# Your best version of Mozart Sinfonia Concertante and Mozart Violin Concertos



## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

Hi TC community,

As an amateur violinist, Mozart Sinfonia Concertante is my best composition ever, along with Mozart Violin Concertos. If you are a fan of Mozart and have listened to a variety of recordings, could you recommend a best version of Mozart Sinfonia Concertante and Mozart Violin Concertos respectively, and do some explanation on the comparison between the different versions? I would really like to learn more about the difference in versions. Currently, my best version for Sinfonia Concertante is the Harnoncourt+Gidon Kremer+Kim Kashkashian one or the David+Igor Oistrakh+Berlin Phil one. My best Mozart VCs are the recordings of David Oistrakh+Berlin Phil or the Arthur Grumiaux one. What about you and what are your recommendations? 

KevinW


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

I also like the Grumiaux (incl. Sinfonia concertante). For a more "modern" with historical practice (always the standard 5 + sinfonia concertante), I'd recommend Zehetmair with Brüggen (Glossa) or Carmignola/Abbado (DG).


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

Glad to know your preference, and may you explain a little bit why these two versions are your favorite?


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

They (Zehetmair/Brüggen and Carmignola/Abbado) are a bit "tougher", not such luxurious "romantic" sound as e.g. Oistrakh (Grumiaux/Davis is in between, I'd say) with lots of details from the orchestra and the more colorful period instrument sonority from horns and woodwinds. I cannot be more specific; I have not listened to them in some time.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

For complete sets, I own Oistrakh, Kremer, Mutter and Verhey+others on Brilliant. I like them all except Verhey, perhaps with Mutter a little ahead due to the somewhat more temperamental - and probably also more controversial - style. The Brilliant Classics 'Sinfonia Concertante' with Sharon is good though.


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## JTS (Sep 26, 2021)

I’ve got the one with Mutter and also the Oistrakhs. Great playing. And Perlman and his mate. Also the Brilliant is fine.

This is a really magical work and plays itself. Just doesn’t need the soloist to be too assertive


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

*Sinfonia Concertante*
Claudio Abbado, Giuliano Carmignola, Danusha Waskiewiscz, Orchestra Mozart (Mozart 225)

*Violin Concertos*
Ottavio Dantone, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Viktoria Mulova (Mozart 225)


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

For K. 364, Bohm and Thomas Brandis. This is the 2nd Classical CD I ever bought. The soloists are set back in the recording, but it all sounds great to me. I'm listening to it now, brings back memories.

VC's: Levine and Perlman. Perlman could be too romantic for some.


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Who plays the viola on the Böhm? Wolfram Christ?


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Kreisler jr said:


> Who plays the viola on the Böhm? Wolfram Christ?


Cappone.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

Lately, I've been getting top notch recommendations from Hurwitz. Which is to say, I straightaway purchase whatever sends him to the fainting couch. In this case, the violin concerti by Isabella Faust. He detested her HIP performances which such conviction that I bought the CDs that very day. I don't regret it. I really like the clarity of the orchestra and the beautiful sound of her strad. Another favorite of mine is the Christoph Koncz set, not because I think they're the ˈkrem-də-lä-ˈkrem (though they're very good and as a bonus Hurwitz wouldn't like them) but because they're performed on Mozart's own violin.


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## 59540 (May 16, 2021)

My favorite for K. 364 has always been that old Heifetz-Primrose RCA recording from the 1950s. For the violin concertos, Oistrakh and BPO. All non-HIP of course.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

Phil loves classical said:


> Cappone.


[Rant]Just have to say, and admittedly it's just a matter of taste (and subjective taste on top of that), but those DG covers with all their yellow [cough] Gold filigree and Belle Époque pretentiousness:










Have always rubbed me the wrong way. And what is it with DGs cover designers that they just. can't. resist. these gawd-awful Mozart-Kügel portraits of Mozart. Blech.[/Rant]


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

For some reason DG had a few charming covers in the 1950s and 60s but later they are mostly dominated by the kitsch you describe or artists staring into the camera.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

