Brahms: “Double” Concerto

(d) Zino Francescatti, Violin; Pierre Fournier, Cello; Columbia Symphony Orchestra

November 20, 1959; American Legion Hall

    • LP: Columbia ML 5493; Stereo: Columbia MS 6158

    • CD: CBS/Sony MK 42024; Sony SMK 64479


Hi,  this was on the radio this evening, made me feel like throwing my turntable into the garbage.  You can really hear francescatti and fournier leaning into their strings in certain passages as they are way out in front of the orchestra.  I see that Sony just re'released this on CD, I wonder which pressing the radio station was playing. Can anyone recommend?

thanks,
RWeissman

Yes, I very frequently observe this effect. I hear sometimes on air something that make me to call to the station and ask with version it was played and then to my sadness I realized that they play the LP or CD that I have and that does not produce the same sound in my room what I play it of my CD or LP player. It is not that at my FM station that use some kind extraordinary equipment or playing techniques, in fact the use crap, but it is what I call the FM mystery – somehow the FM modulation and demodulation clean up garbage from the original recoding and makes me to feel sound more friendly (not always but sometimes, particularly if the FM station do not screw it up by different means)

The Francescati/Fournier Brahms’ Double Concerto with Bruno Walter is wonderful play indeed but I never consider pursuing it's sonic value.  It was recorded in end of the 50s by Columbia and Columbia, practically at that time, i consider was a company of sonic barbarism. Columbia at that time signed enormous amount of very talented musicians and practically all of them got very pure sound. The musicians that orchestras that were recording under DG, Decca, RCA and others got much better sound. I think I have only one copy of Francescati/Fournier Brahms’ Double, one CD one LP and it about it.

I like the Concerto itself and the subject of my sonic fixation was in past the RCA recording with Wallenstein leading RCA own Victor Symphony orchestra and Heifetz play violin and Piatigorsky play cello. Say whatever you wish but Heifetz and Piatigorsky together is very dangerous mix, capable for a lot of damage. Interpretation-wise It is a little bit overly glitzy then I would like to see Brahms – the Heifetz certainly had own miserable influence but the level at winch HOW it played is truly remarkable in my view.  I remember it was an obsession of mine to found the “right sound” of the Heifetz/Piatigorsky Brahms’ Double. I own a half dozen different CD pressing of this recoding and perhaps 10-15 LP: mono LD2513 and Stereo LDS2513, different pressing codes and you name what else. I do not look for “better sound” from that Brahms’ Double concerto. Nowadays my definition of Better Sound is not the subject of recoding and pressing but other things but still if you have an interest about your turntable in context the Double Brahms then you might try the Heifetz/Piatigorsky version.