Joseph Szigeti, Violin [Box set]

Orchestra of the New Friends of Music (Performer), Bartók, Beethoven, Bloch, Brahms, Dvorák, Falla, Handel, Hubay, Kodály, Mendelssohn, Milhaud, Paganini, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Tartini, Warlock Bach (Composer), Mengelberg, Stiedry, Walter Beecham (Conductor), British Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Concertgebouworkest, Orchestra of the New Friends of Music (Artist), British Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), London Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Concertgebouworkest (Orchestra), Joseph Szigeti (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Orchestra of the New Friends of Music, Joseph Szigeti
• Orchestra: British Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Concertgebouworkest
• Conductor: Mengelberg, Stiedry, Walter Beecham
• Composer: Bartók, Beethoven, Bloch, Brahms, Dvorák, Falla, Handel, Hubay, Kodály, Mendelssohn, Milhaud, Paganini, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Tartini, Warlock Bach
• Audio CD (October 1, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Andante
• ASIN: B00005U586
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #325,463 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. J.S. Bach / Keyboard Concerto in D Minor BWV 1052 (Fritz Stiedry, Orchestra of the New Friends of Music); I. Allegro

2. II. Adagio

3. III. Allegro

4. Giuseppe Tartini / Concerto in D Minor, D 45; I. Allegro

5. II. Grave

See all 17 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Beethoven / Concerto for violin and orchestra in D Major, op. 61 (Bruno Walter, British Symphony Orchestra); I. Allegro ma non troppo

2. II. Larghetto

3. III. Rondo: Allegro

4. Felix Mendelssohn / Concerto for violin and orchestra in E Minor, op. 64 (Sir Thomas Beecham, London Philharmonic Orchestra); I. Allegro molto appassionato

5. II. Andante

See all 6 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Sergei Prokofiev / Concerto No. 1 for violin and orchestra in D Major, op. 19 (Sir Thomas Beecham, London Philharmonic Orchestra); I. Andantino; Andante assai

2. II. Scherzo: Vivacissimo

3. III. Moderato

4. Niccol=F3 Paganini / Caprice No. 2, op. 1 No. 2

5. Ernest Bloch / Violin Concerto (Willem Mengelberg, Concertgebouworkest); I. Allegro deciso - Moderato - Allegro

See all 10 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. G.F. Handel / Sonata op. 1, No. 13 in D Major (Nikita Magaloff, piano); I. Adagio; Andante sostenuto

2. II. Allegro

3. III. Larghetto

4. IV. Allegro

5. Johannes Brahms / Sonata No. 3, op. 108 (Egon Petri, piano); I. Allegro

See all 19 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Joseph Szigeti was one of the undisputed violin greats of the past century, renowned for capturing the core of the music he played, never descending to shallow display or generic interpretations. His artistic integrity is on ample display in this deluxe book-style album of well-transferred, well-chosen selections from his recorded prime. Some of them may have been equaled but never bettered. The Beethoven Concerto with Bruno Walter, the Prokofiev First with Beecham, the live Bloch Concerto with Mengelberg are all classic recordings whose value endures. The chamber works, too, are indispensable: the profundity of Szigeti's Brahms Op. 108 sonata with the legendary Egon Petri, for example, or his Handel with Nikita Magaloff make for unique listening. Even in the shorter, lighter pieces, he always plays idiomatically and milks everything there is in the music. Partners include such great composers as Bartók, who joins Szigeti and clarinetist Benny Goodman in "Contrasts," and Stravinsky, who partners the violinist in a 1945 recording of his Duo Concertante. Szigeti's later recordings often found his technique fallible and the tone pinched, but he's at his peak here, a wise artist who plumbed music's depths as few have before or since. --Dan Davis

Product Description

The "musician's musician," Szigeti abhorred the showy and superficial yet his recordings were never dull or pedantic. Many of the great landmarks of 20th century violin repertoire exist thanks to Szigeti's advocacy, and this collection features several works that Szigeti championed during his peak years of 1926 to 1946. Included is a "Hungarian Rhapsody" by one of his teachers, Jenö Hubay; Baroque classics by Bach, Tartini and Handel; the great violin concertos of Beethoven and Mendelssohn; modern concertos by Bloch and Prokofiev; and the chamber music he espoused throughout his long career, including the landmark recording of Bartók's "Contrasts" with the composer and Benny Goodman.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent historical compendium, November 27, 2002

By 

Amberyl "geek of many interests" (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Joseph Szigeti, Violin (Audio CD)

For fans of Joseph Szigeti, or for collectors of violin recordings, this collection will probably be a must-have. However, casual listeners should seek the specific works and violinists that they're interested in. Those who haven't heard Szigeti before may wish to sample a single disc of his playing, before investing this much money.

Packaging-wise, the Andante collections lead the market -- solid covers, in-depth commentary content from the Groves Dictionary of Music, and glossy color pages. The CDs are slotted into envelopes built into the package, which makes it a bit hard to get them out and in without getting finger-grease on them, but this isn't too big a deal.

The music itself is well-chosen out of Szigeti's discography, though I regret the omission of Szigeti's recording of Bartok's Romanian Dances with the composer at the piano (but it's available on the Biddulph label).

Szigeti's playing doesn't sound especially antiquated to modern ears; indeed, he could be said to be the first of the "modern" violinists, despite the early 20th century vintage of these recordings. He's an intellectual, with thoughtful interpretations in a classicist vein, and these particular choices illustrate his violinistic capabilities quite broadly.

My only real complaint is the quality of the sound. While these are high-quality remasterings, they still have that "digital" sound to them. If you have these recordings as 78s or analog LPs, you will not want this collection unless you're trying to avoid wear and tear on your records (and even if so, you may be better off just making a CD-R copy). There's a loss of warmth to the sound that is clearly audible when you compare these to the analog originals; what has been achieved in clarity is not, in my opinion, worth what has been lost in tonal quality. Alternative individual remasterings exist in some cases; for instance, I prefer the EMI CD of the Mendelssohn/Mozart No. 4/Prokofiev No. 1 concertos.

Nevertheless, this collection is highly recommended to fans of the history of the violin, as well as, of course, Szigeti fans who do not yet own much of his music on CD. The elegant packaging makes for a nice gift item, too.