I like Druian/Skernick/Szell with Cleveland Orchestra members in the Sinfonia Concertante. For the Violin Concertos, my preference is Grumiaux/Davis/London Symphony.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante has long been one of my favorite works by him, & there was a time when I was fairly obsessed with finding the best recording of the piece. However, eventually, I had to admit that there were many fine recordings. Not surprisingly, the best have turned out to be those recordings by my favorite violinists in the 5 (or 7) Violin Concertos, especially when they recorded with first rate violists:

I. On modern instruments (stereo: analogue and digital):

1. Josef Suk--Suk recorded the Sinfonia Concertante several times: His recording with Czech Philharmonic & Vaclav Neumann is excellent: 



, as is his 1962 recording with the Czech Philharmnoic & Kurt Redel, with violist Milan Skampa, the violist for the Smetana Quartet: 



, and later on, in 1990, a fine digital era recording with the Suk Chamber Orchestra & violist Thomas Kakuska, who was the violist for the Alban Berg Quartett--released by the Vanguard label,














Suk, who was the Czech composer Dvorak's great grandson, is one of my favorite Mozart violinists from the 1960s & 70s, along with Arthur Grumiaux, and David Oistrakh. I may slightly prefer him to Oistrakh in Mozart's Violin Concertos, but Oistrakh is great, too: 



.

2. David Oistrakh--with Igor Oistrakh, various versions. David Oistrakh recorded this work at least three times, with Kirill Kondrashin & the Moscow Philharmonic on Decca, with his son Igor playing the viola, and with Rudoph Barshai as both the conductor & violist, with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and finally, as both the conductor & soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic, again with Igor on viola, for EMI. I personally like Oistrakh's Decca and EMI recordings best, and slightly favor the EMI performance for its better sound. Nor would I consider Kondrashin to be an ideal Mozart conductor, either. Besides, in Berlin, Oistrakh could get exactly the performance he wanted by being both the conductor & soloist,



















3. Iona Brown--with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Iona Brown likewise recorded this work three times, first with Josef Suk on viola, then Nobuko Imai on viola--both with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, and finally with Norwegian Chamber Orchestra in 1995 and violist Lars Anders Tomter. For me, Brown makes an excellent digital choice, but deciding which of her three versions is best depends on the listener's expectations, since her performances gradually became more HIP as she went along. Which is not to say that she was ever a full blown romantic in this music, she wasn't. But her earliest performance with Suk is certainly lusher and more romantically interpreted than her final, more sparse recording with Tomter; while not surprisingly, the middle recording with Imai falls somewhere in between, interpretatively.

Brown, Suk, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields: 




Brown, Imai, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields: 













Brown, Tomter, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra: 




4. Julia Fischer--with violist Gordon Nikolic, & the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Yakov Kreizberg, on Pentatone hybrid SACD. Julia Fischer's set of Mozart's 5 Violin Concertos are among the better recordings I've heard so far from her, and also some of the better Mozart playing I've heard in the digital era. Plus, these recordings have the advantage of offering first rate audiophile sound and come in Pentatone's hybrid SACD format. I may slightly prefer Fisher in some of the solo concertos, but her Sinfonia Concertante is excellent, too, and you can't go wrong here, IMO. Plus, Kreizberg's conducting and the playing of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra is terrific.


















5 & 6. Anne-Sophie Mutter: Mutter has made two recordings, the first with violist Bruno Giurana on EMI: 



, and the second with violist Yuri Bashmet on DG: 



). Some critics find Mutter too romantically indulgent in Mozart, but I like her Mozart playing.

7. Gidon Kremer--with violist Kim Kashkashian and the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. As always with Harnoncourt, there is some quirkiness--some oddly stressed accents or over emphases here and there, but at least he can't be accused of being an overly staid Mozart conductor. Rather, Harnoncourt can be very exciting in Mozart, and I'd consider their Sinfonia Concertante performance to be one of the better ones on record. Kremer is likewise engaging and plays extremely well, and Kashkashian is excellent, too: 



).

