Beethoven and the Violin

This week in the regular series that looks at my collection of super audio compact discs we're looking at just one composer, Beethoven.

I have a complete set on regular cd of all ten Violin Sonatas that date from around 1964-1966 which are well played and I was looking for a new set.

Last year the first issue in a three disc series by pianist Frank Peter Zimmerman and Martin Helmchen on violin was issued to great acclaim which covers the first four.

In April the second volume was issued  that takes us through the highly popular fifth to the seventh which I got on the may day hol.

Eventually in August 2020 they were able to get together to record this second and last set of Beethoven's concertos at the Siemens Villa, Berlin, Germany for stereo and multichannel sound which includes the well known Ninth opus 47 "Kreutzer" Sonata so called as it was dedicated to violin virtuoso Rodolphe Kreutzer and published by Simrock in Bonn which is often coupled with the Fifth for those who don't collected the whole series.

This disc by Bis technically and artistically is a great achievement  and well worth the long wait for.

Although I have a classic account with David Oistrakh playing violin with the French National Radio Symphony Orchestra recorded in 1958 with André Cluyten's, the Belgium conductor on super audio cd, that alone is the only work.

This newer disc goes back to 2017 and offers both of Beethoven's Romances.

The Royal Philharmonic are an institution over here and James Judd gets an excellent performance out of them but in this set we have a second disc that offers the Triple Concerto for good measure.

This disc sound warm and full.