Another in the series of Decca Golden Age classics being lovingly remastered and released on xrcd by F.I.M. Seeing the total time of 60 minutes had me believing this was a reissue taken from two LPs; I was wrong – the reprinted original liner notes from 1962 show that it was a single disc with about a half hour per side. So although I don’t have the original release to compare, the xrcd has got to be a major sonic improvement over it, because simple physics dictates that it is not possible to cut 30 minutes of full-blown symphonic music on one LP side with optimum fidelity.
While both are fine virtuoso concertos which show off to great advantage the rich and fluid tone of the Russian violinist (which I always preferred to Heifetz’ tone), they are certainly not violin concerto warhorses. Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 is often heard in concert programs, but during George Bernard Shaw’s stint as a music reviewer, he observed that this Fantasia – which makes free use of Scottish folk melodies – was superior to both of Bruch’s actual violin concertos.
Having the Hindemith concerto conducted by the composer makes it a very special historical statement. The first movement of the work shows the composer’s free use of atonal melodies, without subscribing to the rigors of the 12-tone serialists. It strikes me as the sort of Hindemith which has made the composer the butt of some musicians’ humor. However, the composer’s tremendous eclecticism is demonstrated in the other two movements. The second begins with a lovely and expressive melodic line, but is interrupted by loud military-sounding music which seems to come from the war years in Germany (Hindemith was smart enough to escape by emigrating to the U.S. before the war). The lengthy finale provides a showcase of skilled playing on Oistrakh’s part, with strong melodic content of an often Romantic bent.
The album is packaged with a unique frame design around a reproduction of the original Decca LP cover. It is headlined on both sides as well as in big gold letters on the spine as simply “David Oistrakh, violin.” So don’t be surprised if you find the disc in stores in the solo violin recitals section rather than under Bruch or Hindemith.
– John Sunier
