better. It's a wonderful CD, w/a breathtaking sound from Perlman's violin. When I first listened it, I comproved how good was him, and and after that CD, I bought other two that were avaible at the store. So, when u want to listen an excelent interpretation of Tchaikovsky's concerto for violin, this is indispensable.

If you've ever been disappointed in a CD by a wonderful musician simply because of the quality of the recording in a live performance, then don't let that dissuade you from purchasing this one. Its sound quality is superb, and the performances are out of this world.

There is something so special about Itzhak Perlman with his instrument that *thrilling* is the only word I can think to apply to it. I just got this CD, and wish that I'd had it from long ago. (I have five of his CD's and am wondering now why I don't have more.)

If you don't have any Perlman CD's, this would be an excellent start. Another thrilling one to buy soon would be Itzhak Perlman and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra doing Vivaldi's Four Seasons. But you can figure out the other CD's later; don't hesitate on this one now.

This Tchaikovsky Recording is a fair one. Perlman has better recordings; namely his performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The first movement sounds a bit too rushed and slightly "showman-like" rather than musician like. The Bazzini is slightly scratchy and rushed!! Perlman's pizzacato is also mushed and hard to hear. Listen to Maxim Vengerov's recording of the Bazzini... It's the best I've heard to date.