- 15 Original Albums from the years 1932 to 1954
- Numerous bonus tracks with works by Beethoven and Hindemith (in the legendary pairing Szigeti / Arrau), Ravel, Lalo, Bach, Berg, and Debussy complete the albums.
Legendary violinist Joseph Szigeti is known as one of the most interesting personalities in the history of the instrument. Writers of his time awarded him the "most elegant right arm of all living violinists". This compilation of 15 original albums from the years 1932 to 1954 documents a part of his enormous repertoire and contains several recordings of the highest order. Szigeti plays, among others, Violin Concertos by Mozart and Mendelssohn in the highly acclaimed pairing with Thomas Beecham, as well as concerts by Bach, Tartini and Brahms.
Szigeti was open to bold musical innovations and vehemently supported contemporary music. Prokofiev regarded Szigeti as the ideal interpreter of his works and dedicated his first Violin Concerto to him (here under Beecham). He enjoyed a deep friendship with Bartók, who was in turn a great admirer of Szigeti's art. Among the works the composer dedicated to the violinist were the "Contrasts" for piano, violin and clarinet. Stravinsky ("Duo concertant" and "Pastorale") and Bloch are among the protagonists of classical modernism with whom Szigeti also maintained a particularly close relationship.
The chamber music highlights of this box are the sonatas by Bach, Beethoven (Horszowski), Handel and Tartini (Bussotti), the trio and quartet by Brahms (Festival in Prades) as well as Bartók's "Roumanian Dances", "Rhapsody No.1", and his "Hungarian Folk Tunes ". The passionate chamber musician Szigeti can be heard here alongside excellent and famous musicians, among them Igor Strawinsky and Béla Bartók, as well as Benny Goodman, Myra Hess, Mieczyslaw Horszowski and Andor Földes.
