Mischa Elman (violin)
The Complete HMV Concerto Recordings
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Violin Concerto in G minor, Op.12 No.1, RV317 arr Tivadar Nachez
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Violin Concerto No.2 in E, BWV1042 (c.1720)
Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Violin Concerto in D, Op.35 (1878)
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Romance for Violin and Orchestra No.1 in G, Op.40 (c.1801)
Romance for Violin and Orchestra No.2 in F, Op.50 (1798)
New Symphony Orchestra (Vivaldi), London Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven)/Lawrance Collingwood
Chamber Orchestra (Bach), London Symphony Orchestra (Tchaikovsky)/John Barbirolli
rec. 1929-32, London
Biddulph 85052-2 [89]

Mischa Elman’s pre-war concerto recordings were made in London between 1929-32. Two conductors were involved, Barbirolli for the two major concertos and Lawrance Collingwood for Vivaldi and the Beethoven Romances. Three orchestras were used.

The Vivaldi Concerto in G minor, RV317 is heard in Tivadar Nachez’s arrangement and was the first complete recording of a Vivaldi concerto with orchestra, a fact one learns from Wayne Kiley’s erudite booklet notes. Elman plays with luscious portamenti, inimitable tone, romanticised rallentandi but buoyant musicianship, abetted by Collingwood and the New Symphony Orchestra, the same orchestra that had a few years earlier recorded with Beatrice Harrison and Elgar in his Cello Concerto. Elman’s lyricism is at its apex in the Adagio where he sings with rapt beauty and he heightens the intensity of the finale with some inimitably personalised gestures. 

The recording of Bach’s Concerto No.2 in E followed a couple of months later, with Barbirolli and a pick-up, unnamed chamber orchestra. This is once again a characterful, relatively mobile performance for the time, subject to Elman’s rich-toned imperatives and Barbirolli’s sympathetic accompaniment. It has a nobly sculpted slow movement and a finale with some zesty Elman ‘kicks’. I think it was the first complete recording of the concerto to be made in London since Jacques Thibaud’s equally characterful late acoustic of 1924. Biddulph has already issued a transfer of the Thibaud as it has, indeed, of the Elman recording on 80206-2 in Gary Stucka’s transfer over twenty years ago. This new one is a touch better but there’s not much in it.

One of Elman’s greatest recordings was the Tchaikovsky Concerto, again with Barbirolli but this time with the LSO in Queen’s Hall in December 1929. It was made eight years earlier than Barbirolli’s famous recording of the concerto with Heifetz but the year after Huberman had recorded it with Steinberg in Berlin in 1928, a must-hear example of wilful, razor-fast gypsy personalisation. Huberman followed in Elman’s footsteps in the Bach in Vienna with Dobrowen. No matter that Huberman recorded it earlier, it was Elman’s work, at least until Heifetz’s hegemony and Elman’s nuanced, expressive, unhurried approach was to remain a viable alternative to the more motoric versions of other overtly athletic virtuosi. The two Beethoven Romances with the LSO, this time conducted by Lawrance Collingwood, are eloquently lyric and not subject to exaggeration.

Naxos’ transfer of the Tchaikovsky back in 2002 on 8.110912 was rather disappointing. It was subdued and had no real air, which was doubly disappointing as the concerto was recorded in Queen’s Hall. This new transfer, courtesy of Raymond Glaspole’s copies and Rick Torres’ remastering, is much better. It has more surface noise but is forward and presents a much more open sound that allows the hall to be heard as well as Elman’s tone, of course.   

This finely documented disc lasts a notable 89 minutes – a record in my experience. If you want Elman’s HMV concerto recordings in a single, handy disc, this is where you go.

Jonathan Woolf 

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