Ludwig van Beethoven - Violin Sonatas (David Oistrakh; Lev Oborin)

Information

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven

CD1:

• (01-03) Violin Sonata No. 1 in D major, Op. 12 No. 1
• (04-06) Violin Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 12 No. 2
• (07-09) Violin Sonata No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 12 No. 3

CD2:

• (01-03) Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 23
• (04-07) Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 - "Spring"
• (08-10) Violin Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 30 No. 1

CD3:

• (01-04) Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30 No. 2
• (05-07) Violin Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op. 30 No. 3

CD4:

• (01-03) Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 - "Kreutzer"
• (04-06) Violin Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 96

David Oistrakh, violin
Lev Oborin, piano

Date: 1962
Label: Philips
http://www.deccaclassics.com/us/cat/4684062

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 10 / SOUND QUALITY: 8

With the return of these stereo recordings by David Oistrakh and Lev Oborin (made in Paris in 1962), many collectors will find an automatic first choice. This new Philips set presents these accounts in fine digital transfers and has the benefit of having all 10 sonatas placed sequentially across four CDs. The performances are exceptionally fine, sometimes not as dramatic as Schneiderhan’s (DG), it’s true, but always intensely musical and natural. For example, compare Oistrakh’s reading of the darkly urgent C minor work (Op. 30 No. 2) with Schneiderhan’s and you’ll find an altogether more comfortable ride, without the sometimes fussy dramatic overlay. That owes something to Oborin’s greater restraint, an impression also bolstered by the aural perspective of the recordings in which the players are positioned considerably apart, with violin to the left and piano to the right. Okay, it’s not really ideal, and some listeners will find this extreme balance annoying, but it’s a small price to pay considering the caliber of these performances.

In the epic “Kreutzer” sonata Oistrakh plays majestically and thoughtfully, the slow movement being beautifully inflected without losing its tight rhythmic control. On balance Oistrakh probably comes closest to Grumiaux’s style of playing, with its tonal purity and dignity, though the iron-fisted austerity of Schneiderhan’s DG performances remains impressive. What you don’t need in Beethoven, however, is the inflammatory but often clumsy rhetoric that Szeryng sometimes produced, and in this regard Oistrakh can’t be faulted, for these are readings of the highest sophistication. Finally, there are also very special qualities in Oistrakh and Oborin’s classically concise readings of the earlier sonatas, particularly the three Op. 12 works and the Op. 30 group. What you’ll find here is a duo that devotes minute attentiveness to every passing detail, along the way conveying a powerful feeling of joyfulness and discovery. This is essential listening, and not just for violin devotees: this set belongs in everyone’s collection!

-- ClassicsToday

More reviews:
BBC Music Magazine  PERFORMANCE: ***** / SOUND: *****
http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Sonatas-Violin-Ludwig-van/dp/B00005ND42

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Ludwig van Beethoven (baptized 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential of all composers. Beethoven is acknowledged as a giant of classical music, and his influence on subsequent generations was profound. His best-known compositions include 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, 1 violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas and 16 string quartets. Many of his most admired works come from the last decade of his life, when he was almost completely deaf.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_van_Beethoven

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David Oistrakh (September 30 [O.S. September 17] 1908 – October 24, 1974) was a renowned Soviet classical violinist. He is considered one of the preeminent violinists of the 20th century. Oistrakh collaborated with major orchestras and musicians from many parts of the world, including the Soviet Union, Europe, and the United States, and was the dedicatee of numerous violin works, including both of Dmitri Shostakovich's violin concerti, and the violin concerto by Aram Khachaturian. Oistrakh's playing was not so much marked by brilliance, but by richness, lyricism, roundness of tone.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Oistrakh

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Lev Oborin (Moscow, 11 September [O.S. 29 August] 1907 – Moscow, 5 January 1974) was a Russian pianist. Oborin was accepted into Moscow Conservatory in 1921 and completed his piano studies there in 1926. In 1927 he became the winner of the first International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. In 1935 he played his first concert with the violinist David Oistrakh, with whom he continued to collaborate all of his life, including in a trio with cellist Sviatoslav Knushevitsky. Oborin trained many pianists, including Vladimir Ashkenazy, winner of the second prize at the 1955 Chopin Competition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Oborin

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