MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2023
Approaching 60,000 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


CD REVIEW

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


alternatively Crotchet

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major Op.12 No.1 (1798) [21:20]
Violin Sonata No. 3 in E flat major Op.12 No.3 (1798) [18:32]
Violin Sonata No. 10 in G Op. 96 (1812) [27:14]
David Oistrakh (violin), Sviatoslav Richter (piano)
rec. Moscow, 6 May 1970
DOREMI DHR7800 [67:14]



Oistrakh and Richter performed together as a duo for the first time in 1967. Their relatively late association was cemented by recordings of Brahms and Franck, ones that attest to their mutual understanding even given that Richter often performed with Kagan. Oistrakh’s sonata partner was Oborin and another frequent associate Yampolsky.
 
This is the tenth in Doremi’s series devoted to the violinist and is devoted to a recital given by the two musicians in Moscow in May 1970. For the record Oistrakh had recorded the Op.21 No.1 sonata with both pianist colleagues named above in 1954 and 1962; there’s a live 1962 Oborin as well. Op.12 No.3 fared equally well; Yampolsky in 1955 and Oborin in 1962 with another live performance in the same year. Oddly there is only the 1962 Oborin of Op.96 and a live recording, invariably with the same pianist from the same year. So of course we are in a sense spoiled for choice with more and more live performances becoming available all the time – hence there may need to be some adjustment to the above in the light of recent caches of material. 
 
The sound quality in the 1970 recital was rather tubby with Oistrakh too far from the microphone. The frustrating balance is a feature of the recital as a whole and not even Oistrakh’s big tone can compensate for the loss of optimum balance between himself and Richter. Oistrakh tended to take a deliberate tempo for Op.96, though it sounds to me – maybe a quirk of the balance inequality – that Richter tends to lead. The violinist opens up his tonal reserves in the slow movement though he’s too often covered by Richter, another product one assumes of the balance question. The mien is generally patrician and reserved. But the highlight for me was the puckish, agile and witty Scherzo, a real feast of interplay and alertness.
 
Oistrakh’s grazioso muscularity is heard to its full in the opening movement of the D major and there’s real fire and personality in the second movement variations – some superbly stentorian playing from both men here.  Oddly enough the opening of the D major sounds a touch more hissy than its companion sonatas and the sound a bit more open. In any case the performance has equal strengths. It’s vibrant and dynamic.
 
Given the state of the discography one would point readers to the commercial set of the sonatas with Oborin. This one has some piano-centred imbalance that skews ensemble. But without doubt as a formidable meeting of colleagues it has specialist appeal.
 
Jonathan Woolf
 



 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.