Schumann: Violin Concertos in D and A minor

On this CD:

1. Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra (Finland) with John Storgaards
Conducted by Leif Segerstam

2. Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
Composed by Robert Schumann
Performed by Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra (Finland) with John Storgaards
Conducted by Leif Segerstam

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato
II. Canzonetta: Andante
III. Finale: Allegro Vivacissimo
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Romance
III. Allegro Con Fuoco

Tracks:

I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Adagio
III. Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Vivace
I. In Kraftigem, Nicht Zu Schnellem Tempo
II. Langsam
III. Lebhaft, Doch Nicht Schnell

Customer Reviews:

Observing Growth, Thanks to Re-Issued Recordings.......2006-11-04

Joshua Bell is a very fine violinist and musician and continues to grow into his innate talent. Though this re-issue is of recordings of warhorses made in his early years, the individual works are quite strong and satisfying on many levels. But the true joy of owning this CD is using it as a reference point of Joshua Bell's growth as a performer and interpreter.

The CD includes the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, the dazzling Wieniawski Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22, Schumann's Violin Concerto in D minor, WoO 23 and the Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 - recorded with the Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Ashkenazy. It is this last concerto this listener wishes to address.

Joshua Bell is currently 'in residence' with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and his most recent spectacular performance was the Brahms' concerto with Jonathan Nott guest conducting. Bell is so much more in control of this fiendish work now than he was with the original recording. His tone is bigger, his phrasing is even more eloquent and he now is so familiar with this great work that he uses his own cadenza in the long first movement, a welcome break with current tradition. His playing is opulent, precise, and radiant and his involvement with the orchestra and conductor is at one with the moment. Now, returning to this CD, it is refreshingly apparent how artists grow and find maturity and depth in performing works that are standards of the repertoire. This recording is a fine one standing on its own merits, but it is an indispensable one for following the careers of the truly fine performers on the stages today. Highly recommended for those reasons. Grady Harp, November 06

Beautifully played concertos for a fantastic price.......2005-05-23

Decca has been re-releasing some of Joshua Bell's previously out-of-print recordings at a lower cost (allegedly to celebrate his 20-year recording anniversary). The works on this particular 2-disc set include the violin concertos of Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski, Schumann, and Brahms. Bell is accompanied by the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by either Vladimir Ashkenazy (the Tchaikovsky and the Wieniawski) or Christoph von Dohnányi (the Brahms and the Schumann). The digital recordings boast the crystal clear sound that Decca's engineers are known for.

Though Bell was only 20 years old when some of these works were recorded, his playing is fresh and exciting, and his technique is nearly flawless. Bell plays these well-known Romantic melodies with a warm, beautiful sound and with natural (yet spontaneous) phrasing. Bell's intonation is quite good throughout (there are just a few sharp high notes), and the cadenzas and highly technical passages are pulled off with stunning virtuosity and grace. There is not a single moment where Bell sounds unsure of himself.

The Cleveland Orchestra (under both batons) is fantastic. The orchestra is perfectly balanced with the solo violin, as well as with itself. The accompanying woodwind passages are clear and beautiful, the strings are warm and unobtrusive, and the brass sound is powerful, yet well contained.

One could argue that some of these concertos (especially the Tchaikovsky) are better performed by the youth. You will have the opportunity to decide for yourself when Sony releases Bell's new live recording of the Tchaikovsky with the Berlin Philharmonic next month. If the Tchaikovsky is your main motivation, you might want to wait until the new recording is released before deciding which you prefer. On the flip side, since you get four concertos with this set, you might consider buying this as well as Bell's upcoming release. In any case, I do not hesitate strongly recommending this recording. I would feel comfortable if this was my only recording of these concertos, and the price for two discs secures my 5-star review.

EDIT (September 23, 2005): Joshua Bell's new account of the Tchaikovsky concerto was released this month. Since this is not a review for that album, I will not go into detail about it here. But I will say that it is absolutely fantastic. Because you get much more bang for your buck, I still highly recommend this 2-disc set. However, if you are only after the Tchaikovsky and don't care about the other concertos in this set (gasp!), I suggest getting the new recording. (An easy solution, though, is to get them both!)

Cheap ploy by Decca.......2005-04-24

It's pretty lame of Decca to re-release this old recording of Bell playing the Tchaikovsky just a few months before Sony releases a brand new one.

Save yourself a twenty and wait for the Sony version. Bell plays the Tchaikovsky *much* better at 36 than he did at 19.

