Customer Reviews

Zino Francescatti: Great Violin Concertos: Mendelssohn / Bruch / Saint-Saens / Tchaikovsky / Prokofiev / Chausson

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I first heard sections of the Tchaikovsky concerto on NPR a couple years ago, and was immediately struck by the emotional involvement as well as the talent which Francescatti shows here. This set of five violin concertos is a part of the Sony/Columbia Masterworks Heritage series, and the performances, all from the early 1950's, have been lovingly remastered in truly beautiful mono sound. There's none of the boxiness or closed-in feeling one sometimes hears in mono recordings, nor is there any detectable surface noise. Instead, you hear waves of warm, rich sound which suit the performances perfectly.

The package includes photos of the original covers of the LPs, as well as informative notes about Francescatti.

I've waited for these recordings to come out on CD format for years. I only knew of them through records before. Francescatti's playing is refined and warm but it also possesses much excitement and energy. These recordings are invaluable to any music lover's library. The Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky are in a league of their own.

Zino Francescatti is in my opinion is the best virtuoso violinist I have ever heard. If you listen to his performance of the Mendelssohn E minor concerto as well as other artists there is no comparison. First, the tempo is faster and more active. He has more power and precision then Perlman. The notes do not get lost at the end of long passages or cresendos. The younger performers have nothing on Zino.

Francescatti is often forgotten in the US because of his frequent stays in his native France and his Italian heritage, but surely ranks among Milstein, Stern, Kreisler, Elamn and others in terms of the great violin interperters of this century. While Heifetz brught the level of violin playing to a new, unforgiving level, Francescatti proved that one could have flair and unending warmth without sacrificing technique. The Tchaikovsky here may be my favorite interpertation I've heard yet. While he does not take it at the breakneck speeds of his contemporary Heifetz, bask in the warmth and power of his sound--especially his double-stops (two notes at once) which ring unlike anyone else's--and the styling which he brings to the score. Upon the end of Mvt. 1 of the Tch. Concerto, one could be hard-pressed to find a more dramatic, heart-racing coda that Francescatti's. Becuase he took his time with the rest of the movement, his techincally-astounding speed at the end adds excitement that, had he chosen to start at his max, could not be achieved. Besides that, the Mendelsohn is a Francescatti speciality, as well as the Saint-Saens, whose popularity was practically due to Francescatti's performances. These recordings should not be the only performances of these pieces in a library--becuase of Francescatti's personal interpertation--but they might be the most expressive. In my opinion, Heifetz was unquestionably the best violinist of the cenutry, while Francescatti is who I enjoy listening to the most.

Francescatti has a truely beautiful rich tone that is filled with so much warmth and emotion, it gives you goose bumps. He is masterly accompanied by Dimitri Mitropoulos, sadly, a forgotton conductor whose career was ruined by Leonard Bernstein, by "outing" his homosexuality. Here, Zino and Dimitri give the most inspired Mendelssohn performance you will hear. It is not taken at the slow pace that virtually all conductors and soloists take. It has pace, breadth and energy. Just compare Francesccati's performance, to an equally revered performance by Menuhin and Furtwangler. I guarantee you'll be more impressed by Francesccati and Mitropoulos. The Saint-Saens concerto sounds so vivid, it's hard to believe it was recorded in 1950. Except for the mono sound, it's sound like he recorded it yesterday. A great compilation of concertos that deserve to be in any colleciton!

This is a memorable collection, specially the Mendelssohn, where
Francescatti brings us a magic rendition under Mitropoulos. A real
jewel.