Violinist Christian Ferras is joined by the Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Walter Susskind for this recording of Bruch's Violin Concerto in G alongside Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole.

 

The French violinist, born at Le Touquet in 1933, began studying the violin with his father. In 1941 he entered the Conservatoire de Nice as a student of Charles Bistesi and, in 1943, obtained the First Prize.

 

In 1944 he moved to the Conservatoire de Paris and won the First Prize in 1946 for both violin and chamber music.

 

Ferras began his career in the U.S. by playing Brahms' concerto conducted by Charles Munch in 1959.

 

The unique elegance, the sleek, yet radiant tone that Herbert Of Karajan so enthusiastically that from 1964 onwards he undertook a whole series of concert recordings with the French: Both are also immediately apparent in this 1958 recording (originally published under the number ASD 314 on His Master's Voice). At that time, Ferras was a 25-year-old "shooting star", whom Jacques Thibaud had already prophesied as a teenager a great future; In the same year, he recorded the complete Beethoven sonatas.

 

Soon after, he played for the first time in the USA, playing the Brahms double concert with Yehudi Menuhin under Charles Munch, his final breakthrough. A turbulent time for the young violinist, but his play is not to be noticed: in particular, the Bruch concerto he takes with astonishing serenity, without any romantic exaggeration; The music seems to flow out of it without exerting any effort, is of an almost magical softness.

One does not want to believe that the person who plays is suffering from depression all his life. Walter Süsskind, who is far too little known, proves to be a congenial partner in both concerts, leaving the unmistakable Ferras tone the necessary space. - The sound masters of the recording are unfortunately not handed over, but the legendary acoustics of the Kingsway Hall once again proved itself! 

 

Max Bruch and Edouard Lalo certainly belong to the "little masters" of the nineteenth century, but both have their distinct traces in the history of the violin concertos: Max Bruch's 1st violin concerto in G major is today one of the most widely performed works of the genre at all (As well as the violin concerto by Johannes Brahms, dedicated to the violinist Joseph Joachim), and Edouard Lalos "Symphonie Espagnole", although the title is not a violin concerto in the true sense, Is always fascinated by her perfectly arranged interplays of virtuoso solo passages and the orchestra orchestrated with Spanish orchestral color. The "Symphonie Espagnole" was composed for the contemporary Joachim, Pablo de Sarasate. The virtuosic dedicatee of both works is represented on this recording from 1958, no less skillful Christian Ferras on the violin - by Christian Ferras, whose life with his suicide with only 49 years a tragic end took, not many recordings remained - this belongs here The most beautiful, and thanks to the selection of the works to the most entertaining.
 

Side one

Max Bruch 1838–1920

Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op.26

1 I Vorspiel: Allegro moderato –

2 II Adagio –

3 III Finale: Allegro energico

 

Side two

Edouard Lalo 1823–1892

Symphonie espagnole, Op.21

1 I Allegro non troppo

2 II Scherzando: Allegro molto

3 III Andante

4 IV Rondo: Allegro

Testament has revived these classic titles from the EMI catalog using only the original EMI master tapes, cut onto lacquer at EMI's Abbey Road Studios and mastered using full analog techniques throughout production.