Romantic Violin Concerto No. 17

[jerfilm]

Years ago I read somewhere that there was believed to be a Second Scottish Fantasy but that was the last I ever heard of it.   Pity.  The first is one of my favorite works for violin and orchestra......

Jerry

[JimL]

Accardo/Masur did indeed record all of those on Phillips LPs.  I'm not sure if they have all been re-released on CD however.

[Wheesht]

Guild GMCD 7338 from 2010 with the Orchestre Symphonique Bienne conducted by Thomas Rösner and with Alexandre da Costa as the soloist contains what it claims is the premiere recording of the Kol Nidrei, op. 47 for violin and orchestra in Bruch's own arrangement, recorded at Konzertsaal Solothurn, Switzerland 8-10 September 2009 (plus another world premiere, the overture to the opera 'Scherz, List und Rache', op. 1, orchestrated by Stefans Grové).

[minacciosa]

The Accardo was issued as a complete set on Philips LP way back in the day. Those recordings still hold strong, even if there are preferences for other versions in certain repertoire.

[TerraEpon]

The Masur recordings were released on two sets of 2-fers, which also includes the symphonies on one of the sets.

[Richard Moss]

I have a 3-CD set of the Accardo/Masur recordings for the violin and orchestra works (no symphonies) and the 2-Cd Masur set of the 3 symphonies (+Swedish Dances).  I have noticed various repackagings of these works since then into 2-fers etc. 

To my untutored ear, the Accardo CDs remain as enjoyable today as when I first bought them many years ago (which is not to speak against any subsequent versions, merely that, IMHO, 'age has not dimmed them').

Has anyone else heard the violin version of Kol Nidrei - is it just for us 'completists' or does it offer something more than the cello version?

Richard

[Alan Howe]

Accardo is a magnificent violinist - of that there can be no doubt at all. His playing in these classic recordings is a model of taste, technical accomplishment and evinces romantic ardour while never going over the top. Where I think more modern recordings can show the set a clean pair of heels, though, is in the orchestral department. Bruch's orchestral writing comes out more fully in a performance such as that of VC3/Symphony 2 on MDG:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Max-Bruch-1838-1920-Symphonie-Nr-2-op-36/hnum/8861691
...and there are others just as good.

[Alan Howe]

Another superb-sounding CD is this EBS recording of VCs1 & 3:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Max-Bruch-1838-1920-Violinkonzerte-Nr-1-3/hnum/9404014
Take no notice of the fact that the violinist is relatively unknown - he is absolutely wonderful: beautiful tone, soaring lines, sensitive phrasing. And the Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne under (the now much better-known) Markus Stenz offers first-class, rich support of the sort that makes you think that VC3 in particular is one of the great VCs. All in all, a marvellous CD. The forthcoming Hyperion recording will have to be good to better this. I urge anyone who doesn't yet have Bruch's VC3 to buy this disc before it disappears...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruch-Violin-Concertos-1-3/dp/B0007RUT48/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407708527&sr=8-1&keywords=bruch+janicke

[eschiss1]

Is that Torsten Janicke? I see his recording output (etc.) seems to be fairly diverse - lesser-known Bruch and a range of 20th/21st century composers also. More power to him (in the wholly unsarcastic sense) from my POV.

[Alan Howe]

Janicke it is. He's wonderful. Perhaps Hyperion should engage him for the Gernsheim VCs...

[DennisS]

One of the great things about UC is that reading new threads about composers not listened to in a long time-in my case at least- prompts us to revisit that composer and relisten to CDs of his works we have in our collections. Max Bruch is such a case for me. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed his music, especially his VC1 which, even if overplayed, I am very fond of. I always find the third movement quite thrilling, perhaps because I haven't listened to this VC over and over! I have since listened to sound bites of the Janicke/Gürzenich Orchester CD as recommended by Alan and have placed my order! I am eagerly looking forward to receiving it!

[Alan Howe]

It's a wonderful CD, Dennis.
Have you tried the symphonies? Conlon's set is pretty marvellous:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bruch-Symphonies-1-3-Concerto-pianos/dp/B001O8C5NC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408032465&sr=8-1&keywords=bruch+conlon
..and dirt cheap!

[Jonathan]

I second that recommendation!

[eschiss1]

What do people think of his 2nd string quintet, btw? I noticed a performance on YouTube, and there's one (so far one) CD recording (no doubt that's on YouTube too, but I meant there's a live performance on YT too, which I think I've listened to once so far.) Only very recently published (I think), one of his last works (1919).

(Hiller wrote (according to Mr. Fifield) of a string quintet being performed in the Bruch household during a visit there in 1852 which, if by Max Bruch and ever found, would poke the two known string quintets up to nos. 2 in A minor (1918 or 1919) and 3 in E-flat major (1919), I suppose... the piano quintet wasn't begun until 1881, again according to Mr. Fifield so is not one being confused with the other etc. etc. etc. ...)

[chill319]

I much prefer the 2nd Concerto

The second concerto is far more original than the first, to be sure. Personally, I find the blend achieved in the third concerto the most moving. That may, of course,  be nothing more than the confession of an Apollonian regarding what is fundamentally a Dionysian genre.  Nevertheless, put more concretely, I think the movements of the third concerto balance each other nicely, whereas in the second concerto the first movement is what I end up remembering.