8. Oleg Kagan--with violist Yuri Bashmet: Like Kremer, Kagan's teacher was David Oistrakh, & Oistrakh thought so highly of his student's Mozart playing that he decided to record the 5 Violin Concertos with Kagan, as his conductor. However, these are very early recordings for Kagan--if I'm not mistaken he was still studying with Oistrakh, and personally, I tend to prefer Kagan's later, more mature playing, such as his Mozart Violin Sonatas with pianist Sviatoslav Richter (especially on EMI: 



, but also Live Classics, which are among the finest on record, IMO.) Nevertheless, he was a great violinist--if slightly erratic (according to Richter, too), and I think Oistrakh was right about Kagan's natural affinity for Mozart. It's a pity that Kagan didn't live long enough to record the 5 concertos again later in his career. Yet, his recording of the Sinfonia Concertante with Bashmet is not only a late recording, it was one of the last performances that Kagan gave in concert, before he tragically passed away of cancer at the age of 43,










9. Frank Peter Zimmermann--with violist Antoine Tamestit, & the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conducted by Radosław Szulc, on Hanssler (excellent sound & performance): 




10. Arthur Grumiaux--with violist Arrigo Pellicia, & the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis, in 1964, on Philips: 




(There's also a Sinfonia Concertante on Denon from a violinist that Glenn Gould once raved about, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, but it's been many years since I've heard Kantorow's recording, and I don't feel that it's fresh enough in my mind to comment on or recommend. But it might be a top choice here, possibly.)

All of the above recordings offer excellent, enjoyable performances, in my estimation. Yet, if I were forced to narrow my list down to only five recordings, I'd probably pick Suk, Oistrakh, Brown, Kremer, and either Mutter or Fischer (though I'm not sure which Mutter recording). I very much enjoyed hearing Mutter play the Sinfonia Concertante live in concert with Yuri Bashmet and the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, but their DG recording was with the London Philharmonic, and I don't consider the LPO to be quite as fine a Mozart orchestra. Besides, Giuranna was a terrific violist, as well (on EMI). Which reminds me, there's also an excellent older Philips "Festivo" recording with the violinst Henryk Szeryng and Giuranna, accompanied by the New Philharmonia, conducted by Sir Alexander Gibson, which the old Penguin Guide from the early 1980s raved about. If I'm not mistaken, it won a Rosette award. I'd say that you can almost never go too far wrong with a recording that was once re-issued as part of the Philips "Festivo" (discount) LP series: 



. Though personally, I can find Szeryng's violin playing a little boring, but I do think he was at his best in Mozart & Bach (& will acknowledge that for others, he's a favorite violinist).

Lastly, for an interpretation that is at times slightly different, with some odd touches here & there (mostly in the conducting), there is an excellent DG recording by violinist Augustin Dumay and violist Veronika Hagen (who is the violist for the Hagen Quartet): 



. And, the Mozart playing of the Camerata Academica Salzburg is, as always, wonderful (they are, along with the Staatskapelle Dresden, English Chamber Orchestra, & Academy of St. Martin in the Fields one of my four favorite Mozart orchestras that play on modern instruments).

II. On period instruments, in the digital era:

Among period instrument performances, I've liked Thomas Zehetmair--with violist Ruth Killius, and the Orchestra of the 18th Century, conducted by Frans Brüggen, on Glossa: 



. Monica Huggett and Pavlo Beznosiuk are excellent, too, with the Portland Baroque Orchestra (sorry, it's not on You Tube). (There's also a recording by violinist Rachel Podger with Beznosiuk, which I've not heard, but would imagine is very good, considering that I've liked Podger very much in her recordings of Mozart's Violin Sonatas, with fortepianist Gary Cooper: 



.) And, from the early days of the period revival, there's a wonderfully musical performance from violinist Jaap Schroeder and violist Marilyn McDonald with The Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra: 



. I should point out that Schroeder had previously been the concert master for Christopher Hogwood's complete cycle of Mozart Symphonies on L'Oiseau-lyre, so by the time he made this Smithsonian recording he'd had an unusually large amount of experience playing Mozart's music. Which I think shows in his expert phrasing, which I can find a bit more engaging than Zehetmair and Huggett's, at times, although Schroeder wasn't technically quite as highly skilled a violinist as those two (or Podger).

III. HIP on modern instruments, or a hybrid of modern and period (or quasi period performances, if you will):

For starters, I'd most like to hear Alina Ibragimova record the Sinfonia Concertante, since she's been extraordinary in other Mozart works that I've heard her play, such as the Mozart String Quintet in C, K. 515--here performed live at the Delft Festival in 2013: 



. She has been playing the Sinfonia Concertante in the concert hall in recent years, so I'd imagine we'll get a recording from her at some point.

