Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Nathan Milstein :: Beethoven & Brahms: Violin Concertos

Bring Nathan to Your Desert Island

Brian Forst | Reston, VA United States | 12/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Beethoven and Brahms violin concertos are the two pinnacles of the violin concerto repertoire, and Nathan Milstein is many a violinist's violinist, so it's hard to ignore this CD. Throw in that these are the finest of Milstein's several recordings of these two classic works, both exceptional accounts of the artist at his peak in the mid-1950s, skillfully remastered in 2001 by Angel/EMI at Abbey Road Studios using state-of-art "noise-shaping" technology, and you end up with a desert-island CD.There are other reasons to have this recording. Milstein and conductor William Steinberg collaborate magnificently with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in the acoustically rich setting of Pittsburgh's Syria Mosque to produce a masterpiece. It is technically superb and artistically inspired. Milstein's cadenzas on these classics are reason enough to have this recording. That it is available in the affordable mid-price range is a bonus. This is about as good as it gets."

Milstein at the top of his Game

Doug - Haydn Fan | California | 09/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recorded in 1957 and 1954 respectfully, these are not for those of you who insist on modern digital recordings. However, if you love great violin playing look no further. Amazon has lowered the price to under eight dollars as further inducement, though to be brutally honest there are thousands of classical reissues that go for far more as "rarities" and cannot hold a candle to Milstein's playing. As early as 1955 David Hall was touting Milstein's recording of the Brahms Concerto offered here as "doing him full justice as an artist and a musician". Since then Milstein's achievement has been universally acknowledged as perhaps his single greatest recording. Almost all critics believe he was one of the very top violinists of the last century. This performance shows why.

Milstein wrote the cadenzas for both concertos, and both show refinement and melodic thoughtfulness over busywork or facile display. I am fortunate to have the original records, the first issued in the early days of long-playing records. To my ear an A - B comparison reveals the remastering was very successful with most of Milstein's extraordinary and entrancing tone intact on the CD.

Steinberg who was always underrated does a fine job here with the Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra. In several places the older sound flattens their tone out, but generally they sound good and always are alert, consistently on hand to offer the soloist well-integrated bracing support. This was an orchestra that played Beethoven very well under Steinberg - they would later go on to record a complete cycle of the symphonies when it was still considered something of an undertaking. Their perfromance of the Beethoven seventh symphony (in fine stereo) shines out from that series - a fine example of musical architecture and propulsion. Steinberg could be very good - his DG recording of the Planets and Also Sprach with the Boston Symphony shows him at his best - it is a modern day classic recorded near the end of his career.

But this recording belongs to Milstein, and if you are not familiar with him and love violin playing you could do no better than this issue. And for playing like this the sooner the better! Wonderful CD."

Milstein shines

Anthony Westgate | 01/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"No other violinist has a silvery tone quite like Nathan Milstein. To have a coupling of his recordings of the two greatest violin concertos is a rare treat indeed. His perfomance of the Beethoven is unsurpassed in its lightness of touch - the slow movement really is heavenly!



The orchestral accompaniment is well judged; it's just a shame that, even with digital remastering, it doesn't come over with the quite the depth and clarity of detail of a modern recording. However, given the choice between that and a fine performance, I'll choose the latter every time."