Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (Hybr)

Considering all the excitement over this new recording, I was looking forward to a new version of this great concerto. Unfortunately I was disappointed. As in her recording of the Brahms concerto, Julia Fischer is technically perfect and the recording excellent -- although the orchestra is a bit forward -- but ultimately the perfromance is unmemorable (especially when compared to great recordings like Sitkovetsky/Marriner, Ferras/Kletzki, Oistrakh/Kondrashin and Morini/Horenstein). As in the Brahms, it is hard to understand what all the excitement is about.

First and formost, Julia Fischer reaches into the song, the soul of the music to give us the most beautiful rendition I ever heard. Her tone can only be characterized as jewel-like set within a golden aura. It is not a silvery tone, it is rich, golden but with kalidescopic highlights of a million colors.

With all this she has a steely assurance and an ability to "dig in" to the strings (without the ugliness this usually implies) and works up huge creschendos and plays bravura passages with uncommon urgency. Kreizburg and the orchestra are one with this outstanding musicianship and provide ideal accompaniment - they play as partners actually, more than as accompanists.

Not very long ago Viktoria Mullova declared she had excised the Tchaikovsky from her repertoire because the musical rewards do not justify the effort required of the soloist! Agreeing with her, I thought I had tired of work but decided to give this a listen having heard Fischer give a phenomenal performance of the Beethoven in Baltimore last spring. Well I am not tired of it when its played like this!

As to the recorded sound quality, I listened to it as an SACD. In additon to the 5 channel surround layer I listened to there is an SACD stereo layer and a CD layer. I understand the stereo is not mixed down from the multi-channel mix but is a totally separate, but simultaneous recording.

The "surround" sound actually centers the listener about 7 or 8 rows back from the stage in an acoustic that is spacious and clear, but unlike in stereo the reflected sounds from the side and back walls come from behind and to the side of you. It sounds very much like actually being in a concert hall. While the dynamics and power of the orchestra are striking, the interplay of soloist and orchestral musicians is simply beautiful to hear. This is a very natural sounding and wonderful recording.

I heard Fischer life in Bratislava and decided to buy this CD. Her performance was marvellous, although the orchestral accompaniment was less than on this CD. Her fabulous technique is completely for the use of her great, authentic performance and she is in an phenomenal way accompanied by Yakov Kreizberg. My first predeliction for this concerto was Leonid Kogan's performance in the sixties and I had the same experience listening to Fischer's. This concerto makes high demands upon the performers to give a unified performance, but they really succeed.
A most recommendable CD.

Sorry, Fischer is a good violinst, but this record is somewhat of a snoozer. Partly because of the recorded sound.

I feel obliged to write in briefly with a 5 star review, to boost the average rating so that no-one will see the 3-star average and pass on this marvellous performance and recording. We should be at a little over 4 by now...

I agree with everything that Scott Morrison has said. I thought that Julia Fischer's performance of my favourite violin concerto (well...it's this or Sibelius. Or Shostakovich's First...) was as good as Viktoria Mullova's and (though I hate to say it) better than Anne-Sophie Mutter's live version, while the orchestral accompaniment was even more splendid than Seiji Ozawa's. The extra pieces are also well worth hearing.

Hugely recommended.