Yehudi Menuhin : Bartok:Violin/Viola Concertos.

All Music Guide Title is: Bartok: Violin Concerto in Bm No2, Sz112, BB117; Sonata Sz117, BB124

Featured Performer: Yehudi Menuhin

SPARS: ADD

Length: 140:05

Released: 2003

Booklet: 12 pages

Booklet printed in the following languages: German, English, French

From the All Music Guide:

Compiled from recordings dating from 1965 to 1974, this EMI/Gemini double-disc of Bartok 's string concertos and other works features Yehudi Menuhin at the peak of his powers, with support from two important Bartok specialists and their sympathetic orchestras. Menuhin is admirably backed in all the concertos by Antal Dorati and the New Philharmonia Orchestra , and Pierre Boulez and the BBC Symphony Orchestra provide meticulous accompaniment in the two Rhapsodies . The resilient Viola Concerto and the splendid Violin Concerto No. 2 are essential listening, both for their masterful writing and for the vigorous performances Menuhin and Dorati deliver. The rest of the pieces are somewhat less compelling, and one may choose among them according to taste. The early Violin Concerto No. 1 is attractive for its Romantic mystery and youthful ardor, though Menuhin 's heavy vibrato seems a little too affected. The Rhapsodies are exotic and energetic and performed with great attention to color. Following the orchestral works, the six movements from the Duos (44) and the Sonata for solo violin may seem like unnecessary filler, yet some may appreciate these bracing pieces as an aural chaser. The analog recordings have been digitally remastered and sound remarkably fresh, with virtually no tape hiss to show their age. ~ Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide