Volatile temperament and fiendish commitment crackles through every bar of violinist Bronislaw Huberman’s oft-reissued Tchaikovsky and Beethoven Concertos, respectively recorded in 1928 and 1934. However strange the legendary fiddler’s frequent tempo adjustments and expressive slides may fall upon modern ears, repeated listens reveal these so-called mannerisms as thoroughly internalized reactions to both composers’ mood swings. Mark Obert-Thorn’s full-bodied transfer of the Tchaikovsky Concerto is a shade duller yet much less noisy than a late-1980s Pearl edition. On the other hand, David Lennick brings out more on top but with a less defined bottom than Keith Hardwick’s fine Berethoven transfer for EMI. Neither, however, match the cleanliness and clarity of Bryan Crimp’s APR restorations. But APR discs cost nearly three times more than Naxos’ budget line, and you won’t find this particular coupling elsewhere. Certainly no one who cares about great violin artistry should be without these justly famous recordings. [4/1/2000]
