Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Allegro molto appassionato
2. Andante
3. Allegretto non troppo-allegro molto vivace
4. Allegro con brio
5. Adagio ma non troppo
6. Allegro giocoso ma non troppo

Disc 2:

1. Nocturne
2. Scherzo
3. Passacaglia-Burlesque
4. Moderato
5. Adagio-adagio, allegro

Disc 3:

1. Allegro non troppo
2. Scherzo-allegro molto
3. Intermezzo-allegretto non troppo
4. Andante
5. Rondo, allegro
6. Allegro
7. Adagio
8. Finale, allegro guerriero

Disc 4:

1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Larghetto
3. Rondo

Disc 5:

1. Allegro molto e con brio
2. Andantino cantabile
3. Vivace giocoso
4. Prelude
5. Gavotte
6. Tema von variazioni
7. Fairy tale
8. Tarantella

Disc 6:

1. Andantino-andante assai
2. Scherzo, vivacissimo
3. Moderato
4. Allegro moderato
5. Andante
6. Allegro vivacissimo

Disc 7:

1. Allegro moderato
2. Adagio di molto
3. Allegro ma non tanto
4. Andante sostenuto
5. Allegro giocoso

Disc 8:

1. Movement 1
2. Movement 2
3. Mässig bewegte Halbe
4. Langsam
5. Lebhaft

Disc 9:

1. Toccata
2. Aria 1
3. Aria 2
4. Capriccio
5. Allegro
6. Adagio molto cantabile
7. Allegro molto

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47511 in Music
• Released on: 2005-06-28
• Number of discs: 10
• Formats: Box set, Import

Customer Reviews

Superb survey of one of the all-time greatest violinists
We haven't been exactly short on releases by the great David Oistrakh, whether in the LP days or on CD. The trouble was that his recorded legacy - one of the most extensive in history by any violinist - has been made accessible through a multitude of labels, often in a haphazard fashion, and even more often for a very short time. The arrival of this new 10 CD-box has to be saluted for its effort to group a splendid selection of live recordings by Oistrakh made in the USSR between 1939 and 1968 with the Moscow Philharmonic, the Leningrad Philharmonic and the USSR Radio Symphony Orchestra, with some of the foremost conductors of the day (Alexander Gauk, Kirill Kondrashin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Kurt Sanderling).

Undoubtedly, collectors will already have the majority of the recordings presented here (although a lot is no longer available), but this box covers all the great concertos and as a survey of the art of "King David" it is presently unbeatable.

The sound quality is variable, of course, but totally acceptable regarding the age of some of the documents.

Underpriced
It is incredible to me that I was able to purchase ten discs of probably the single greatest violinist of the century tackling immortal masterpieces for less than the cost of a utility bill.

You are thinking, "where's the catch?" Well, there is none. The transfers are excellent, the performances, of course, are superb. The only corner-cutting to be found was in the packaging, but even that was more than sufficient.

All these riches made me greedy, though. I wish there was Bartok 2 as well as 1, same with Szymanowski. I wish there was Khatchaturian. But how spoiled I am to be complaining! There is so much here to be enjoyed, from the crags of Szymanowski and the peaks of Beethoven to the cool, dark valleys of Chausson. If you only ever buy one violin box set, buy this one.

Astounding. NO ONE plays like that anymore...
Because the collection covers huge chunk of time I can speak of Oistrakh presentation of the music as such. He is the example how much personality makes a difference in music. You can argue and disagree but it is MAN's music. It is so much proud, making stance and making statement music but it is no macho music. Sometimes it almost feels like he has knife in his hands and the knife is cutting the butter of violin. His big strong, may I say, not musical hands make you feel differently... The playing is effortless. The most elaborate passages, full of extensive violin tricks, all played by these huge hands simply with no effort at all!
Awesome! I don't know anyone today who can play anything near like that. There are many technically gifted, musically gifted, accomplished but no one exhibits this degree of PERSONAL PROJECTION of PROPERLY PLAYED music. The are many of performers whose music is beautiful or nice or pleasurable. But nothing like that, when its ringing in your chest accents cut down your back. I guess this man went trough much in his life to become HIMself. The music he played is not foreign to him. He lives trough the placed and sound of locations tghis music belongs to.
Feel yourself human, listen to that. Awesome, absolutely, unbelievably awesome.