Britten: Violin concerto

Benjamin Britten & William Walton: Violin concertos - Ida Haendel, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Berglund

Britten's concerto is performed with fervour, daring and extraordinary technique. This recording from 1977 deserves a place in every music collection.

EMI 764202 2

Szymanowski: Piano works

Szymanowski: Piano works and works for violin and piano - Mikhail Rudy, Ulf Hoelscher and Michel Beroff

The piano music by Szymanowski is not well known but highly enjoyable. For an integral edition, the recordings by Sinae Lee are recommended. The recording by Mikhail Rudy on the first CD of the present 2-CD edition covers only about half of his piano works, but the performance is much superior to Sinae Lee's. The second CD in the edition, with works for violin and piano, played by Ulf Hoelscher and Michel Beroff, is less successful. E.g. for the Mythes Op. 30, the recording by David Grimal and Georges Pludermacher (see below) is to be preferred. But on the whole, this budget edition is an excellent opportunity to become familiar with Szymanowski's magical music.

EMI 476924 2

Enesco: Violin sonata no. 3

Leoš Janáček, Karol Szymanowski, Béla Bartók, Georges Enesco: Works for violin and piano - David Grimal and Georges Pludermacher

All of the works on this CD are gems that deserve to be much better known. What swept me off my feet was the third violin sonata by Georges Enesco from 1926. The performance fabulously captures the spirit of folk music from central Europe.

Ambroisie AM 163