I'd also be interested to hear Rachel Barton Pine & violist Matthew Lipman, with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner, but haven't had the chance yet. Pine uses a period bow with modern strings, as is her custom in early music.

Nor have I heard Claudio Abbado's recording with violinist Giuliano Carmignola and Orchestra Mozart, with violist Danusha Waskiewicz, but have a high regard for Carmignola's Vivaldi playing, as well as for Abbado's Mozart conducting (which gets under rated, IMO), so I'd imagine it's very good, if this is the kind of performance that you're looking for.

Yet, for me, the best of the hybrid modern/HIP/period recordings may well be from violinist Vilde Frang, with violist Maxim Rysanov, who play on modern instruments, but are oddly enough, accompanied by the period band, Arcangelo, playing on gut strings, conducted by Jonathan Cohen. But be warned that some listeners may find the balances between the modern strings used by the soloists & the gut strings of the period band to be rather odd, and it may not be for everyone. I enjoyed the performance, however, but especially the superb playing from the two soloists: 



.

IV. Historical Recordings:

As for historical recordings, there are the two early David Oistrakh recordings that I've already mentioned--with conductors Kondrashin & Barshai, and his son, Igor, on viola. In addition, there is a 'classic' version from violinist Jascha Heifetz and violist William Primrose that is quite characterful, overall. I'm a big fan of William Primrose's viola playing, but unfortunately I can find Heifetz's playing a bit cold and aloof. For me, he doesn't have Yehudi Menuhin's warmth of tone, nor Arthur Grumiaux's elegant phrasing & sense of classical style. Plus, Heifetz once said that he disliked the Sinfonia Concertante and, to my ears, it sounds like it. However, if you don't listen too closely to Heifetz's playing (or you didn't imprint on this recording long ago, as many did), it's a very good performance, overall. Although there is a superior German radio recording with Arthur Grumiaux and William Primrose that I prefer, despite that the sound quality isn't as good as RCA's for Heifetz & Primrose:






Finally, as others have pointed out, there's also a well regarded version from Cleveland Orchestra with its two principals as soloists, conducted by George Szell. It's a good performance, if a bit overly serious and unrelaxed. Personally, I've never been a huge fan of Szell's conducting, which I can find too stiff and humorless at times (except for when he got out of Cleveland). & while I wouldn't call his Mozart conducting exactly ideal here, it doesn't overly bother me, either, and the soloists are excellent: 



. Nevertheless, I prefer Grumiaux & Primrose.

That about covers the subject from my point of view.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

KevinW said:


> Hi TC community,
> 
> As an amateur violinist, Mozart Sinfonia Concertante is my best composition ever, along with Mozart Violin Concertos. If you are a fan of Mozart and have listened to a variety of recordings, could you recommend a best version of Mozart Sinfonia Concertante and Mozart Violin Concertos respectively, and do some explanation on the comparison between the different versions? I would really like to learn more about the difference in versions. Currently, my best version for Sinfonia Concertante is the Harnoncourt+Gidon Kremer+Kim Kashkashian one or the David+Igor Oistrakh+Berlin Phil one. My best Mozart VCs are the recordings of David Oistrakh+Berlin Phil or the Arthur Grumiaux one. What about you and what are your recommendations?
> 
> KevinW


You have good taste. The only other complete sets I'd consider are those of Isaac Stern (with Pinchas Zukerman in the Sinfonia Concertante) with various conductors and orchestras and Frank Peter Zimmermann with Jorg Faerber and the Wurttenburg Chamber Orchestra. Also, Jaime Laredo did an excellent recording of no. 3. But Oistrakh and Grumiaux lead the way for me.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Josquin13 said:


> Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante has long been one of my favorite works by him, & there was a time when I was fairly obsessed with finding the best recording of the piece. However, eventually, I had to admit that there were many fine recordings. Not surprisingly, the best have turned out to be those recordings by my favorite violinists in the 5 (or 7) Violin Concertos, especially when they recorded with first rate violists:
> 
> I. On modern instruments (stereo: analogue and digital):
> 
> ...


I don't know how long it took you to compose this post - (1 hour?) - but you do deserve credit for doing it. Thanks for the commentary and recommendations.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

My first recording was a British disc featuring Norbert Brainin and Peter Schidloff of the Amadeus String Quartet, and it was satisfying enough that, although I've heard others, I've never felt a need to replace it.


