Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto,Op.35 / Dvorak: Romance,Op.11 / Sibelius: Concerto,Op.47 ~ Leinsdorf / Perlman

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

 

 

I bought this cd because I am a fan of the Tchaikovsky concerto and a huge fan of Perlman. He doesn't disappoint. It is hard to imagine why this recording hasn't been available all these years. The Tchaikovsky is outstanding, with Perlman at the prime of his youth playing with real panache and flair. The sound is close with loud climaxes and the soloist close to the mic. It is now definitely one of the best versions available, better than both of Perlman's recordings with EMI. The BSO under Leinsdorf is captured well. Unfortunately the Sibelius is not so memorable. Similar to Perlman's later recording with Previn on EMI, he seems to push the first movement a little too hard with the result being a loss of feeling and mystery. I don't hear the dark, brooding quality I expect to hear in this work. Leinsdorf was not known for his Sibelius either and it shows. For the Sibelius, try Vadim Repin on Erato (also coupled with an excellent Tchaikovsky).

Where have these recordings been hiding? It is hard to imagine the reason why they ever left print. Many thanks to BMG for bringing these performances back as part of the "High Performance" series. The Sibelius was Perlman's recording debut, and the Tchaikovsky was his first recording of four currently in the catalog. What a performance! The Tchaikovsky performance takes its rightful place with Vengerov/Abbado and Repin/Krivine as the best current versions in print. The first movement is taken at a breathless speed and yet it highlights Perlman's extreme virtuosity. The central movement is reflective, but not overly sentimental. The final movement is brilliant and exciting. The end is simply thrilling. The sound is very bright, as was customary for the RCA recordings from Boston in the 60's. But the Boston Symphony sounds excellent and the "High Performance" engineers are to be congratulated. The Sibelius is of a similar high quality, although I wouldn't say it approaches the best available versions. Lin/Salonen on Sony and Kennedy/Rattle on EMI both surpass Perlman. Even so it is thrilling to hear his debut recording. The Dvorak serenade is as beautifully played as I've heard, and the liner notes are excellent. A historic re-release.

Though these recordings from the mid to late 60s find Perlman at the beginning of his international career, they capture well the qualities most associated with his now mature artistry: solid technique, lyricism, and continuity of line. The Perlman approach works best with the Tchaikovsky concerto in a performance that eschews pyrotechnics until the last movement. The first movement sounds unlike any other recorded version, emphasizing the thoughtful, even melancholy elements within the score. The second and third movements are more conventional in their delivery, with the eruption of the finale's high spirits more astounding given the restraint shown earlier. The Dvorak was the original disc-mate for the Tchaikovsky, and sounds lovely here. Perlman and Leinsdorf seem less interested in the Sibelius. Everything's well-executed and beautifully rendered, but this is a reading that stays on the surface, with little acknowledgement of the raging passions underneath.

Perhaps most appealing about the High Performance release to those collectors familiar only with the previous Red Seal and Gold Seal releases of the Tchaikovsky and Dvorak is the refurbishment of the sound. The lps' sound was terrible - muffled and distorted. The first cd release on RCA's Papillion series miraculously cured the sonic ills, and High Performance doesn't improve much upon that earlier issue. But the Perlman/Leinsdorf/Dvorak piece is new to cd, and it may tempt some collectors to replace the Papillion with the fuller High Performance cd.

I had a copy of this on vinyl when I was younger and I lost it. However, I then found it on CD in a store and bought it. It is undoubtedly my VERY favorite piece of music. I love the sound of a violin and I can hear the strains of the music in my head so clearly and I can't help but smile, because I have never heard a violin make such beautiful sounds as it does in the violin concerto.

Although a great virtuoso, Itzhak Perlman has never been much of a risk taker. Even in these debut recordings from Boston in 1966 and 1967, he refuses to make anything but lovely sounds, and no phrase is allowed to escape his careful control. He's an artist who eschews impetuosity. I like the refurbished High Performance sonocs in 24/96 digital. The violin sounds natural, without shrillness in its upper range, and the BSO has plenty of room to breathe.

For me, Leinsdorf is always a problem. Here, as usual, he keeps strict time and is routine in every respect. He shares half the blame for the low-key first movement of the Tchaikovsky, which really needs fire and passion, not caution. But Perlman isn't exactly ablaze, either, as marvelously well as he plays.

The Sibelius concerto has a more important orchestral part, so we sorely miss a Rattle, Muti, or Sinopoli on the podium, just to mention the conductors who support Nigel Kennedy, Gidon Kremer, and Gil Shaham so incisively on their recordings. The violin concerto is in Sibelius's ripest romantic style, deeply influenced by Tchaikovsky, but if anything Leinsdorf is more recessive here. The Adagio is taken fairly quickly, however, which is a help in sustaining interest if you're going to be this literal. The finale begs for more energy from the orchestra, but Perlman breaks loose a bit and gives a gripping acocunt of the solo part.

If you want to hear the Tchaikovsky and Sibelius concertos played with emphasis on tonal beauty and control, this is a five-star CD. But for me, the only listener who would be thrilled by it is a violin teacher.

Seeing the young Perlman perform "live" was an extraordinary experience. The violin almost seemed to disappear in his hands, and one was only aware of music, effortlessly performed. These recordings, from 1966 and 1967, capture something of that: every phrase carefully thought out, planned and prepared, resulting in that effortless-seeming communication. These performances are some of the most exciting and profound recorded performances of Perlman's long career.

This release on "HP" discs corrects some of the defects of the early vinyl releases. The sound is now clear and vividly detailed, with a nice sense of space and weight, faithfully capturing the BSO's gorgeous sound in Symphony Hall under Leinsdorf. The soloist is front and center, but still with some sense of perspective and balance within the sonic image. There is some overloading in the loudest climaxes, however, and quite a bit of analog tape noise, particularly in the first movement of the Tchaikovsky, which the noise of vinyl covered, but the CD makes quite noticeable.