Poll 2 - the Sequel

[Gurn Blanston]

Well, you pianists are having it all your own way these days. Since my primary interest is the violin, let's have a little discussion of violinists. Living & dead.

Deceased - Jascha Heifetz
Living - Gil Shaham

Oh, this topic is so very much more difficult than the piano one!
Regards, Gurn

[This message has been edited by Gurn Blanston (edited May 13, 2003).]

[Joy]

Just yesterday on public classical radio I heard Vadim Repin play the Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky with the Kirov Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev. They were in Dvorak Hall, in Prague. They said he was the hottest violinist out there presently. It was very good. As for the deaceased part I would have to agree with J. Heifetz.

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'Truth and beauty joined'

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Joy:
Just yesterday on public classical radio I heard Vadim Repin play the Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky with the Kirov Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev. They were in Dvorak Hall, in Prague. They said he was the hottest violinist out there presently. It was very good. As for the deaceased part I would have to agree with J. Heifetz.

Joy,
Thank you, dear lady. I have never heard of Repin, although that means less than nothing, I would surely like to hear him play. Actually, there are so many outstanding fiddlers, now and through the ages, that it is a very difficult pick. Anyone else care to weigh in?
Regards, Gurn

[lysander]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
Joy,
Thank you, dear lady. I have never heard of Repin, although that means less than nothing, I would surely like to hear him play. Actually, there are so many outstanding fiddlers, now and through the ages, that it is a very difficult pick.


Anyone else care to weigh in?
Regards, Gurn

David Oistrakh - a favourite violinist of both my husband and myself. His interpretation of - Sibelius Violin Concerto - has never been equalled that I am aware of. His technical virtuosity I am sure, has no equal in any other violinist of any age.
He also brings out in the Sibelius piece, which I used to listen to time after time in the 70's. The plangent mournfulness, the highs and the lows of the human experience which to my mind no other violinist could even get near. Equally so with Beethoven's beautiful Sonatas for violin and piano which I also cherish by Oistrakh, and Lev Oborin, piano.





[This message has been edited by lysander (edited May 13, 2003).]

[Chaszz]

Paganini broke my heart when I first heard him, and I've been unable to listen to any other violinist since. Just kidding, I'm not quite that old. But he should probably be mentioned here, as was Beethoven in the great pianists thread. And also should be mentioned Joachim, Brahms' good friend for whom he wrote his Violin Concerto.

I would second the votes for Heifetz in general, and for Oistrakh for that same recording of the Sibelius Violin Concerto, which Lysander mentions. I also listened to that many, many times, some years ago. This concerto is a monumental work, for those who haven't heard it.

[Gurn Blanston]

Yes, I have several works by Oistrakh, not the Sibelius though, and he was the one that gave Heifetz a race at the end there. It came down to the same question I asked in the Piano Poll, are we talking technical prowess, expressive capabilities or both? Kinda went with Heifetz on the technical prowess end, but I think Oistrakh would have won otherwise. Has anyone heard those old recordings by the likes of Ysaye, Sarasate and Kreisler? These guys were considered fabulous in their time, but I don't know if we have heard them enough to say so. Are these recordings any good sound-wise?
Regards, Gurn

[Peter]

Originally posted by Chaszz:
Paganini broke my heart when I first heard him, and I've been unable to listen to any other violinist since. Just kidding, I'm not quite that old. But he should probably be mentioned here, as was Beethoven in the great pianists thread. And also should be mentioned Joachim, Brahms' good friend for whom he wrote his Violin Concerto.

Isn't there a very early recording of Joachim playing? There is one of Brahms lasting a few seconds playing one of the Hungarian dances, but of course the quality is dreadful and it is impossible to make anything of it!

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'Man know thyself'

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Peter:
Isn't there a very early recording of Joachim playing? There is one of Brahms lasting a few seconds playing one of the Hungarian dances, but of course the quality is dreadful and it is impossible to make anything of it!