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

Josquin13 said:


> Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante has long been one of my favorite works by him, & there was a time when I was fairly obsessed with finding the best recording of the piece. However, eventually, I had to admit that there were many fine recordings. Not surprisingly, the best have turned out to be those recordings by my favorite violinists in the 5 (or 7) Violin Concertos, especially when they recorded with first rate violists:
> 
> I. On modern instruments (stereo: analogue and digital):
> 
> ...


Thank you VERY much for this reply! I see a lot of versions that I had never heard of before. Your top recommendation for Sinfonia Concertante is the Josef Suk version, and that is the first time I know Suk had ever played it! I am listening to it right now, and I am gladly telling you I think this one is becoming my best! I know Suk had a perfectly complete recording collection for Mozart Violin Concertos 1-7, but I had never knew he had also played Sinfonia Concertante. What do you think of his Mozart Violin Concertos?


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

No love for Perlman/Zukerman/Mehta? That’s always been my favorite Sinfonia Concertante.

I also like the Oistrakh’ Moscow version on Decca.


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## KevinW (Nov 21, 2021)

Brahmsianhorn said:


> No love for Perlman/Zukerman/Mehta? That's always been my favorite Sinfonia Concertante.
> 
> I also like the Oistrakh' Moscow version on Decca.


The Perlman version you mentioned is not that perfect in details…


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Brahmsianhorn said:


> No love for Perlman/Zukerman/Mehta? That's always been my favorite Sinfonia Concertante.


It has a very good coupling and I have that DG disc for the rarely recorded Concertone. I think the Sinfonia concertante is one of Mozart's best and most robust works and while I have not heard as many versions as some others, I have not encountered one I really disliked.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Faust, Kremer and (of course) Grumiaux for me in the concertos ... and there are many others. They are works that flower for many players. K 364 (the sinfonia concertante) seems more difficult to bring off well. The recording by Vilde Frang and Maxim Rysanov (with Jonathan Cohen conducting Arcangelo) is excellent. Kremer and Kashkashian (with Harnoncourt) are also very good.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

KevinW said:


> The Perlman version you mentioned is not that perfect in details…


Well, that must be why I like it then


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

KevinW said:


> Thank you VERY much for this reply! I see a lot of versions that I had never heard of before. Your top recommendation for Sinfonia Concertante is the Josef Suk version, and that is the first time I know Suk had ever played it! I am listening to it right now, and I am gladly telling you I think this one is becoming my best! I know Suk had a perfectly complete recording collection for Mozart Violin Concertos 1-7, but I had never knew he had also played Sinfonia Concertante. What do you think of his Mozart Violin Concertos?


I'm a Josef Suk fan too, that would be a good choice. And speaking of concertos 6 and 7, both of questionable authenticity (especially no. 6, which is widely viewed as an adaptation of original Mozart material by Johann Friedrich Eck) but well worth hearing, I heartily recommend -- Mikhail Fichtenholz. He was a younger colleague of Oistrakh, also from Odessa and also a student of the great teacher Pyotr Stolyarksy, whose pupils also included Nathan Milstein, Joseph Roisman and Igor Oistrakh. (In fact, Milstein started violin lessons at age seven when Roisman's mother recommended Stolyarsky's studio to Milstein's mother as a way of keeping the mischievous young Nathan out of trouble).

Alas, Fichtenholz got into trouble with the Soviet authorities when his father-in-law was arrested and then executed in one of Stalin's purges, and he refused to divorce his wife. That effectively ended his concert career. But we are left with his great record of no. 7, the Adagio k. 261 and the Rondo k. 373, all of which he recorded on Melodiya with Oistrakh conducting.

And speaking of Milstein, he recorded nos. 4 and 5 brilliantly with the Philharmonia on Angel / EMI. I don't know about the availability of either on CD, but the Milstein LP is a common one and even the Fichtenholz is for sale on ebay right now for $20.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

KevinW writes, "Thank you VERY much for this reply! I see a lot of versions that I had never heard of before. Your top recommendation for Sinfonia Concertante is the Josef Suk version, and that is the first time I know Suk had ever played it! I am listening to it right now, and I am gladly telling you I think this one is becoming my best! I know Suk had a perfectly complete recording collection for Mozart Violin Concertos 1-7, but I had never knew he had also played Sinfonia Concertante. What do you think of his Mozart Violin Concertos?"

