EMI inexplicably continues to keep Oistrakh’s Brahms concerto with Szell in the archives everywhere except Japan, preferring to perpetually reissue the violinist’s earlier recording with Klemperer at the helm of the French National Radio Orchestra. A fascinating point, given the different characters of the conductors involved, is that both recordings time out to within seconds of each other. The other differences? Oistrakh perhaps is in marginally better form for Klemperer, and of course you get the incomparable Cleveland Orchestra with Szell. In any case, Klemperer obtains a fully characteristic sound from his French band, with typically forward winds and richly sonorous strings, and of course Oistrakh’s contribution remains virtually without peer. This has always been one of the very greatest recordings of the Brahms concerto, offering a singularly potent combination of passion and structural strength (check out the finale in particular, where the phrasing of the main theme offers Romantic flexibility without ever losing the long line). It really doesn’t matter how many times EMI reissues the thing as long as it remains available. The Sinfonia Concertante also stands among the best, although EMI seems to have forgotten that Oistrakh plays the viola in this work, and not the violin. Nor is there any significant sonic difference between this and previous incarnations. No matter. If you don’t own this, you should.
