Profil’s Anthology of Violinist Jacques Thibaud

courtesy of Naxos of America

Following up on this past Friday’s anthology of “early recordings” of lyric baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Profil released a second anthology at the same time, the beginning of last month. This one consists of a six-CD collection devoted to recordings of the French violinist Jacques Thibaud. Thibaud’s recording history is relatively modest. He is probably best known for the recordings he made with cellist Pablo Casals and the trio the two of them formed with pianist Alfred Cortot.

Cortot figures heavily in this collection. In addition to his trio work, he also made duo recordings with Thibaud. As might be guessed, French composers figured significantly in Thibaud’s repertoire, both with Thibaud and other partners. The composers encountered on the first two CDs are, in “order of appearance,” César Franck, Claude Debussy, Gabriel Fauré, Ernest Chausson, and Camille Saint-Saëns. This is followed by an “encores” CD with selections by Debussy, Fauré, and Saint-Saëns, as well as Maurice Ravel. There is also a “Spanish connection” on this CD involving Isaac Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, and Enrique Granados. The fourth and fifth CDs are devoted entirely to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, respectively; and the final CD is divided between Franz Schubert and Robert Schumann.

I have to say that the most satisfying selections in this collection can also be found in the Casals anthology, The Complete Published EMI Recordings. Where issues of problematic tracks, such as those found on the Fischer-Dieskau anthology, arise, there seems to be only one serious defect. The slow movement of Robert Schumann’s Opus 63 trio in D minor was replaced by the opening movement of Schubert’s D. 898 (first) trio in B-flat major (which is also the first track of the CD). Needless to say, this problem cannot be found in the EMI anthology!