BRONISLAW HUBERMAN IN PERFORMANCE
CD-4299(1)
"Both of these in-concert readings--the
Mozart from 1945, the Tchaikovsky from a year later--took place after a
plane crash that severely damaged Bronislaw Huberman's left hand and forced
him to relearn his instrument. (That he did so was miraculous.) Neither
of these performances is in any way orthodox. The acerbic tone and occasionally
eccentric phrasing in the Mozart will surely disturb purists...Still, one
always senses a committed musician with a strong personality. Note, for
example, the clipped ending of the finale's rondo theme, which suggests
humor rarely conveyed by other fiddlers. Bruno Walter proved an ideal accompanist,
aptly echoing Huberman's notions.
Huberman's way with the Tchaikovsky should
have greater appeal. For one thing, its virtuosic flamboyance is better
suited to the violinist's style, and his occasional roughness complements
the folksy idiom of the work better than it does Mozart's elegance...One
listens in amazement to the abandon with which he digs into the music, his
spiccato, in particular, being especially impressive...."
--Mortimer H. Frank in Fanfare
CD-4299(1)
BRONISLAW HUBERMAN IN PERFORMANCE. MOZART: Violin
Concerto in D, K218; conducted by Bruno Walter, 1945. TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto conducted by Eugene Ormandy, 1946.