Pierre Monteux - Monteux at Tanglewood Vol. 3 (1961) [2016]

Monteux's stereo Tanglewood broadcasts part 3: 1961 Concertos

"Feats of explosive virtuosity appear on both sides of the podium, the solo and the orchestra in earthy, spirited competition, and everybody wins" - Audiophile Audition


This third volume of Tanglewood recordings moves us decisively into the 1960s, with the first of two parts derived from the Tanglewood concerts that summer. Here we concentrate on concerto works, with one each from Rachmaninov and Viotti, and a mini near-concerto in Bartók's two-movement Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra No. 1, with pianist Gary Graffman and violinist Isaac Stern.

Whilst both Bartók and Rachmaninov are of course both household names, Viotti is less well-known and appears here for the first time on any release on the Pristine label. Born the year before Mozart, this Italian virtuouso violinist lived and performed in a number of major European countries during a perilous time of revolution and war, something that dictated his movements on more than one occasion.

He is best known today for his 29 violin concertos, of which the 22nd in A minor played here, which he wrote in 1792 - the year when revolution forced his relocation from Paris to London - is the most well-known. Indeed the complete series of concertos was not to receive its full recording until 2006, and he would have been almost unknown to the audiences of 1961, save for an LP of this work recorded in the mid-50s by Isaac Stern with The Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy, one of only two pieces of music by Viotti available to British LP buyers in the early 1960s. (It is worth noting Stern returned to Philadelphia in the spring of 1961 to record his 16th Concerto.)

The two concerts from which these stereo recordings were taken offer two very different acoustics, for which I can only blame microphone placement. The piano recording is big, wide and lush, whilst the violin concert is far more immediate and direct - in many ways both suit the music perfectly. Sound quality after XR remastering in both cases is excellent, though a little tape hiss remains in the violin concert recordings.


Tracks:

RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No. 2
BARTÓK Rhapsody No. 1
VIOTTI Violin Concerto No. 22

Personnel:

Pierre Monteux, conductor
Gary Graffman, piano
Isaac Stern, violin
Boston Symphony Orchestra