This morning I listened to the single CD in the Warner Remastered Edition box set collection of recordings of performances by Russian violinist David Oistrakh. This consisted of eight compositions, five of which were composed for violin and piano. Among the three arrangements, the only one familiar to me was the “Jota” movement from Manuel de Falla’s set of seven Spanish folksongs (Siete canciones populares españolas), arranged by Paul Kochanski. The other two arrangers are Alexandre Roelens and Vasily Bezekirsky. The “original” compositions are as follows:
- Eugène Ysaÿe: “Extase” (Opus 21)
- Josef Suk: “Píseň lásky” (“song of love,” the first in the Opus 7 collection of six piano pieces)
- Zoltán Kodály: arrangements of three Hungarian folk songs
- Henryk Wieniawski: “Légende” (Opus 17)
- Aleksander Zarzycki: “Mazurka” (Opus 26)
This makes for a rather modest offering when compared with the generous number of encore selections that were recorded by Jascha Heifetz. Nevertheless, the CD definitely serves up an engaging journey of discovery. Sadly, I do not have many opportunities to encounter violin recitals. However, now that I have been introduced to the works on this album, I would certainly enjoy encountering them in performance.
This completes my account of the Warner CDs of recordings that Oistrakh made for Columbia in New York and HMV in London. However, the box set also includes 31 additional CDs under the rubric Premières, Rarities & Live Performances, along with three DVDs. Quite honestly, I am not yet sure how I shall work my way through the rest of this collection. Watch this space for further developments and (hopefully) insights into Oistrakh’s reputation!
No comments:
Post a Comment