Anniversary Collection

This box set celebrates next year the 100th year of Menuhin's birth in New York 1916, he died in 1999.(REVIEWS BELOW). In October 2004, an interview he gave to the New International magazine was reprinted, explaining how he got his name. " My parents found an apartment they liked, as they were leaving the landlady said "and you'll be glad to know that I don't take Jews". Her mistake was made quite clear to her. Back on the street my mother made a vow, her unborn baby would have a label proclaiming his race to the world. He would be called "the Jew" Yehudi in Hebrew. They found another apartment".THE BOX:The tough cardboard box is small, showing the sleeves. The lid covers the box and on one side has a few details about his life in English and German. On the back, pictures of the original sleeves. The cardboard sleeves are black with a picture of a young Menuhin and a small picture of the original cover on the front. Behind on a very light beige background, the composer, track numbers and conductor. The CD is Torquoise Blue with words in white, CD number, composer music and conductor. No booklet, so I will provide one. This box is released by intense media which is a subsidiary company of Membran International. ADD. Which means it has been remastered digitally. Many CDs are Mono, Stereo and three DDD. The sound is good, but there is no mention of when it was remastered.MENUHIN:He was born in New York city, to Jewish parents who came from what is now Belarus. He had exceptional talent at an early age, Enescu and Adolf Busch became his teachers. He recorded the Elgar violin concerto in 1932 with the composer. Yehudi had two sisters, concert pianist and human rights activist, Hephzibah and Yaltah, pianist, poet and painter.In 1945 he played at a Concentration camp for the inmates with Ben Britten. However, he returned to Germany in 1947 to play with the Berlin Philharmonic, concerto concerts under Wilhelm Furtwangler (who had remained in Berlin through the Nazi era to the wars end) as an act of reconcilliation. The first Jewish musician to do so after the Holocaust, saying to the Jewish critics that he wanted to rehabilitate Germany's music and spirit. Also, he pointed out that Furtwangler had helped a number of Jewish musicians to flee Nazi Germany. Another interesting fact, is that he introduced B.K.S Iyenear before he came to prominence in India to Europe, this was the first time Westerners had been exposed to Yoga. Mehuhin had a long association with Ravi Shankar, the sitar player, beginning in 1966 and Stephanie Grappelli, the jazz violinist. He was actively involved in charity and building music schools and festivals, for he was interested in fostering young talent.HISTORY:There is quite a bit of history in this box set, Elgar conducting Menuhin when he was young, and Enescu playing with the violinist. Bela Bartok wrote a Violin sonata for Menuhin, he who taught Reiner and Dorati in Budapest. Then Boult who was mentored by the great Hungarian conductor Nikisch, who believed that one's interpretation of the score should be subjective and he lifted the conductor into the center of society. Furtwangler stated that Nikisch was his role model, no one else. Dorati was inspired by that giant as was Monteux who mentored Zinman.RECORDINGS:They are not in the order they are in the box for obvious reasons. I shall place the conductor first, composer, date recorded, then a few brief comments.ELGAR: (1932). ELGAR violin Concerto. London symphony Orchestra. The Penguin classical guide 1976 states that this was one of the most famous gramophone recordings ever. He was aged 16 when played this concerto.The sound is good.MONTEUX: (1932 )J. S BACH. Concerto for 2 violins in D minor BWV 1043. Orchestre Symphonique de Paris.(1944) Violin no 3 in E major BWV 1016. Wanda Landowska harpsichord.FURTWANGLER: (1947) BEETHOVEN Violin concerto in D.Lucerne Festival Orchestra. This account has an authority and intensity that is almost unique in this repertoire. (1949) BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D major. Lucerne Festival orchestra. (1953) MENDELSOHN: Violin Concerto in E minor. Menuhin and Furtwangler float the the first in an unhurriedly serene, elegant fashion. In the slow movement they achieve a touchingly tender, almost innocent quality and the finale, taken at a moderate tempo, has lightness and an appealingly eager character. BEETHOVEN: Romance No 1 and No 2. Philharmonia Orchestra.(1953) BARTOK: Violin concerto No 2. Philharmonia Orchestra. Furtwangler and Menuhin have a perfect partnership and bring out the best in each other.