THE ART OF JOSEPH SZIGETI - COLUMBIA MASTERWORKS M6X 31513 (6 LP BOX SET)
DISC 1BACH’S CONCERTO IN D MINOR FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA (WITH FRITZ STIEDRY AND MEMBERS OF THE ORCHESTRA OF THE NEW FRIENDS OF MUSIC – REC. 1940), HANDEL’S SONATA IN D MAJOR FOR VIOLIN NO. 13 OP. 1 (REC. WITH HIS FUTURE SON-IN-LAW, PIANIST NIKITA MAGALOFF IN 1937), AND BACH’S SONATA NO. 1 IN G MINOR FOR SOLO VIOLIN BWV 1001 (REC. 1931).
DISC 2 PAIRS TWO WORKS FROM THE FAMED 1948 FRICK MUSEUM CONCERT GIVEN WITH ARTUR SCHNABEL: BEETHOVEN’S VIOLIN SONATAS NOS. 5 IN F MAJOR OP. 24 ‘SPRING’ AND NO. 10 IN G MAJOR OP. 96 – PERFORMANCES WHICH RECEIVED THEIR FIRST ISSUE WITH THIS SET.
DISC 3 COUPLES MOZART’S VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 4 IN D MAJOR K.218 (REC. IN 1934, WITH SIR THOMAS BEECHAM AND THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA) WITH MENDELSSOHN’S CONCERTO IN E MINOR FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA OP. 64 (REC. 1933, AGAIN WITH BEECHAM AND THE LPO) – THE LATER RECORDING CARRIES THE DOUBLE DISTINCTION OF HAVING ELICITED A MONOGRAPH FROM NO LESS THAN GEORGE SZELL ATTESTING TO ITS SUPREME ACCOMPLISHMENT.
DISC 4 IS WHOLLY GIVEN OVER TO SZIGETI’S FIRST (OF THREE) RENDITION OF THE BEETHOVEN VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR OP. 61 (REC. 1932, WITH BRUNO WALTER AND THE BRITISH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA).
DISC 5IS SIMILARLY DEVOTED TO ONE WORK: BRAHMS VIOLIN CONCERTO IN D MAJOR OP. 77 (REC. 1928, WITH HAMILTON HARTY LEADING THE HALLé ORCHESTRA).
DISC 6 OPENS WITH THE GRAMOPHONE PREMIERE OF PROKOFIEV’S VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 1 IN D MAJOR OP. 19 (REC. 1935, WITH BEECHAM AND THE LPO), AND THEN FOLLOWS WITH A SERIES OF SZIGETI RARITIES: BACH’S PRAELUDIUM FROM THE PARTITA NO. 3 IN E MAJOR FOR SOLO VIOLIN BWV 1006 (REC. 1908), DVORAK’S SLAVONIC DANCE IN E MINOR (ARR. KRIESLER – REC. SEPTEMBER 20, 1926 WITH MAGALOFF), STRAVINSKY’S PASTORALE AND RIMSKY-KORSAKOV’S FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE (BOTH REC. JUNE 1, 1933 WITH MAGALOFF), AND THEN TWO BARTóK SELECTIONS – THE HUNGARIAN FOLK TUNES AND THE ROUMANIAN FOLK DANCES (BOTH REC. WITH THE COMPOSER, 1930.)
THIS6 LP TRIBUTE BOX SET FROM COLUMBIA MASTERWORKS (M6X 31513, US PRESSING, BROWN LABEL, MONO, BOOKLET INCLUDED) ENTITLED “THE ART OF JOSEPH SZIGETI, IN HONOR OF HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY” PRESENTS PERHAPS THE FINEST OVERVIEW OF THIS LEGENDARY VIOLINIST EVER ISSUED DURING THE LP ERA, FEATURING SOME OF HIS GREATEST CONCERTO, CHAMBER, AND SOLO RECORDINGS, ACCOUNTS WHICH REMAIN LANDMARKS IN THE ANNALS OF RECORDED MUSIC.
