Bronislav Gimpel Violin Concertos & Sonatas Audite 3CD Box

Bronislav Gimpel Violin Concertos & Sonatas

The complete 1950s RIAS Berlin recordings of Bronislav Gimpel

Audite 3CD Box 21.418

made in Germany

new, factory sealed

The new Bronislaw Gimpel edition presents on three CDs all recordings made by the violinist between 1954 and 1957 for the RIAS Berlin. Not only do they illustrate the striking violinistic profile of the artist, but also the stylistic palette of his repertoire.Bronislaw Gimpel (1911-1979) was one of the "old school" violin virtuosos. His distinctly individual approach towards sound and phrasing left a strong mark in the history of violin playing. Gimpel was born in the Galician city of Lemberg, today's Lviv in the Ukraine. He received his musical training at the conservatoires of his home city as well as Vienna, and at the Berlin Musikhochschule with Carl Flesch. Gimpel established an international and versatile career as a soloist, concert master, chamber musician, conductor and violin teacher.This release is furnished with a "producer's comment" by producer Ludger Böckenhoff. This CD forms part of our series "Legendary Recordings" and bears the stamp "1st Master Release". This term stands for the exceptional quality of audite's archive releases which are all, without exception, produced using original tapes from the radio archives. Usually, these are the original analogue tapes with tape speeds of up to 76 cm/s which are of astonishingly high quality, even by today's standards. In addition, the process of re-mastering - executed with professional expertise and sensitivity - reveals hitherto hidden details of the interpretations, creating a sonic image of superior quality. CD releases produced from private recordings of radio broadcasts or old 78rpm records cannot match this level of sound quality.

Gramophone | 01.12.2012 | December 1, 2012

Simply Gimpel

Recordings by the Ukrainian violinist Bronislav Gimpel have, in general, earned their high reputation more among violin aficionados than among a wider recordcollecting public. Some little while ago Vox issued a fine double pack that included concertos by Dvořák and (especially fine) Goldmark but Audite's new three-disc set of Berlin broadcasts significantly extends our appreciation of Gimpel's art. Two discs feature duo sonatas with pianist Martin Krause, a most sympathetic collaborator, the Janáček Sonata being a highlight, its broadly paced first movement sounding like an elegiac lullaby. Schubert's A major Sonata reminded me somewhat of Szymon Goldberg's rigorous but lyrical approach to the composer's work, and while the darkly shaded Schumann A minor doesn't quite level with Busch and Serkin from the 1930s (EMI), it still lays claim to being among the best available. The concertos disc opens to a thoughtfully conducted account of the Sibelius (conducted by Fritz Lehmann), with Gimpel at his persuasive best. I was particularly happy to see Szymanowski's often striking Second Concerto programmed rather than the more frequently performed First, especially as Gimpel makes perfect musical sense of its attractive but often prolix arguments (Arthur Rother conducts); and in Wieniawski's attractive Second, as well as delivering a succulent performance, Gimpel and his conductor Alfred Gohlke offer us more of the purely orchestral writing than, say, ]ascha Heifetz does on his recordings. With good sound and excellent transfers, this attractive collection makes for a most engaging introduction to an exceptionally gifted violinist. Recordings by the Ukrainian violinist Bronislav Gimpel have, in general, earned their high reputation more among violin aficionados than among a wider recordcollecting public. Some little while ago Vox issued a fine double pack that included concertos by Dvořák and (especially fine) Goldmark but Audite's new three-disc set of Berlin broadcasts significantly extends our appreciation of Gimpel's art. Two discs feature duo sonatas with pianist Martin Krause, a most sympathetic collaborator, the Janáček Sonata being a highlight, its broadly paced first movement sounding like an elegiac lullaby. Schubert's A major Sonata reminded me somewhat of Szymon Goldberg's rigorous but lyrical approach to the composer's work, and while the darkly shaded Schumann A minor doesn't quite level with Busch and Serkin from the 1930s (EMI), it still lays claim to being among the best available. The concertos disc opens to a thoughtfully conducted account of the Sibelius (conducted by Fritz Lehmann), with Gimpel at his persuasive best. I was particularly happy to see Szymanowski's often striking Second Concerto programmed rather than the more frequently performed First, especially as Gimpel makes perfect musical sense of its attractive but often prolix arguments (Arthur Rother conducts); and in Wieniawski's attractive Second, as well as delivering a succulent performance, Gimpel and his conductor Alfred Gohlke offer us more of the purely orchestral writing than, say, ]ascha Heifetz does on his recordings. With good sound and excellent transfers, this attractive collection makes for a most engaging introduction to an exceptionally gifted violinist.