Johanna Martzy - Mendelssohn, Brahms: Violin Concertos (1994)

In this era of homogenized classical collections, it is great to see Testament rescue gems from the vaults of labels like EMI and reissue them on CD. This title presents the great violin virtuoso Johanna Martzy performing Concertos by Mendelssohn and Brahms. Both Concertos feature Paul Kletzki conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, and both recordings are in mono, the Brahms from 1954 and the Mendelssohn the following year. These performances are first-rate, yet I am withholding a fifth star, despite the fact that I love Kletzki and am becoming a big fan of Martzy. The reason is Leonid Kogan. In 2002 Testament released Kogan's mono Brahms along with his stereo Mendelssohn on SBT 1225. Of course, the Martzy/Kletzki was released in 1994, but with both currently available, if I had to choose one Testament title it would be Kogan's. Of course, for the serious collectors out there, why choose one when you can have both! And with many of the early Testaments becoming harder to find ("special order" often seems a code word for out-of-print these days), those wishing to buy both should do so quickly.