Schneiderhan: The 1950s Concerto Recordings (5 CD box set, FLAC)

Performer: Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Audio CD
SPARS Code: A-D
Number of Discs: 5 CD box set
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 1.34 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

# The Four Seasons (Il quattro stagione), concertos (4) for violin, strings & continuo (“Il cimento” Nos. 1-4) , Op. 8/1 – 4
Composed by Antonio Vivaldi
Performed by Festival Strings Lucerne
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner

# Concerto for 2 violins, cello, strings & continuo in D minor (“L’estro armonico” No. 11), Op. 3/11, RV 565
Composed by Antonio Vivaldi
Performed by Festival Strings Lucerne
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Claude Starck
Conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner

# Violin Concerto in D minor, D. 45
Composed by Giuseppe Tartini
Performed by Festival Strings Lucerne
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner

# Concerto for violin, strings & continuo No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Festival Strings Lucerne
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner

# Concerto for violin, strings & continuo No. 2 in E major, BWV 1042
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Festival Strings Lucerne
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner

# Concerto for 2 violins, strings & continuo in D minor (“Double”), BWV 1043
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Festival Strings Lucerne
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Rudolf Baumgartner

# Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan

# Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Paul van Kempen

# Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major (“Turkish”) K. 219
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Vienna Symphony Orchestra
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Ferdinand Leitner

# Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64
Composed by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Ferenc Fricsay

# Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op. 26
Composed by Max Bruch
Performed by Bamberg Symphony Chorus
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Ferdinand Leitner

# Violin Concerto No. 4 in D major, K. 218
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt

# Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77
Composed by Johannes Brahms
Performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Paul van Kempen

# Violin Concerto
Composed by Frank Martin
Performed by Suisse Romande Orchestra
with Wolfgang Schneiderhan
Conducted by Ernest Ansermet

Stupendous Schneiderhan

The most recent batch of DG’s “Original Masters” box sets boasts several titles that will leave classical collectors rejoicing, “Wolfgang Schneiderhan: The 1950s Concerto Recordings” foremost among them. This 5CD set features the then Deutsche Grammophon “house fiddler” in brilliant performances of Vivaldi, Tartini, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruch, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Martin Violin Concertos. In some of my previous reviews of box sets in the OM series, I have been critical of what the powers that be at UNI have done in terms of their selection of material, but here they got it almost perfect. Instead of duplicating a title in DG’s “Originals” series that couples Schneiderhan’s stereo recordings of the Beethoven VC and Mozart No. 5, they reissue his earlier, and better, mono accounts here. By contrast, they reissue the violinist’s stereo performance of Mozart’s 4th Concerto (1960 with Schmidt-Isserstedt) on this set because his 1956 mono account had already been included in the Hans Rosbaud title in this series. (Thankfully, the duplication lesson seemingly has been learned after they put the very same Dvorak Cello Concerto recording on both the Josef Krips and Zara Nelsova OM boxes!) Also of note here are a magical Mendelssohn VC with Fricsay, brilliant Bach 1041-1043s and an invigorating Four Seasons, the set’s only other stereo selection along with the Mozart VC4. This set alas has one minor problem in my opinion. Because DG and Decca are now all part of Universal, Schneiderhan’s performance of the Martin Concerto with Ansermet, originally made for Decca and currently available on a “Double Decca” title devoted to the composer, is included here. It is unnecessary duplication for me but others may not care. Personally I would have nixed the Bach Partita included on CD2 (hello, the title is “Concerto Recordings”) and the Martin to make this a tidier four disc set. But even as is, “Wolfgang Schneiderhan: The 1950s Concerto Recordings” is one of the true gems in the “Original Masters” series.