It was my pleasure.

Suk is one of my favorite violinists of the 20th century, though he recorded late into his life, and the later recordings aren't always his best. The other negative with Suk's recordings can be the lesser quality of the pre-digital era Czech Supraphon label sound engineering. It isn't terrible, but it's not always great either. For example, the violin tone on Suk's Beethoven Violin Sonatas 1-10 can be a bit grating on the Supraphon discs, & surprisingly, even on the Japanese issues. Fortunately, his Mozart is mostly on other labels, such as Eurodisc, Vanguard, Decca, etc.

Secondly, bear in mind that while people will definitely find their own favorite recording or recordings of a piece of music, and there can be strong objective reasons given to articulate & support why these favorites are excellent performances, nevertheless, there's no such thing as a 'definitive' performance.

So, while Suk is certainly one of my favorite violinists in Mozart's Violin Concertos 1-7 and the Sinfonia Concertante, I'd hesitate to call him my #1 top choice, and I probably shouldn't have numbered my recommendations above into any kind of ranking order (for example, I don't think Grumiaux should be #10 on any list of Mozart players, it just turned out that way, as the different performances & recordings came into my head). Usually, in my (lengthy) posts, I give more or less a comprehensive survey of what I believe to be a good range of the best recordings available for a particular work, with the idea that those who are interested in sampling any of my suggestions will decide for themselves what they like & don't like.

But, as you can see, most people on TC have their own favorites, and there isn't always much of a consensus reached about what are the 'best recordings' for any piece of music. Plus, people's recommendations are often heavily influenced by the recordings they first heard & liked, and therefore strongly imprinted on. & I admit, Suk, Oistrakh, and Grumiaux were my first Mozart VC recordings back when I first started collecting classical recordings in the 1980s & 90s. But they were good ones!

So, I guess what I'm saying is take the list of a long time, seasoned collector (like myself) seriously, because I know the playing of a TON of wonderful violinists!, pianists, etc. & a wide range of excellent recordings, but don't take any ranking order too seriously, even from the critics writing for the classical rags (except for those that you find you consistently agree with... & finding that out can get very expensive); because you'll definitely develop your own favorites, and they may not be exactly the same as mine or anyone else's. Although they could be, & among people that love musicians & music, I certainly hope that there will be some overlap and agreement. (But always sample first, before you buy anything; otherwise you'll likely waste a lot of money overtime purchasing recordings that, in the end, you're not entirely crazy about, or worse...)

With that said, it can be very helpful when you find someone whose likes & dislikes tend to match yours. In other words, someone whose recommendtions you can trust. Back in the 1980s & 90s, I was fortunate to have had a composer friend who gave 'the best' recommendations for recordings (& was well known to do so among musicians & friends), and I still treasure everything that he recommended to me back when I was first beginning to collect recordings. Though of course eventually I found my own way, & didn't need to rely on him as much later on. Despite that, in our conversations, I would always ask him what he'd been listening to lately, & his response was always fascinating.

As for Josef Suk's Mozart, I think it's wonderful. Though I wouldn't claim that the Prague Chamber Orchestra and its conductor are the very best that you can do in this music. They aren't (& the Suk Chamber Orchestra & Academy of St. Martin in the Fields are preferable among Suk's Mozart recordings, in my view), even though they are certainly good, & I tend to like Czech (& Hungarian) musicians, in general.

By the way, I saw Suk in recital years many ago in NYC (around 1988 or 89), and it was a memorable concert. One of the things that most impressed about him was how he seemed to become almost a different violinist with each composer that he played that night.

