Ida Haendel

Tchaikovsky's great ballet scores are symphonic tone paintings full of drama and emotional power. André Previn's time as head of the London Symphony Orchestra was a golden era in the LSO's rich history – not least thanks to outstanding recordings like this one.

This is the second CD on this label of recordings by the virtuosic violinist Ida Haendel. These historical recordings of violin concertos rank among the musical jewels in the archives of the SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was Finland’s greatest composer and the most powerful symphonist to have come from Scandinavia. Eight years before his first of the seven numbered symphonies was written he composed the five movement work entitled Kullervo based on the Finnish national literary epic, from which he took so much inspiration, the Kalevala. Scored for two soloists, male chorus and orchestra it established him overnight as a leading musical figure. Paavo Berglund made a detailed study of the score and his recording in November 1970 made with Finnish singers but with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, of which he was musical director, was revelatory inspiring many other conductors to perform and record this major work. The set is completed by three tone poems – the ever popular Finlandia, The Oceanides and his final completed work, Tapiola – the first suite of Scènes historiques, two movements from the Karelia Suite and the two Serenades for Violin and Orchestra in which Ida Haendel is the soloist.

These recordings have never been released before and form an invaluable document of one of the 20th century's greatest violinists. Ida Haendel had an enduring concert career but her recordings are relatively few. Her joy of music making can be heard in every score she performs.

Ida Haendel was rightly branded the “Grande Dame of the Violin” back at the time when it remained a staunchly male domain. When she was seven years of age she met in the final of the Wieniawski Violin Competition such virtuosos as David Oistrakh and Ginette Neveu. Her performances of Elgar’s, Bruch’s and Beethoven’s violin concertos still rank among the benchmark recordings. At the age of twenty-one, the Polish violinist was lauded byJean Sibelius himself, who greatly esteemed her interpretation of his work, the most frequently recorded violin concerto of the 20th century up to the present day. The recording contained on this CD is an invaluable and hitherto unreleased document of the concert that took place at Prague’s Rudolfinum on 18 October 1957. With the utmost mastery, precision and naturalness, the soloist performed the two works with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Karel Ancerl. The special atmosphere was also contributed to by the fact that Jean Sibelius had died less than a month prior to the concert. The sound quality of the recording and the soloist’s flawless live performance(note perfect) are truly awesome. This recording is an encounter with a living legend.