Violin Concertos by Shostakovich & Tchaikovsky (2006)

Anyone who loves the repertoire -- the best Russian violin concertos of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries -- and loves the performer -- the best Russian violinist of the twentieth century -- will have to hear this disc. Featuring performances by the great David Oistrakh recorded during two of his earliest American tours, the A minor Concerto by Shostakovich was taped in Carnegie Hall in New York City in January 1956 with Dimitri Mitropoulos leading the New York Philharmonic while the D major Concerto by Tchaikovsky was ... Read More

Anyone who loves the repertoire -- the best Russian violin concertos of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries -- and loves the performer -- the best Russian violinist of the twentieth century -- will have to hear this disc. Featuring performances by the great David Oistrakh recorded during two of his earliest American tours, the A minor Concerto by Shostakovich was taped in Carnegie Hall in New York City in January 1956 with Dimitri Mitropoulos leading the New York Philharmonic while the D major Concerto by Tchaikovsky was taped in the Broadwood Hotel in Philadelphia in December 1959 with Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra. Both are masterpieces of the art of violin playing. Shostakovich's concerto was dedicated to and premiered by Oistrakh, and his performance here blazes with power and commitment. Tchaikovsky's concerto had been every great Russian violinist's calling card for close to a century when Oistrakh took it up, but his performance here melts with sweetness and light.... Read Less