I should add that Suk was a great chamber musician, as well. His recordings with the Suk Trio are highly regarded, & rightly so. For example, their wonderful early digital set of the Complete Beethoven Piano Trios has been newly remastered and reissued (& while not 'definitive', it's certainly one of the top choices in this repertory for many collectors):





https://www.supraphon.com/album/630107-beethoven-the-complete-piano-trios
https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Josef-Hála-Chuchro-Trio/dp/B096YJ6K6V

Suk's stereo analogue recordings of the three Brahms Violin Sonatas (& Piano Trios) with pianist Julius Katchen (& cellist Janos Starker) are highly regarded, too (though I like Oistrakh, Grumiaux & several others in this music, as well):









https://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Josef...suk+brahms+violin+songs&qid=1638223046&sr=8-2

And, of course he's a top pick in the music of any of the Czech composers, particularly his great grandfather Dvorak's Violin Concerto & Romance for Violin and orchestra, but also in the music of Bohuslav Martinu, as well (& others),






Hope that helps.


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## fluteman (Dec 7, 2015)

Yes, thanks from me too for all that, Josquin13. I agree entirely re the Suk Trio in Beethoven and your other excellent recommendations (at least the ones I'm familiar with). As for the old Supraphon recordings, sometimes the original LPs are vastly better than the American reissue LPs (Parliament, I think they were called, a low-end budget label if there ever was one). CD reissues of these old LPs often are quite poor as well.

In the end, I think Grumiaux is still hard to beat in Mozart, despite the ever-growing list of alternatives.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

For a more recent recording of all the VCs and SC, I'm partial to Rachel Barton Pine's cycle with ASMF/Marriner.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

For historical recordings of the concertos, there is a beautifully musical version from Szymon Goldberg, BPO concertmaster.










Also, a difficult to find recording of Nos. 4 & 5 from the brilliant Erica Morini










And maybe my favorite version of No. 4, the 1934 Szigeti/Beecham


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Igor Oistrakh (violin), David Oistrakh (viola)Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra Kirill Kondrashin
Gerard Causse (viola), Pierre Amoyal (violin) Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne Armin Jordan
In my eyes unbeatable.


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## Viardots (Oct 4, 2014)

Brahmsianhorn said:


> For historical recordings of the concertos, there is a beautifully musical version from Szymon Goldberg, BPO concertmaster.


This is a superb issue, with the concertos played by Szymon Goldberg with great musicality, style, grace, elegance and alertly accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra and Walter Susskind. Goldberg is one of the finest violinists in the music of Mozart and deserves to be placed alongside Grumiaux, Oistrakh and Suk. His 1930s Parlophone recordings of some of the Mozart Violin Sonatas are justly considered classics of the gramophone.


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## Montarsolo (5 mo ago)

Grumiaux of course (priceless on vinyl). Later I discovered that Philips did not opt for the legendary Grumiaux recording for the complete Mozart edition, but for Szeryng. Listened to this one and I understand Philips' choice. I was deeply impressed by this performance.










I don't have a best/favorite version of the Sinfonia Concertante. My first recording was the live Perlman/Stern/Metha recording. Still a favorite. And fond memories of this one (you can probably find it on YouTube):


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## Viardots (Oct 4, 2014)

Josquin13 said:


> 10. Arthur Grumiaux--with violist Arrigo Pellicia, & the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis, in 1964, on Philips:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


After having listened to several versions of the Sinfonia Concertante, I've come to decide that the 1964 Philips recording with Grumiaux/Pelliccia/LSO/Colin Davis is my favourite. Grumiaux's wide palette of tonal colours and ability to vary the intensity of his vibrato (Henryk Szeryng was said to greatly admire and marvel at this ability of Grumiaux's and this probably accounts for why Jascha Heifetz also admired Grumiaux's playing) pay great dividends to the work, especially the Andante, which has a searing intensity that is quite moving - just what this centrepiece of the work needs. Pelliccia is every bit a well-matched pairing for Grumiaux in terms of warm, sensuous tone, immaculate technique, rhythmic tautness and precision, eloquence of phrasing and crispness of articulation. Davis and the LSO provide a truly majestic orchestral introduction just as the tempo marking for the first movement asks for, and alert and dynamic accompaniment throughout, completing what is for me an outstanding, deeply satisfying performance.

