Search - Felix [1] Mendelssohn, Efrem Kurtz, Andre Previn :: Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto & Overtures

Sloppy and distant

Mark McGlone | San Diego, CA USA | 08/09/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Years ago in the pre-internet days, I used to buy classical music albums at a used record store for a couple of bucks each. It was there that I came across a Pinchas Zuckerman Mendelssohn Violin concerto album from the sixties. Even though I didn't (and still don't) know a lot about classical music, I was really impressed and played it frequently. Then I bought a CD player and got rid of all my LPs. Very stupid. Technology doesn't always make things better.



Recently, I started listening to classical music again, and found this CD. It wasn't Zuckerman, but I knew Menuhin was considered one of the greats so I bought it.



It's not terrible, I guess. There are problems though. Menuhin's violin sounds like it was recorded from a hundred yards away. His playing is sloppy in spots, and it's not nearly as crisp and emotional as Zuckerman's. It sounds like Menuhin is playing it as a technical excercise, and none too successfully. After buying this I learned that Menuhin's playing went into decline following the mid-fifties.



Find Zuckerman's recording instead."