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My Quest: the Best Recording of Beethoven's Violin Concerto/Romances
By an Amazon.com customer
Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Romances for Violin Nos. 1 & 2Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Romances for Violin Nos. 1 & 2
Buy used from: $0.40
My absolute favorite of the collection, Miklos Szenthely plays with pathos and silky perfection. The recording may not be the absolute ultimate in terms of sonic quality, but it is quite good. This is what Beethoven is all about. And yes, it's under one dollar.
Beethoven: Violin Concerto/Romances Opp. 40 & 50Beethoven: Violin Concerto/Romances Opp. 40 & 50
Buy used from: $4.97
Sitkovetsky's performance is nothing short of exquisite and the overall recording here excellent. Sitkovetsky makes the violin sing in ways seldom heard. An easy second favorite immediately after Szenthely.
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 / Romances for Violin and Orchestra: No. 1 in G Major, Op. 40; No. 2 in F Major, Op. 50Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 / Romances for Violin and Orchestra: No. 1 in G Major, Op. 40; No. 2 in F Major, Op. 50
Buy new: $9.98 / Used from: $4.30
Good performance and good recording.
Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Romances Nos. 1 & 2Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Romances Nos. 1 & 2
Buy new: $6.98 / Used from: $3.70
Generally a good performance tainted by a less than perfect recording, which is a bit heavy in the mid ranges and seems somewhat to lack depth. Nevertheless, the performances are very good.
Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Violin Romances Nos. 1 & 2Beethoven: Violin Concerto / Violin Romances Nos. 1 & 2
Buy used from: $6.54
An very good performance with a reasonably good recording.
Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas & Concertos [Box Set]Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonatas & Concertos [Box Set] by Claudio Arrau
Buy used from: $199.00
Fine performances here and surprisingly good recording, considering its age. Considered by many to be a classic series of performances.
Beethoven: Violin Concerto, RomancesBeethoven: Violin Concerto, Romances
Buy new: $16.98 / Used from: $3.06
A classic due to Mutter's star status.
Beethoven: Violin Concerto Op.61, Romances Nos.1 & 2Beethoven: Violin Concerto Op.61, Romances Nos.1 & 2
Buy new: $8.99 / Used from: $1.23
A good performance at a reasonable price.
Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Violin RomancesBeethoven: Violin Concerto; Violin Romances
Buy new: $6.98 / Used from: $2.59
A solid entry which provides a slightly different interpretation to the pieces.
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 / Romance in G major, Op. 40 / Romance in F major, Op. 50 - Gidon Kremer / Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Nikolaus HarnoncourtLudwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 / Romance in G major, Op. 40 / Romance in F major, Op. 50 - Gidon Kremer / Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Buy new: $14.98 / Used from: $5.23
It should be at the top of the list due to the names here, but I've never been able to really get into this recording, for reasons that probably relate more to the recording characteristics than the performances.