The Austrian violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan was one of the leading soloists of the mid twentieth century, and after his death in 2002, this new release is a timely reminder of his virtuosic prowess. Still less well remembered is the Hungarian conductor, István Kertész, who at 43 died tragically young, but was principal conductor of the LSO during three of the years (1966-68) which saw their once proud reputation restored after the turmoil of the fifties.
In bringing together arguably two of the greatest works for violin of the German school, this disc shows Schneiderhan at his best and most authentic. Hearing him at nearly half a century's distance, some may recoil from the more emotionally detached moments of his playing. Listeners may feel equally unmoved by Kertész's curiously sluggish recording of Beethoven's Egmont overture. But ultimately, these complaints would be churlish: in its technical excellence, the 1964 live recording of Schneiderhan's Beethoven violin concerto cannot be otherwise faulted.
In the same work, musical completists will be especially drawn to the cadenzas, which, uniquely, the violinist himself transcribed from those Beethoven had written for the piano version of the concerto. Even if we put several knotty questions of authenticity aside for one moment, these adapted cadenzas are still fascinating. A great deal of simplification was needed during this task, Schneiderhan explained, to avoid them 'sounding like Paganini'.
He cannot be said to have unreservedly succeeded on this count, but this doesn't detract from their performance – except, that is, in the third movement, where the overall performance mildly disappoints as it finally crosses the line between restraint and lethargy. Schneiderhan is joined by one of his regular recital partners, the German pianist Carl Seemann, in their recording of the Brahms sonata. Another live performance, this time from the 1956 Edinburgh Festival, this is no incidental add-on, although the recording quality varies.
By Chris Dromey