Search - Felix Mendelssohn, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Claudio Abbado :: Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos

Ever the patrician in his phrasing, tone, and manner, Nathan Milstein tempers virtuosity with warm sentiment in both of these popular concertos. There is a feeling of continuity to his interpretation that allows each piece to unfold rhapsodically, almost as if it were taking shape spontaneously under his fingers. Claudio Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic create a dark, burnished background against which Milstein's playing glows like an ember. Tempos are brisk, especially in the Mendelssohn, but the phrasing is assured, and there's no sense of undue haste at any point. There is good detail and a fine balance between solo instrument and orchestra in these early-1970s recordings, which were originally issued by Deutsche Grammophon, but the pickup still sounds slightly too distant and a couple of poorly done splices are readily apparent. --Ted Libbey