David Oistrakh And The The Stockholm Festival Orchestra Conducted By Sixten Ehrling – Beethoven Violin Concerto

This is a must-have LP. It was recorded on bad equipment, even by 1954 standards, and the microphone into which Oistrakh played was put too close to him, thus over-emphasizing the soloist over the orchestra, which, given the quality of the two, may not have been the worst idea in the world. Still, the performances are wonderful and Oistrakh’s lush romantic sound is perfect for these two concerti. I’m not the biggest fan in the world of the Sibelius concerto but Oistrakh’s performance transcends those of other performers and his Beethoven is unbelievably great. Unlike Heifetz who tends to hurry through concerti although he never misses a note or chord, Oistrakh follows the tempo of the score and draws out every nuance of both of these concerti.