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VA - Big Violin Box (2014)

VA - Big Violin Box (2014)

BAND/ARTIST: Various Artists

  • Title: Big Violin Box
  • Year Of Release: 2014
  • Label: eOne Music
  • Genre: Classical
  • Quality: FLAC (tracks)
  • Total Time: 11:15:12
  • Total Size: 2.61 GB
  • WebSite:

 Tracklist:

Music for the violin is the indulged child of the Bach Guild catalog. Seymour Solomon, the originator (along with Maynard Solomon) of Vanguard/Bach Guild played the violin and as the label grew, music of the violin appears throughout the catalog. Violin repertoire never played the role of the North Star (that would be the music of Bach), but it played the role of a sweet indulgence, like a lovely Viennese dessert.

If Seymour Solomon had been led by his love the violin, The Bach Guild might have been a vastly different label. But he seemed to keep his love of the instrument and his repertoire choices separate – for the most part. The devotion to the violin appears at the margins of the catalog. Certainly no catalog that boasts the performances of David Oistrakh, Mischa Elman, Alexander Schneider and Joseph Szigeti can be truly labelled a “marginal” catalog. But as we have seen, Seymour Solomon could become slightly unbalanced when repertoire was involved (and occasionally, artists). He always kept his obsessions controlled by a tight logic – if there was a need in the marketplace, he would indulge it. But the violinists involved with the labels fit the definition of “independent label” and the role such an institution should play – but just barely.

The margins? What does that mean? It means that in a world dictated by simple math, The Bach Guild rarely made recordings that weren’t going to survive in a classical music marketplace. Except where the violin was concerned, there was some leeway, and if chamber music is included, a considerable amount of leeway. You can sense a small feeling of “if I’m going to do this, I’m going to use this as a chance to sit down next to some of the greatest violinists in the world and make some recordings.” Nowhere else is that emotion indulged in the catalog – where it could have been used to include the great pianists of the era, or singers, is isn’t. But violinists? Sure…here’s have a cookie/recording session.

Seymour’s love of the violin and violinists is particularly defined by his recordings of Joseph Szigeti and Mischa Elman. Both violinists prospered in an era where their performances were at the mainstream of musical society. Elman’s career was also punctuated with tremendous success in the area of record sales (his “Meditation” from Thais was one of the most popular recordings in the world until the late 1930s). Such a sales history had to be appealing, even after Elman’s contract with a major label had been allowed to expire in the 1950s. Bach Guild/Vanguard snapped up Elman and created a satisfying collection of recitals and orchestral recordings, many of which are featured here.

In Joseph Szigeti, Seymour Solomon may have found a musician whom he wished to emulate– but since his own musical abilities were vastly outclassed by Szigeti, Seymour’s appreciation for Szigeti’s tremendous interpretive skills certainly lit the fire of Seymour’s inquisitive nature. Still a musician who draws strong opinions on both sides, Szigeti’s Vanguard recordings show a depth of understanding that certainly explains why he is a thinking man’s virtuoso.

The David Oistrakh recordings were among the violinist’s first recordings released in the United States. Seymour’s strong stance against the HUAC and embrace of “Communist” artists like Pete Seeger and Paul Robeson gave him significant inroads into the mysterious world of Soviet commerce circa 1955, and Vanguard was able to debut recordings of Gilels, Mravinsky, Shafran and Oistrakh to the US and Canadian market.

Sprinkled in are some very tasty goodies long unreleased – either from the vaults or in some cases, from CDs long ago deleted and never revived. Jan Tomasow was one of the first violinists from the Vienna State Opera Orchestras– and he pops up quite often in the 1950s Bach Guild recordings. While no devotee of the burgeoning early music scene in Vienna, he did make a lovely recording of baroque violin sonatas, beautifully accompanied by Anton Heiller. Later in this collection Tomasow appears again on the opposite side – performing Faure’s violin sonata. (His Debussy performance will soon be issued on in a Debussy box on Bach Guild.)

Classical | FLAC / APE

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  • Kolomito
  •  wrote in 00:20
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Many thanks
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  • User offline
  • mufty77
  •  wrote in 16:25
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Many thanks for Flac.
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