Search - Carlo Maria Giulini, Itzhak Perlman :: Great Recordings Of The Century - Brahms: Violin Concerto / Giulini, Perlman, Chicago SO

I am astounded that some think that this is a poor cd...

Dennis J. Marconi | Los Angeles, CA USA | 04/14/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Perlman and Giulini are two icons that have combined for some splendid music, and this is clearly an excellent album.Yes, the tempo is slow but it is also so warm and lyrical like most of Giulini's work. My only complaint is that the sound of the recording is not quite balanced, but this is a minor flaw as the musicianship of both dominate this OUTSTANDING recording."

What Texans don't know would fill a ...

kermit rohrbach | allen, tx, usa | 04/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a collector and a melomane, not a critic. Just could not pass up responding to three inane reviews. When I was (very) young I thought Reiner could conduct and I thought Giulini was too slow. Trust me, Giulini ages a lot more gracefully than Reiner. This is my choice for best recording (by a long shot) of the Brahms (obviously, I have not heard them all). The only serious crticism is balance, soundstage, microphone placement, etc. that EMI could not really alter in the re-mastering. Perlman was excessively highlighted in most recordings. If you want a Brahms violin concerto that you can live with (and if you are over 13 years old), you need to hear this one."

The Best

Roger W. Wood | Jacksonville, Florida | 06/20/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are a number of great recordings of this concerto. Among them are ones I have personally listened to over a long period of time, such as EMI's Milstein/Fistoulari/PO, the great Klemperer/National French Radio Orchestra/Oistrakh -- and, friends, that is a very good one indeed! -- on EMI, and, cutting the list short, this one, the Giulini/PO/Perlman performance. Just recently I heard a glorious local performance of this concerto in my hometown with Midori and the Jacksonville Symphony. But these cds are my favorites culled from many over the years. The tossup is between the Klemperer and the Giulini, but the one I listen to most is the sheer beauty and lyricism of the Giulini/Perlman performance. It is very romantic, has the big sound, and nobody exceeds the Chicago Symphony, Carlo Maria Giulini, and Perlman in presenting this concerto.



And let me say a word about this concerto. It is in essence romantic music. Just say "beautiful." Like the Dvorak Cello concerto, how does one do it without it sounding like it is? Romantic! Big! Sonorous! Lush! And why do it if it cannot be performed in the mood and spirit with which the music was intended? Well, nobody projects this kind of music better than this performance by Giulini, the CSO, and Perlman. I feel sorry for all the people reviewing this ahead of me who do not like this performance. I have been listening to Brahms over 50 years, and no one does this better than Carlo Maria Giulini, the CSO, and Perlmann. It shows music is more than just playing the notes or running the tempos. Music is for people. And this performance is sensational. It lets the romanticism engrained be released and rule every part of the concert. Go listen to it again, and hear it for a change. Fall in love with music again. Get this disc and be glad you did. It will become your favorite.



Yes, there are other great performances. I have mentioned just two others. But one will not find a better performance than this for the intention and type of music that is composed. Get it. Be glad you can. It is a smashing rendition of this music."