classical life

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1. 
   MarK

   When i heard his recording of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto on the radio recently, i was certainly impressed by the high violinistic quality of his playing but was decidedly unconvinced by the interpretation: far too many unnecessary rhythmical liberties and/or distortions for my taste.

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   May 12, 2015 4:00 pm
   • 
     tmangan

     I actually haven’t heard his Tchaikovsky (I can only stand so much). Interestingly, perhaps, Chen says his favorite violinist is Oistrakh, who imo is unbeatable in the Tchaikovsky concerto.

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     May 13, 2015 11:37 am
2. 
   kitsunebi

   Isn’t Oistrakh in fact ‘the violinist’s violinist’? The one that most violinists still mention first?

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   May 13, 2015 2:04 pm
   • 
     tmangan

     He’s the favorite of many, yes. A certain violinist I know counts Leonid Kogan as his favorite.

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     May 13, 2015 3:39 pm
     • 
       MarK

       For a relatively short time in 1950s and 1960s, when he was young and healthy, Kogan could certainly play violin very well. Overall though, he never impressed me much with any kind of musical individuality: an admirer of Heifetz, he imitated his idol wittingly and unwittingly in many ways, while being naturally influenced by Oistrakh too. So, as a result, a hybrid that was utterly unconvincing for my taste.

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       May 15, 2015 11:05 am
   • 
     MarK

     Well, many people do say something like that about Oistrakh, but i would not use the words “in fact” because it is such a subjective issue. In my experience, the name “most violinists still mention first” is Jascha.

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     May 15, 2015 11:12 am
3. 
   kitsunebi

   Sorry for my misplaced apostrophe: “violinists’ violinist”

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   May 13, 2015 2:05 pm

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