Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Carlo Maria Giulini, La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra :: Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Romances for Violin & Orchestra

Gorgeous Playing

Santa Fe Listener | 05/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Accardo is in excellent form here and is accompanied well by one of the best conductors of our time, Carlo Maria Giulini. A great combination that lives up to their reputationsAccardo clearly demonstrates that he is one of the finest violinists of our time and that he can play more than Paganini."

An unusual reading that puts the conductor first

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In this 1992 recording of the Beethoven Violini Concerto, the entire tone and pace is set by Giulini. Fmaously a condcutor of spirituality and feeling, the later Giulini was also slow and much less incined toward drama. Salvatore Accardo goes along obediently; this is the least flashy of solo renditions.



Everything is molded toward Beethoven's orchestral part; in essence this is a noble symphony with violin obliggato. If you'd like to hear such an approach, which is certainly unusual, rest assured that Sony's 20-bit recording is clear and natural, the La Scala Philharmonic plays well (they are about the size of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, I would guess), and Accardo's tone, relaxed rather than intense, is well blended into the whole proceedings. I can't get too excited about this CD, but it is musical and lovely on its own terms."