Violinist David Oistrakh is joined by the French National Radio Orchestraconducted by Andre Cluytens for this recording of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto inD Major.
“1806 was the year after the composition of Fidelio, the year of its firstrevision, and the year in which Beethoven wrote three sunny masterpieces, theserenest and most loving of which is certainly this violin concerto. Hededicated it, not to the co-operative lady friend of the movement, but to hisboyhood friend Stephan von Breuning, a character who emerges more finely fromthe tale of Beethoven’s life than any of his other friends.
“The concerto was written for Franz Clement who, at 26, was conductor and leader(two more or less synonymous posts, since baton-waving was not invented) of thefamous Theater an der Wien. The concerto was written quickly, but only justcompleted in time for the first performance on 23 December; Clement is said tohave sight-read his part, but this is not too stunning a feat, since he had beenadvising Beethoven on the layout of the solo, and may even have influenced thenature of the Rondo theme. At the premiere Clement played the new work in twoparts, the Larghetto being preceded by an interval and a group of solos – one ofthese was a sonata for one-stringed fiddle played upside down. Czerny wasmightily impressed by Clement’s performance, but the concerto was thoughtinsignificant until Joseph Joachim popularized it later in the century.Concert-goers of a past generation speak with reverent phrases of hisinterpretation, and claim it has never been equaled since; for younger folk theBeethoven violin concerto means Fritz Kreisler, and it is curious that heexcelled in just those passages singled out by Joachim’s eulogists, the G minorpassage in the middle of the first movement, and the deathly hushed second tuneof the Larghetto.
“Both these great players have left fine sets of cadenzas to the concerto. DavidOistrakh plays those by Kreisler on the present record. The cadenzas byBeethoven to the concerto were designed for the adaptation as a piano concertowhich he made in 1807, and dedicated to von Breuning’s wife. The first movementcadenza was scored for piano and obbligato drums – it has been transcribed inour own time for violin and drums by Max Rostal.” – from liner notes byWilliam Mann
“David Oistrakh’s strong, aristocratic reading on HMV Concert Classics is afine one. The EMI recording is undoubtedly superior, with a spacious acousticand warm, resonant orchestral tone. The reading is characteristically assured,the soloists’s phrasing and sense of line impeccable.” Penguin RecordGuide.
Musicians:
David Oistrakh, violin
French National Radio Orchestra
Andre Cluytens, conductor
Selections:
Ludwig van Beethoven
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
1. Allegro ma non troppo – Cadenza – Tempo I
2. Larghetto
3. Rondo (Allegro – Cadenza) Tempo I