Average customer rating:

Historical Gems
An inspiring combination!!
Good Schumann, Great Dvorak, Excellent Transfer

Schumann, Dvorák: Violin Concertos

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
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Yehudi Menuhin Plays Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin

ASIN: B000067UMA
Release Date: 2002-07-16

Tracks:

In Kraftigem, Nicht Zu Schnellem Tempo
Langsam
Lebhaft Doch Nicht Schnell
Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Adagio Ma Non Troppo
Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo

Customer Reviews:

Historical Gems.......2005-02-18

This was the first fully commercial recording of the Schumann concerto. It is played in it's original version. It is one of my favorite of all violin concertos, and Menuhin and Barbirolli are on fire!

This is also the first commercial recording of the Dvorak concerto. Menuhin and Enescu play it without self-consciousness, it becomes a passionately characteristic glorious work.

Highly recommended.

An inspiring combination!!.......2005-01-19

Menuhin & Enescu, pupil and teacher performing together is always a treat. The sound of Menuhin's violin is simply beautiful and Enescu's conducting is as always just magnificent.

The sublime quality of these performances makes you totally forget this is an analogue recording from the 1930s.

For more memorable performances of these two great musicians of the 20th century you won't regret getting Bach's Violin Concertos first released by EMI References in 1988. This is an established classic example of how Bach should be played!

Good Schumann, Great Dvorak, Excellent Transfer.......2004-01-05

This disc of Schumann/Dvorak Violin concertos played by Yehudi Menuhin is another of Naxos' excellent historical remasterings, this one done by Ward Marston. As usual with transfers from 78's, there's a slight hiss, but who cares? The Schumann dates from 1938, with John Barbirolli leading the NY Philharmonic. It's very good. The Dvorak was recorded in 1936 in Paris with George Enescu at the helm. It is stunning. Overall, a very satisfying CD.

Mendelssohn & Schumann: Violin Concertos - Renaud Capucon

Average customer rating:

Mendelssohn & Schumann: Violin Concertos - Renaud Capucon
Felix Mendelssohn , Robert Schumann , Daniel Harding , and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Face à face: Duos for Violin & Cello
Brahms: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-3
Franck: Violin Sonata; Rachmaninov: Cello Sonata
Brahms: Piano Trios

ASIN: B0002TKFZY
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Tracks:

I. Allegro Molto Appassionato
II. Andante - Allegretto Non Troppo
III. Allegro Molto Vivace
I. In Kraftigem, Nicht Zu Schnellem Tempo
II. Langsam
III. Lebhaft, Doch Nicht Schnell

Average customer rating:

Itzhak Perlman Collection

Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000DOKC
Release Date: 1995-01-01

Average customer rating:

The Great Violin Concertos-Ferras/Berlin Phil-Von Karajan
This Sibelius is the best
A Different but Pleasing Approach to Beethoven op. 61
Wonderful Schumann and Sibelius

The Great Violin Concertos

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000001GJJ
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

Concerto pour violon et orchestre, Op.77: 1. Allegro non troppo
Concerto pour violon et orchestre, Op. 77: 2. Adagio
Concerto pour violon et orchestre, Op. 77: 3. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace Poco piu presto
Concerto pour violon et orchestre, Op. 47: 1. Allegro moderato
Concerto pour violon et orchestre, Op. 47: 2. Adagio di molto
Concerto pour violon et orchestre, Op. 47: 3. Allegro ma non tanto

Tracks:

Concerto pour violon et orchestre, Op. 61: 1. Allegro ma non troppo
Concerto pour violon et orchestre, Op. 61: 2. Larghetto - attacca
Concerto pour violon et orchestre, Op. 61: 3. Rondo. Allegro
Sonate pour violon et piano, Op. 121: 1. Ziemlich Langsam - Lebhaft
Sonate pour violon et piano, Op. 121: 2. Sehr lebhaft
Sonate pour violon et piano, Op. 121: 3. Leise, einfach
Sonate pour violon et piano, Op. 121: 4. Bewegt

Customer Reviews:

The Great Violin Concertos-Ferras/Berlin Phil-Von Karajan.......2004-11-25

Simply superb. THe Brahms is heartfelt and the Sibelius is haunting. The Beethoven ans Schumann holds second to none.

