Yehudi Menuin, Willi Boskovsky, Emanuel Brabec, Wilhelm Furtwangler - Brahms: Violin Concerto, Double Concerto (1990)

Wilhelm Furtwangler left six recordings of Brahms' three concertos. This CD contains two remarkable recordings. Violin Concerto (with Yehudi Menuhin and Orchester der Luzerner Festspiele(Luzern Festival Orchestra)) is very important document. Menuhin plays very confidently unlike later recordings(Especially first movement's cadenza by Kreisler and intro of last movement). And Furtwangler made huge scale in orchestral parts very naturally. Recording condition is very good than other documents left in 1949.(I reviewed Beethoven's violin concerto which recorded Kunsthaus in Luzern very kindly.). Furtwangler left other recording with Gioconda de Vito and Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della RAI in 1952, but this recording quality is very awful. Double Concerto (with Willi Boskovsky, Emanuel Brabec and Wiener Philharmoniker) is very powerful and decisive than violin concerto(I was very surprised in first movement's violent introduction.). It was recorded live in 27 January 1952. Unlike other works played together, this concerto's performance is very passionate(They played Brahms' Haydn Variations(Testament) and first symphony(EMI), too. But these works' performance rate is not so good.). Needless to say, Furtwangler left other recording(with Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Enrico Mainardi and Orchester der Luzerner Festspiele in 1949) but its recording quality is bad than this recording(It has so fatal distortion in first movement.).