The 1955 Köln radio broadcast with Grumiaux, William Primrose and Otto Ackermann conducting the Köln Radio Orchestra is to me more of a historical curiosity for hearing the collaboration between two great instrumentalists of the 20th Century in a major, great work written for this combination. Unfortunately the performance is vitiated by the sound, which makes Grumiaux and Primrose sound a bit distant. Yet the real problem of this performance is Otto Ackermann's conducting - he drives Grumiaux and Primrose rather relentlessly, especially in the outer movements, such that Grumiaux and Primrose seem to be struggling to find enough time and room within this stricture to make the best out of their musical articulation and phrasing. In this regard I much prefer Colin Davis' relatively more moderate tempo, especially in the Presto, allowing Grumiaux and Pelliccia enough time and room to make as much musical points as they wish. Primrose's sonorous, burnished tone is certainly exciting to hear, but in the end I find Pelliccia is better matched and co-ordinated with Grumiaux in terms of tonal colour, phrasing and articulation. Grumiaux in 1964 is also more nuanced and played with a wider range of tonal colours than his younger self nine years earlier.


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## EvaBaron (Jan 3, 2022)

Viardots said:


> After having listened to several versions of the Sinfonia Concertante, I've come to decide that the 1964 Philips recording with Grumiaux/Pelliccia/LSO/Colin Davis is my favourite. Grumiaux's wide palette of tonal colours and ability to vary the intensity of his vibrato (Henryk Szeryng was said to greatly admire and marvel at this ability of Grumiaux's and this probably accounts for why Jascha Heifetz also admired Grumiaux's playing) pay great dividends to the work, especially the Andante, which has a searing intensity that is quite moving - just what this centrepiece of the work needs. Pelliccia is every bit a well-matched pairing for Grumiaux in terms of warm, sensuous tone, immaculate technique, rhythmic tautness and precision, eloquence of phrasing and crispness of articulation. Davis and the LSO provide a truly majestic orchestral introduction just as the tempo marking for the first movement asks for, and alert and dynamic accompaniment throughout, completing what is for me an outstanding, deeply satisfying performance.
> 
> The 1955 Köln radio broadcast with Grumiaux, William Primrose and Otto Ackermann conducting the Köln Radio Orchestra is to me more of a historical curiosity for hearing the collaboration between two great instrumentalists of the 20th Century in a major, great work written for this combination. Unfortunately the performance is vitiated by the sound, which makes Grumiaux and Primrose sound a bit distant. Yet the real problem of this performance is Otto Ackermann's conducting - he drives Grumiaux and Primrose rather relentlessly, especially in the outer movements, such that Grumiaux and Primrose seem to be struggling to find enough time and room within this stricture to make the best out of their musical articulation and phrasing. In this regard I much prefer Colin Davis' relatively more moderate tempo, especially in the Presto, allowing Grumiaux and Pelliccia enough time and room to make as much musical points as they wish. Primrose's sonorous, burnished tone is certainly exciting to hear, but in the end I find Pelliccia is better matched and co-ordinated with Grumiaux in terms of tonal colour, phrasing and articulation. Grumiaux in 1964 is also more nuanced and played with a wider range of tonal colours than his younger self nine years earlier.


It is also my favourite version!


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

My favorite versions of Mozart's *Sinfonia Concertante* are from the 1952 Vox recording from Vienna -- mainly because they are more aggressively masculine versions than one normally hears. I don't like the violin concertos as much and really only like *No. 4*. My favorites of that are from Hilary Hahn and Pinchas Zukerman. Hahn's if preferred and I enjoy Zukerman's tenuto in the finale though he isn't much of a conductor.


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## Montarsolo (5 mo ago)

When I was a teenager I got a cassette tape 'The best of Bach' and my brother got 'The best of Mozart'. Actually I preferred the Mozart tape. In particular I loved the first movement from violin concerto 4. How I loved that violin sound, especially the dark tones. There were no artist names on the tape. It didn't interest me then either.

Years later I knew many Mozart recordings of the violin concertos, but the violinist's tone of the cassette tape remained the favorite. It was a Kreisler sound but in stereo so it couldn't be Kreisler. Circa 20 years later I found the release of this cassette tape on CD (Various, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - The Best Of Mozart). There were artist names on it, but they turned out to be fake…. What a disappointment. But, I had read that they often used recordings from Eastern Europe for this kind of pirate editions. Via Spotify I listened to all performances with an Eastern European orchestra. Within half an hour I had found the recording. It was this performance that I had listened to for years. I still love the beautiful violin tone of this recording.

"a Hungarian classical violinist and academic teacher, described as "pre-eminent among Hungarian violinists". I agree!


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