These two newly released Mischa Elman BBC recitals from 1961 complement Testament’s earlier box devoted to the great Romantic violinist’s complete Decca recordings. They generally preserve Elman’s late-period artistry in fine form, and in good mono sound, for that matter. Beethoven’s “Spring” sonata proves slightly more animated here than on Decca. As a consequence, the first movement’s tempo gearshifts emerge less sectionalized, although the brief Scherzo’s syncopations line up less securely. The expansively phrased Handel D major sonata does not significantly differ in design and execution from Elman’s earlier Decca version, but the Vitali Chaconne benefits from more dynamic thrust and impassioned passagework from both Elman and his faithful accompanist Joseph Seiger. Of particular interest is the Brahms Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, which Elman otherwise did not record (he did tape the other two for Decca).
The performance stands out for the expressive specificity of Elman’s portamentos, and for the natural ebb and flow of his long-lined phrasing. The exuberant and spirited Gavotte from Bach’s E major partita provides a rare and lovable glimpse of Elman in unaccompanied Bach. Tully Potter’s frank and informative annotations rightly critique the Smetana Andantino’s lack of idiomatic verve, but listen to how Elman tosses off Kreisler’s Schön Rosmarin with offhanded aplomb, subtle tonal inflections, and far less schmaltz than we might expect from this particular “old school” fiddler.
Testament’s special pricing for two CDs adds further value to a release that surely will attract collectors of historic violin material.
