Search - Bach, Taschner :: Gerhard Taschner Legendary Virtuoso

A Successor of Huberman

toscha | Palo Alto, CA USA | 07/06/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Gerhard Taschner was a concertmaster of Berlin Philharmonic during 1940s under Furtwangler. He was assigned to the post when he was only twenty. Taschner studied with Huberman and Hubay among others and inherited Huberman's mantle as devilish violinist. His performances of Bach Chaconne and Tartini-Kreisler's Devil's Trill Sonata are played with demonic intensity and personal ardor, totally unlike today's approach, but compelling in their own ways. Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen" is truly devil-may-care 'gypsy' performance. He does not possess the polish and suavity of Heifetz, but comes close to beating him with his daring playing. Two sonatas (Franck&Brahms No.3) with Gieseking are interesting discoveries. They are one of the few chamber music recordings Gieseking ever made. In these sonatas, Taschner shows Huberman's influence more than any other pieces in the collection. Glissandi are sometimes overripe and excessive, but definitely have characters of their own. Gieseking's piano playing has wonderful delicacy and color. Outer movements of Khatchaturian concerto are taken at breakneck tempi and to some ears, they may sound breathless, but I find Taschner's performance incredibly exciting. The sound quality of these 2 CD-set definitely show their age (recorded between 1943-48) and these CDs are definitely not for people who are interested in sound quality. The connoisseurs will likely to find these penatrating performances highly rewarding. Transfer is well done, however pitch varies between selections (Tartini, Franck and Brahms are almost half step flat)."