Oistrakh Trio - Beethoven & Brahms: Two Concertos (2023) Hi-Res

The great Soviet violinist David Oistrakh championed Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C major throughout his career, at a time when it was an almost unknown curiosity. Its first version, recorded in Moscow in 1947 under the direction of Nikolai Golovanov, already brought together Lev Oborin on the piano and Sviatoslav Knouchevitski on the cello. Another recording was made with them at the same time, still in Moscow, under the direction of Aleksander Orlov.

Twelve years later, the three friends return to the studios, but this time in London and in stereophony for the recording reissued in this album under the direction of Sir Malcolm Sargent at the head of the Philharmonia Orchestra, which was at that time an orchestra created specially by Walter Legge for the record. There are other live versions with David Oïstrakh, but the latter will make a final official recording of the Triple Concerto in Berlin as part of one of the greatest marketing operations in the history of classical music in 1970 with the stars of the time: Herbert von Karajan, Sviatoslav Richter and Mstislav Rostropovitch. This recording published by EMI will definitely launch this work too often considered secondary and which has become one of Beethoven's most performed today, along with the Emperor's Concerto and the Violin Concerto.

The beautiful version conducted here by Sir Malcolm Sargent is certainly the most balanced of all those produced by Oïstrakh, thanks to a real mutual listening without anyone, neither the conductor nor the soloists, pulling the cover for themselves. It is coupled, like the Japanese vinyl edition published in 1975 on the Seraphim label, with Brahms' Double Concerto in which Oïstrakh dialogues with the great French cellist Pierre Fournier, under the direction of the Italian conductor Alceo Galliera, but with a its cleaned up and vastly improved over older editions. Like what, great performers never die.