Tchaikovsky, Sibelius: Violin Concertos

Jean Sibelius (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Eugene Ormandy (Conductor), Philadelphia Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Philadelphia Orchestra
• Conductor: Eugene Ormandy
• Composer: Jean Sibelius, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• Audio CD (May 16, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002AXW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,605 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must have for Stern fans, others shop around, May 9, 2000

By 

J. Buxton "cantabile" (Waltham, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tchaikovsky, Sibelius: Violin Concertos (Audio CD)

The Tchaikovsky dates from the 1950's and the recording shows its age, although Sony has done an admirable remastering job. The violin is placed very forward in relation to the mic, which captures Stern very well. The fluidity and technical precision he exhibits in the quick passage work reminds me of Heifetz in his almost robotic ability to hit every note. To Stern's credit, he is considerably more poetic than Heifetz in this particular work. This might even be a top recommendation if not for the orchestra not being captured very well. The orchestra is too far back and sounds a bit muddy. The sound in the Sibelius is much better (recording from late 1960's), but Stern's performance is not on a par with the Tchaikovsky. It is quite adequate and probably better than average, but it is missing that last bit of dark mystery I associate with this piece. This reading pales in comparison to Lin/Salonen on Sony, Repin/Krivine on Erato, and Kennedy/Rattle on EMI.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very fine versions of these two concertos, February 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Tchaikovsky, Sibelius: Violin Concertos (Audio CD)

These are wonderful performances, full of the flair that made Stern famous. I was glad Sony chose this particular version of the Tchaikovsky with Ormandy and the Philadelphians for his "Life in Music" series, rather than Stern's later version with Berstein and the NYPO. This earlier recording captures Stern with more spontaneity and displays his virtuosity to greater effect. The faster passages of the Tchaikovsky are handled with ease, even at speeds faster than normally heard. The Sibelius was recorded much later and therefore has slightly better sound but the performance again is on a very high level. It may not be THE best version of this concerto out there, but it is very satisfying. Overall I would recommend this recording.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, May 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tchaikovsky, Sibelius: Violin Concertos (Audio CD)

A violinist with whom I exchanged e-mail over the Internet insisted this was one of the great performances of this work. At the time I already had other performances but grudgingly agreed to purchase Stern's. Let me summarize by saying that those other discs are sitting in the used CD store, and I'm playing the heck out of this one. I'm glad I took his advice!