(Take no notice of the wording in English Violin Sonata No 2 next to the German). (1957) Sonata for Solo Violin sz 117BOULT: (1955) SIBELIUS: Violin concerto in D minor. For me Menuhin captures that emotional spell that Sibelius weaves in his Adagio. London Philharmonic Orchestra. FISTOULARI: (1955) PAGANINI: Violin Concerto No 1. London symphony Orchestra. The Adagio is especially beautiful, that well used word that defines that which we cannot put into words.DORATI: (1957) BARTOK: Violin Concerto No 2. Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. On the Mercury Label. Living Presence. Here Menhuin demonstrates those special qualities of lyrical feeling and warmth for which he was justly famous.KEMPE: (1957) BRAHMS: Violin Concerto in D major. Berlin Philharmonic. Kempe is known for his conducting of the Ring, Meistersingers and Lohengrin.BARBIROLLI: (1938) SCHUMANN: New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra. It says PIANO CONCERTO in fact it is the Schumann violin concerto (1953) SAINT-SAENS: Violin Concerto in B minor op 61. London Philharmonic Orchestra. KURTZ: (1956) MENDELSSOHN :Violin Concerto in E minor. Philharmonia Orchestra. The restrained warmth of his phrasing of the famous principal melody of the slow movement has long been a hallmark of Menuhin's reading and the finale has plenty of sparkle. SUSSKIND:(1958) BRUCH: Violin Concerto No 1. The performance has a fine spontaneity, the work's improvisatory quality skilfully caught, and there is no doubt about the poetry Menuhin finds in the slow movement and the finale of this Bruch No 1.GOOSSENS: (1956) LALO: Symphonie espagnole op 21. SAINT-SAENS: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso op 28. Havanaise in E major op 83. Philharmonia Orchestra. SILVESTRI:(1960) BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto in D major. Vienna Philharmonic. A very good version of this concerto and Menuhin is his lyrical self.PRITCHARD: (unknown) VIEUXTEMPS: Violin Concerto No 5. Philharmonia. Orchestra. (1954) CHAUSSON: Concerto in D major.KENTNER: (1953) BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata No 5 " Spring". Violin sonata No 10. Kenter- piano was the brother in law of Menuhin.FISTOULARI: (1950) PAGANINI: Violin Concerto No 2. Philharmonia Orchestra. He can attack but the lyrical passages are played sublimely. The Adagio is an example of this, simply heavenly playing. This movement is beyond the word beautiful. BONUS: (1934) Caprice NO 24.(1938) Introduzione e Variazioni sul Tema." Dal tuo stellato soglio" Rossini's Mose in Egitto.PROKOVIEV: (1948) Violin Sonata No 1. BARTOK:(1947) Sonata for Solo violin sz 117.J.S BACH:( 1956) Sonata No 1 in G Minor BWV 1001.(1957) Partita in B minor BWV 1002. (1957) Sonata No 2 in A minor BWV 1003. Partita No 2 in D minor BWV 1004. (1957) Sonata no 3 BWV 1005. Partita No 3 in E major BWV 1006. Gives you artistic satisfaction. MENUHIN: J.S BACH: BRANDENBERG CONCERTO'S.(1959) Concerto No 1 in F major, BWV 1046. Concerto No 4 in G major, BWV 1049. Concerto No 3 in G major, BWV 1048. Concerto No 5 in D major BWV 1050. Concerto No 2 in F major BWV 1047. Concerto No 6 in B flat major, BWV 1O51. Bath Festival Orchestra.MENUHIN: J.S BACH: (1960) Ricercar a 3. First group of five canons. Trio Sonata. Bath festival Ensemble.MENUHIN: (1961) MOZART: Violin Concerto No 3 KV 216. Violin Concerto in A major KV 219. " Alla Turca". Bath festival Orchestra.MENUHIN:(1934) BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata No 9 "Kreutzer" Hephzibah Menuhin. The reading has a nobility and warmth by this brother and sister team. The beautiful closing pages of the variations in the Kreutzer : these are high spots in music making which remains on a consistently high level. BONUS: (1936) BRAHMS: Violin Sonata No 3. Hephzibah Menuhin. pianoKURTZ: (1959) TCHAIKOVSKY: Sleeping beauty. Highlights. Philharmonic Orchestra.KURTZ: (1958) TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake highlights. Philharmonia Orchestra.MENUHIN: (1994) (DDD) DVORAK. Symphony No 8. Serenade for strings in E major, op 22.Royal Philharmonic orchestra.MENUHIN: (1994) ELGAR: Enigma Variations op 36. Pomp and circumstances Marches op 39. No 4 g major. Royal Philharmonic orchestra.MENUHIN:(1994) TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No 6. Pathetique. Marche Slave. Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.I hope you enjoy this set as much as I do. But I have worked out what the great violinists have in common, An emotional warmth and lyrical approach which Menuhin and Heifitz had. For my generation the same could be said for Perlman and Kyung-Wha-Chung. The Younger generation Maxim Vengerov.VOTES: 5 out of 5. US and Brit Amazon have not replaced my votes in the Changes. Brit Amazon refuses to do anything about it.