I have a little snippet that I got from NPR of an old wax cylinder that was found a couple of years ago of Edison interviewing Brahms, more or less. Mine is him saying "This is Dr. Brahms, Johannes Brahms". Sound quality sucks, of course, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. When I originally heard it on the radio, it DID have him playing a little bit of a Hungarian Dance on the piano, don't have that though, darn the bad luck. What I have seen though is EMI (I think) released a CD of Ysaye playing the violin that dates from approx. 1900. I have never heard it, and my attempts to buy a copy have come to naught. I have also heard that there is a recording of Pablo de Sarasate extant, which dates from the same era (I think he died in 1903 or so). The oldest that I have is some Heifetz from around 1930 and some Casals from about the same time. They sound amazingly good, no worse than stuff from the 1950's. Also have some Busch Quartet from 1938 (Brahms) and it is surprisingly good, making allowances for its history! From a historical perspective alone I think these recordings rate some respect from modern listeners, no?
Regards, Gurn

[Peter]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:
I have a little snippet that I got from NPR of an old wax cylinder that was found a couple of years ago of Edison interviewing Brahms, more or less. Mine is him saying "This is Dr. Brahms, Johannes Brahms". Sound quality sucks, of course, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. When I originally heard it on the radio, it DID have him playing a little bit of a Hungarian Dance on the piano, don't have that though, darn the bad luck. What I have seen though is EMI (I think) released a CD of Ysaye playing the violin that dates from approx. 1900. I have never heard it, and my attempts to buy a copy have come to naught. I have also heard that there is a recording of Pablo de Sarasate extant, which dates from the same era (I think he died in 1903 or so). The oldest that I have is some Heifetz from around 1930 and some Casals from about the same time. They sound amazingly good, no worse than stuff from the 1950's. Also have some Busch Quartet from 1938 (Brahms) and it is surprisingly good, making allowances for its history! From a historical perspective alone I think these recordings rate some respect from modern listeners, no?
Regards, Gurn

Well for those interested in reading about this and hearing it try this - (sorry to have brought your Violin thread back to pianos!)
http://ccrma-www.stanford.edu/~brg/brahms2.html

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'Man know thyself'

[Javax]

Any violin is good violin. I'd rather hear a grammar-school child play violin than listen to almost any music on the radio today. I'm sorry. It needed to be said. NPR notwithstanding.

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Javax:
Any violin is good violin. I'd rather hear a grammar-school child play violin than listen to almost any music on the radio today. I'm sorry. It needed to be said. NPR notwithstanding.

Javax,
My kind of person! Now, who beyond grammar school do you favor? ;-)
Regards, Gurn

[Chaszz]

Originally posted by Peter:
Well for those interested in reading about this [Brahms/Edison cylinder] and hearing it try this - (sorry to have brought your Violin thread back to pianos!)
http://ccrma-www.stanford.edu/~brg/brahms2.html

The links on that page don't seem to work, for me anyway. I managed to ferret out this page which has links that worked for me:

http://www-ccrma.stanford.edu/groups...ms/brahms.html


Fascinating to actually hear Brahms play, even though the sound quality is so poor. Thanks, Peter!



[This message has been edited by Chaszz (edited May 15, 2003).]

[spaceray]

I heard some young violin students being adjucated today,they were wonderful.

Gurn, who is Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg?

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by spaceray:
I heard some young violin students being adjucated today,they were wonderful.

Gurn, who is Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg?

Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg is a marvelous fiddler who appears to be a tad eccentric. There was a little documentary made about her a couple of years ago that mentioned some problem she was having, possibly a nervous breakdown issue although I don't remember the details. In any case she is the devil on the violin, and a pleasant-seeming flake besides. You may perhaps see her work in catalogs, the little bit I have heard is excellent.
Regards, Gurn
PS - you have to admire one who carries a Russian, Italian and Scandinavian heritage so lyrically in her name!