With the return of these stereo recordings by David Oistrakh and Lev Oborin (made in Paris in 1962), many collectors will find an automatic first choice. This new Philips set presents these accounts in fine digital transfers and has the benefit of having all 10 sonatas placed sequentially across four CDs. The performances are exceptionally fine, sometimes not as dramatic as Schneiderhan’s (DG), it’s true, but always intensely musical and natural. For example, compare Oistrakh’s reading of the darkly urgent C minor work (Op. 30 No. 2) with Schneiderhan’s and you’ll find an altogether more comfortable ride, without the sometimes fussy dramatic overlay. That owes something to Oborin’s greater restraint, an impression also bolstered by the aural perspective of the recordings in which the players are positioned considerably apart, with violin to the left and piano to the right. Okay, it’s not really ideal, and some listeners will find this extreme balance annoying, but it’s a small price to pay considering the caliber of these performances.
In the epic “Kreutzer” sonata Oistrakh plays majestically and thoughtfully, the slow movement being beautifully inflected without losing its tight rhythmic control. On balance Oistrakh probably comes closest to Grumiaux’s style of playing, with its tonal purity and dignity, though the iron-fisted austerity of Schneiderhan’s DG performances remains impressive. What you don’t need in Beethoven, however, is the inflammatory but often clumsy rhetoric that Szeryng sometimes produced, and in this regard Oistrakh can’t be faulted, for these are readings of the highest sophistication. Finally, there are also very special qualities in Oistrakh and Oborin’s classically concise readings of the earlier sonatas, particularly the three Op. 12 works and the Op. 30 group. What you’ll find here is a duo that devotes minute attentiveness to every passing detail, along the way conveying a powerful feeling of joyfulness and discovery. This is essential listening, and not just for violin devotees: this set belongs in everyone’s collection!
