Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 / Violin Concerto

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

My family, all violinists, has been a great admirer of the marvelous violinist David Oistrakh ever since I can remember. My Dad has always revered him above the rest for his complete violin playing, bolstered by having accompanied him while playing in the Utah Symphony back in the 1960s - Oistrakh played the Shostakovich violin concerto with them in Greece. The performance took place in an ancient Greek amphitheater and my Dad recounts how the audience, at the end of Oistrakh's performance, was still clapping after the entire symphony had packed up and leaving on the bus....

Oistrakh gives the music everything that it needs to easily be understood and - most importantly - felt. To put it in simpler terms, Oistrakh didn't play to show off his virtuosity, he played music and let the music overwhelm the listener with its powerful meaning and depth. He was a medium through which the listener could really know how the composer would have wanted his piece to be played.

That having been said, I must echo one of the other reviewer's opinion, in saying that I believe this to be the finest recording of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto to date. I have recordings of Heifetz playing the piece when he was young and other violinists as well. I have also heard the piece performed by even more violinists live and from other recordings, and I always had a puzzling question in my mind: how is this piece Russian?

I had always had troubles understanding the piece itself. When artists would perform the work, I heard many pretty melodies and a lot of difficult technique being performed, but obviously, there was more to the piece than that. I then received this recording for Christmas, about 5 years ago, listened to it, thought it was pretty great but was still too immature in my music-making to really grasp the true quality of the performance on the recording. I put it with the rest of my CD collection and didn't listen to it for another 3 years.

As I worked my way through my performance degree in college, I became more and more familiar with my instrument and - the Tchaikovsky concerto itself. Soon, that old question resurfaced, and I decided to listen to the recording again, this time being able to pay better attention to Oistrakh's interpretation. I began to listen, and heard many things I had never heard, many times thinking to myself, "Well, that sounds sort of Russian," or "That was well-executed." However, it wasn't until the opening of the third movement that Tchaikovsky's heritage unveiled its beautiful head in Oistrakh's hands. Following a short, jarring orchestral introduction, the violin comes in with a short cadenza. From other recordings, the cadenza had seemed like a time for the performer to let the audience know he could play ferociously and intensely with whatever rubato he pleased to achieve that effect. I wasn't expecting anything different. However, when Oistrakh entered, it wasn't an angry feline I heard, but the opening steps of a bonified Russian dancer! I was overjoyed and couldn't believe my ears! Yet, how he achieved it was so simple. He merely followed the music and took the music in a straight, measured tempo (without rubato), playing it with dignified grandeur, rather than biting vengeance.

The rest of the third movement was exactly what he had introduced - a lively, heart-thumping Russian tribute, filled with his understanding of his country and how its music is to be played.

There are many great recordings of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, but my best goes to this recording by Oistrakh and Ormandy. Oistrakh's Tchaikovsky stands out in its expression, structure and technique. He measures and constructs the music so well, then successfully brings out the lyricism of the music. His phrasing is so intense and tone so rich, yet expression is free spirited throughout. His technique is amazing in the way of its use: technique with reason and quality. Midori, Vengerov, Chung, Chang, Heifetz and Perlman are great too, yet I chose this as the best because of his understanding of this music. This recording stands out in every aspect, and I can see Oistrakh's influence in almost all the recordings of Tchaikovsky by today's violinists.

Emil Gilels' Tchaikovsky (Piano Concerto) had been my classic for a long time until Argerich's recording came out in 94. Gilels is so balanced in its music making while Argerich is totally driven by the music. Probably Gilels' is more of THE standard because every detail is clearly understood and beautifully expressed. But, my best goes to Argerich's 94 recordings with Abbado in its emotional depth and ultimate excitement.

I think, just listening to Oistrakh is worth buying this disc.

Okay, let's get real. What other label gives you classic vintage performances by two of the greatest artists in the twentieth century performing two favorites for under $10? Not many. And this CD is worth every cent. Here is my opinion as to why:

1. The live performance are riveting and full of vigor. There is the human touch of coughs between movements. There is an enthusiastic cheer at the end. How nice!

2. Gilel's Tchaikovsky is perfect. I mean perfect. I might argue that in this particular recording, Gilel's technical mastery and range of sounds and emotions exceeds that of Richter or other great pianists' recordings.

3. David Oistrakh's violin produces such lovely, full and vibrant tones.

4. Oistrakh's Tchaikovsky interpretation is amazingly lyrical. Toward the end of the first movement, the heartfelt wailes of trills in the cadenza transition to tranquil return to the opening theme. Then, Oistrakh literally soars toward glory to the end.

5. I think you'll agree (and it's not going to cost you much to verify my claim), this is a far superior performance to J. Heifetz, N. Milstein or I. Perlman.

Kudos to Sony for making these recordings available at a bargain price. First, although Mehta's relationship with the NYPO was somewhat rocky, they were certainly "on" this night along with Gilels. Gilels is a legend and I wanted to hear his Tchaikovsky. He does not disappoint. The combination of technical prowess along with romantic feeling can be heard throughout. It is a live recording, and there is a sense of it being a special occassion. The violin concerto is equally satisfying. Although this is a showpiece, Oistrakh doesn't dazzle us at the expense of the music. Again, the absurdly difficult technical demands of this piece are handled in stride, but the overall sense of emotion is maintained. How can you pass this up?

