| Site review by Polly Nomial February 2, 2008
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
Another wonderful reissue from the Pentatone team, faithfully reproducing to modern ears the way that Philips Classics' tapes were surely always meant to be heard.
Although, by some standards, the music is slight (the booklet does however indicate how Paganini changed the musical landscape even without making allowances for the technical difficulties of the solo violin part) but the performances of Henryk Szeryng never seek to play to the aggrandising tendency that can all too easily be found in the music. Nor does (then plain) Alexander Gibson seek such a response from the LSO. The purity of line in the adagios is a rare quality displayed and Szeryng has nothing to fear from other violinists in his blend of musicianship and virtuosity (although he doesn't quite displace Salvatore Accardo from my affections). Some might find the allegro's a little under the tempi beloved of more modern virtuoso but they never flag and in many respects help treat the music with respect for the melodies contained rather than outright show-pieces - Szeryng is simply far too polite to descend to the devilish label beloved of commentators about Paganini and once or twice one wishes for a slightly more exuberant and extravagant approach.
The recording, made in Brent Town Hall, is not what is usually presented to listeners on SACD today - Szeryng is very closely scrutinised (never harmfully) and is given more prominence than in concert but this is still far from the worst excesses granted to violinists like Perlman. There is more hall resonance preserved than many modern recordings will allow but nothing distracting. The sound is remarkable in its solidity - the tapes wear their age remarkably lightly.
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Copyright © 2008 John Broggio and SA-CD.net
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| Review by terence December 10, 2007 (11 of 11 found this review helpful)
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Performance: Sonics (MC): |
Another splendid quadraphonic remastering from Pentatone. The solo violin in particular is beautifully captured, balanced perhaps just a little ahead of what might be a normal "concert hall" perspective, but not obtrusively so - orchestral detail is in no way occluded.
There's plenty of depth and width to the orchestral soundstage, rear speakers used discreetly but tellingly to fill out the venue sonically.
Szeryng's performances are superbly musical, poised yet also highly virtuosic when necessary (that's most of the time, actually....). There's no element of "showing off" whatsoever in his playing, which is not to say it hasn't got plenty of fire in its belly, because it has, definitely. It's just that Szeryng wasn't that kind of showy musician, just one heck of a good, tasteful violinist.
Once again this kind of release makes you wonder exactly how far (if at all) the art of sound engineering has advanced since this type of recording was first being made by the Philips team of the period. I find the results a great deal more involving and musically satisfying than most of the DDD multichannel recordings in my collection.
In short, highly recommended. Thank you Pentatone - keep those quad remasters coming!
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