Sergei Prokofiev - Violin Concertos; Violin Sonata No. 2 (David Oistrakh)

Information

Composer: Sergei Prokofiev

1. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19: 1. Andantino
2. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19: 2. Scherzo. Vivacissimo
3. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19: 3. Moderato
4. Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63: 1. Allegro moderato
5. Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63: 2. Andante assai
6. Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 63: 3. Allegro ben marcato
7. Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a: 1. Moderato
8. Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a: 2. Scherzo. Presto
9. Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a: 3. Andante
10. Violin Sonata No. 2 in D major, Op. 94a: 4. Allegro con brio

David Oistrakh, violin

London Symphony Orchestra
Lovro von Matačić, conductor (1-3)

Philharmonia Orchestra
Alceo Galliera, conductor (4-6)

Vladimir Yampolsky, piano (7-10)

Date: 1954 (1-3), 1955 (7-10), 1958 (4-6)
Label: EMI

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Review

Three Oistrakh Prokofiev recordings from the 1950s all in excellent fettle.

This version of the fairy-tale First Violin Concerto of Prokofiev is a considerable improvement on Oistrakh’s later Soviet one with Kondrashin and the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. There his tone and that of the orchestra is compromised by a tart and vinegary nasal quality. In this case the monophonic recording sounds very healthy despite the 52 intervening years. As for the performance of this glorious, gaudy, splendid and glimmering saga of a piece it is stunning. The LSO provide a backdrop full of intriguing character – and there’s a lot going on too. Oistrakh romps through the piece with marvellous silvery precision and exacting virtuosity. Matacic is a pliant and spontaneous-sounding partner – comparable with Pierre Monteux in his lightning-rod attention to detailing. He takes care of his soloist yet snatches opportunities to colour and pace amid Prokofiev’s brittle and crystal. Once again I note how the finale shows up Walton’s debt in his own Violin Concerto. This GROC resurrects a modern sounding recording to place alongside the Beecham-conducted Szigeti which you can hear on Naxos (see review). For a yet more modern sounding Prokofiev 1, I still recommend Sitkovetsky on Virgin (see review).

There’s a change of orchestra and conductor for the stereo recording of the Second Concerto. This is a much more sober work yet with echoes of the Romeo and Juliet ballet music and serenely of Bach in the middle movement. The recording is stunning – listen to those cavernous pizzicati towards the end of the Andante assai not to mention the castanets in the finale.

The Violin Sonata No. 2 began life as a Flute Sonata which was transcribed by the composer at Oistrakh’s request. It was a product of the composer’s wartime retreat to Perm in the Urals.  It’s a serene and untroubled work; not at all macabre or fantastic unlike the First Concerto.

The notes are by David Gutman and emphasise the story of the music rather than its recording history.

Precisely etched and joyously breathtaking Prokofiev playing.

-- Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International

More reviews:
http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/e/emi62915a.php
http://www.allmusic.com/album/prokofiev-violin-concertos-nos-1-amp-2-violin-sonata-no-2-mw0001857694
http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Violin-Concertos-Sonata-Oistrakh/dp/B0002VEPNU

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Sergei Prokofiev (23 April, 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous genres, he was one of the major composers of the 20th century. Prokofiev wrote seven completed operas, seven symphonies, eight ballets, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a symphony-concerto for cello and orchestra, and nine completed piano sonatas, many of which are widely known and heard. He also enjoyed personal and artistic support from a new generation of Russian performers, notably Sviatoslav Richter and Mstislav Rostropovich.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Prokofiev

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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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