The greatest violonist of all time? somebody could argue, but the unforgetable David recorded all major concertos in many versions and with different conductors. Certainly the sound he produced from his Stradivarius was so unique, so warmth....that is maybe the reason why he was loved so much by his peers. One day Menuhin said: he is the greatest among us! It is a pity Amazon does not have the version recorded in Moscow when he was conducting the orchestra and playing the solo....and on the same record the Pathetique was something special. David Oistrakh is uncomparable for this concerto but also for many others. Buy this record and just listen the way he plays....

Why was this particular recording of the piano concerto ever released, other than to make money? The lovely playing of this piano concerto by Emil Gilels is completely ruined by endless, chronic coughing. It sounds like the audience is either suffering from an epidemic or trying to start one. A few of the folks in attendance should have been escorted out for being so rude and inconsiderate. Hasn't enyone ever heard of cough drops and handkerchiefs - or perhaps staying home when you're sick? Both of the Argerich concert recordings have audiences that are extremely quiet - until they erupt in applause at the end. For the sheer electrity of a live performance without all the projectile phlem, I highly recommend either of those. Avoid this one like the plague.

Gilels' technique radiates with sheer beauty in this difficult piece. Everything is done in good taste, no mannerisms are present. It's hard to believe that the recording was in front of a live audience.

The quality that most jumps out about this performance was the controlled power with which Gilels plays. It is not a percussive loudness. It is strong, singing, and disciplined power that combined with a virtuoso technique, makes for an exciting rendition.

I cannot make much of an educated opinion about the Oistrakh performance, but it is very clean and articulate. No screeching is present. The sound is very pure.

I have several discs in Sony's "Essential Classics" line and find that they truly are "essential" to my collection. Very often I find the best performances I've heard in this line and I congratulate Sony on this release. The perfect paring of piano concerto and violin concerto with Mehta and Ormandy. I want for nothing else in these works - soloists Gilels and Oistrakh are wonderful.

I'm completely amazed that some of the reviews listed here find Oistrakh's playing rather uninvolved. I've listened to this recording hundreds of times and each time I come away with the uncanny mental picture of a disembodied Tchaikovsky whispering each nuance of the score into Oistrakh's ear! My only reservation, and it is a minor one, concerns the cuts that are made, though they really aren't particularly noticeable when the recording is listened to. Listen to the wonderful use of rubato in the first movement (especially in the cadenza) and the way Oistrakh varies his tone to match the mood of each moment... he uses his violin in the way a great singer of lieder would to make crystal clear the meaning of each phrase. As far as Ormandy's conducting goes, I'll admit I've never been a fan of his interpretations, but I think here he matches Oistrakh's conception of the work admirably... his tempos are measured when need be with a weight, particularly in the first movement, that is seldom heard but is quite appropriate to the drama of the piece. When speed and passion are needed he brings the proper excitement and always keeps the orchestra in proper balance with the soloist. This is a grand yet intimate conception of the piece that is far removed from the virtuosity for its own sake type of performance that is much more common. Not that this is could ever be considered the performance of an old man unable to do the flashy stuff anymore, there are numerous places where Oistrakh demonstrates that he has technique to burn, but it is never used at the expense of the music. Oistrakh's performance digs into the soul of this piece in a way that no other performance of this music does. This performance is Russian with a capital R with a very sympathetic Western conductor and an orchestra at the height of its reknown. The sound, while not state of the art, is quite satisfactory... after all, the performance is the thing.
I'll admit that I'm not as taken with the Gilels performance of the Piano Concerto # 1. While it is quite acceptable, my own preference is for the wonderful performance recorded by Gary Graffman and George Szell with the Cleveland Orchestra. That is a performance that will knock your socks off and, with the price of these recordings, you can readily afford this one for the Violin Concerto and the Graffman recording for the Piano Concerto # 1.

I'd have to agree with some of the other reviewers below that this is probably the best recording so far of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, largely due to Oistrakh's nigh on perfect interpretation. So many other recordings have been slightly too fast (Accardo & BBC SO) or too mechanical (Spivakov & Ozawa) and have been disappointing but the tempo and performance is absolutely perfect here with Oistrakh's violin really singing and soaring and I never fail to get a feeling of immense satisfaction that you should get from the closing bars of this masterpiece - it's also worth pointing out that this is also the only recording I've heard where that final tremolo in the final movement can actually be heard clearly in all it's exciting and uplifting glory - it's a wonderful climax and too many recordings fail to do it justice but not here.

As already mentioned, Oistrakh's performance is faultless, by turns impressively covering the really difficult moments (of which there are many) and then being the most perfect interpreter of the many highly melodic lines and where it is sometimes easy to hear other pros make an absolute mash of the more fiendish passages, like the first movements speedy multiple stops, Oistrakh seemed to have no problems whatsoever, it all just flows so smoothly with no jarring screeches or discernable slowing down to accommodate the inherent difficulties.

The orchestration and performance of the Philadelphia Orchestra's is also one of the best out there which means that this is an absolutely essential recording of an essential classic - if you've never heard this recording then you've not really heard Tchaikovsky's most perfect work as it absolutely should be.