# #21 - Furtwangler/BPO/Schneiderhan - Beethoven - Violin Concerto [1953]



## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

Ah, Furtwangler's Beethoven. Always a classic. Whether it be the symphonies or the concertos for piano or for violin or opera or overtures. Even Große Fuge as the picture above would make clear.

Onto the performance itself, this performance is not the critically acclaimed and commercially successful with Yehudi Menuhin one from 1947.

Rather, it is from 1953 with Herr Furtwangler with a violinist named Wolfgang Schneiderhan. Whatever his status, in this performance, he makes it clear that he is one of the finest violinist in town. The sound is absolutely fantastic for a record taped in 1953. Almost crystal clear, very little white noise. A focused listener could easily pick up all the playing. A task most difficult for someone trying to listen to this record. It might just be the engineers at Membran doing a fine job or the original tape being in good quality.

The first movement's opening is played with an approach almost antithetical to today's playing. Its heavy - none of the finesse that one would expect today. And when the violin finally joins, its glorious. The violin is taped closer than one would expect and hence it is always at the forefront and how fortunate that it is! The sound and the playing are most beautiful. Truly the finest I've heard better even than Giulini/Perlman. My favorite recording for this up until now. Not a moment here seems off. Never do you feel that this could be better or that should've done differently. Its all simply marvellous. To behold. That could just be my bias. And for that, kudos to Schneiderhan. Furtwangler plays the rest of the work with much the same weightiness that one wishes today's performance had but don't. One of the prime reasons why monophonic and early stereo recordings are my favorites rather than the newer ones.

The second movement and the third movement follow much in the same vein. The unmatched beauty of the sound and playing of the violin make this performance one of the very best concerto recordings of Beethoven to exist.
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RECOMMENDED WITH HONORS*​


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Wonderful but that album cover makes your dude looks like a Greek statue not a flattering way.


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## Lord Lance (Nov 4, 2013)

Albert7;bt3408 said:


> Wonderful but that album cover makes your dude looks like a Greek statue not a flattering way.


"your dude"? I'm not Mrs. Furtwangler, unfortunately.

Aside from that, he looked liked what he did. Doesn't matter, Mr. Superficial.


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