This Sibelius is the best.......2004-05-19

Just on the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Christian Ferras. Astonishingly underrated. I was quite overwhelmed by it. (Only David Oistrakh is any thing like as good.) None of the showy scraping `gypsy' violin style, just nobility, power, strength and seriousness, which is just what Sibelius is said to have wanted. Apparently, Sibelius marked a slower tempo in the first movement than he might have done just to deter violinists from using it for virtuoso display. Ferras plays this piece as if it were a symphony: passionate with a superb full tone and magnificent intonation. Very good recording quality too. Karajan gives him just the right support: dark, powerful, purposive. Ferras isn't quite as well known these days as some other violinists - this may be partly owning to the fact that he died comparatively young, aged only 49 in 1982. I can't recommend it too highly.

A Different but Pleasing Approach to Beethoven op. 61.......2000-05-06

I finally found it on CD!

The Ferras/Karajan recording of the Beethoven Violin Concerto (on LP) was the first recording of this work I ever heard. I got it as a bonus with an introductory set of the Symphonies when I joined a record club in the early eighties. I had been only a casual listener of classical music at that time and the absolute beauty of this particular recording was one of the major factors in my learning more about this genre.

The previous reviewer felt that this version lacked the "crisp, biting" quality of his favorite recordings of the work. This finally helps me understand why when CD's first replaced LP's, and this version was unavailable on CD, I could never find a CD version of this piece that satisfied me. I had become "imprinted" on this particular version, which inspired my love of classical music. I was especially moved by Ferras's solo passages in the slow movement.

An extra bonus, which should be especially appealing to someone starting a classical library, is the inclusion of the wonderful Brahms and Sibelius concerti, plus the Schumann sonata. What a package!

Wonderful Schumann and Sibelius.......1998-11-15

This album offers close to the best versions of Schumann's second violin sonata and Sibelius's concerto. Ferras and Barbizet's fierce violence in the opening, coupled with the beauty of the middle sections in the sonata, outpaces even Kremer/Argerich (DG) and Kaler/Slutsky (Naxos). Ferras and Barbizet's approach is exactly what you would expect from their Beethoven sonatas (EMI). The Sibelius concerto is just about the most gorgeous available in terms of sheer sound, and Ferras's playing is masterful and passionate. I like it as well as Oistrakh's versions, but there are those who prefer the latter. At the two-for-one price, these two pieces are worth the price of admission.

The Brahms concerto is a very good reading of the score, and certainly among the best six or eight recordings of that piece. It is in the Beethoven that I part company with Karajan's approach. I believe the approach is his doing, though Ferras falls in with the plan. This is undoubtedly the most sumptuous and laid-back Beethoven concerto in the catalog. The sound of the orchestra and the violin are beautiful, everything is legato, and all the rough edges are rounded. Ferras even shapes his cadenza (the familiar one by Fritz Kreisler) to match the smooth and syrupy delivery of the whole. However, this amounts to a small complaint in an otherwise marvellous and economy-priced album. For those who want a crisp, biting, and vibrant Beethoven concerto, I recommend Stern and Bernstein (Sony). Some prefer Oistrakh/Cluytens (EMI) or Heifetz/Munch (RCA).

Customer Reviews:

25 Classical Heartbreakers.......2006-11-29

Although these are popular and widely heard compositions (that's why I gave it 4 stars) they are very soothing when you want to mellow out. However, I can't understand why the title reads '20 Classical Heartbreakers' when there are 25 pieces.

Schumann: Violin Concertos in D and A minor

Average customer rating:

Pleasant Surprise
Edgy

Schumann: Violin Concertos in D and A minor

Manufacturer: Ondine
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003795
Release Date: 1996-11-19

Tracks:

Violin Concerto in D minor: I. In kraftigem, nicht zu schnellem Tempo
Violin Concerto in D minor: II. Langsam
Violin Concerto in D minor: III. Lebhaft, doch nicht schnell
Violin Concerto In A Minor, Op. 129: Nicht zu schnell
Violin Concerto In A Minor, Op. 129: Langsam
Violin Concerto In A Minor, Op. 129: Sehr lebhaft

Customer Reviews:

Pleasant Surprise.......2003-05-30

From the first review I was prepared for the fact that I had wasted my money. But no. The Schumann Violin Concerto in D minor was really good. Very much like Brahms if not quite as good. In the hands of a real great soloist and conductor this could be a masterpiece. The soloist and conductor on this are good but not great. Still definately worth the listening. The other Concerto is Schumann's Cello Concerto arranged for violin. Ok but not much more.

Edgy.......2002-07-22

These concertos sound as tortured as their composer, soon to enter a mental asylum. Storgards' choppy edgy phrasing is uncomfortable to listen to; however, I imagine even the best players today couldn't make these sows' ears into silk--hence the dearth of recordings.