Oistrakh

Few violinists could perform with such overwhelmingly beautiful sound, power and absolute technical security.

The air on Mt. Olympus must have been something like that in Berlin’s Jesus-Christus-Kirche when, in September 1969, the threesome of Richter, Oistrakh and Rostropovich joined Herbert von Karajan for this majestic recording of Beethoven’s underrated Triple Concerto. That there could have been such a meeting of the minds in this gathering of greats is difficult to believe, until one remembers that the three soloists were frequent collaborators who all spoke the same musical language, and after years in the trenches knew each other and their conductor very well. As one would expect, the solo work of the three Russians is brilliant and deeply musical. But just as delightful is the way they adjust from solo to ensemble roles and play together, with perfect unanimity, in the duet and trio passages. Karajan and the Berliners provide a monumental accompaniment, weighty, powerful, and rich in tone. The recording, one of the best from EMI in this venue, has been remastered in exemplary fashion and is impressively detailed and vivid.

There are plenty of available versions of the Mozart Violin Concertos, but few that can match the recordings David Oistrakh made in Berlin back in 1971. His big, juicy tone is irresistible, as is his flowing legato line and the intensity with which he elevates what sometimes (in unsympathetic performances) can seem like mere juvenilia. The first two of Mozart’s concertos for solo violin do display less variety and depth than the later ones, but the 19-year-old was a fast learner, writing all five of them within eight months in 1775.