Walton, Violin Concerto: Francescatti/Szell/Cleveland/live 1968

[@Bored-Byron]

I discovered this concert listening to the radio while driving at dawn to do an antiques market. I stopped the car over to the side of the road, and listened to the end. I soon after bought the cd. One of best violin cooncert of 20th century, and a funambolic Zino Francescatti.

[@josechrist3948]

What a great violin player, very famous in my youth, now almost forgotten, how is this possible????

[@zenoky64]

I still remember him and still enjoy listening to his recordings. In everything he plays he is incredibly musical! And his technique is impeccable. But his musicianship stands out in every piece he plays.

[@simonscott2134]

What a violinist! My favourite. This is really stunning playing

[@ernstschliephake522]

...I purchased the old original CBS recoord in 1979 at Farringdon/ Cheapside which is with Philadelphia and combined with Sibelius and N.Y. Phil.... amazing Zino as ever, such a great playing!

[@fredhainen]

I saw him play this live in Cleveland in 1960

[@mickstirling1]

Love this passionate playing!

[@marcolamonica2592]

You are right Simon!

[@kevingabriel7250]

I had known of this performance for a long time but never could find it. At the time Francescatti was 65, he sounds great for his age but not as good as ihe did in 1959. It's not perfect playing but I wonder how many people at that age would attempt this piece, which is not easy. I prefer Szell to Ormandy, especially in the second movement, where Szell keeps things much tighter. In Francescatti's recording, the Orchetrea seems to holds things back a bit in this movement. Disagree with the comment about Francescatti in person. In his prime, he had one of the great techniques and was known as the "Heifetz of Europe." By the time Heifetz and Milstien were 65 they weren't sounding as good either, though Milstein kept his technique going longer than most. He probably had the best natural technique in the business.

[@jhb134]

Well, Francescatti is pretty fine ... although I do HEAR a sour note, or two, here and there. Without ANY semblance of bias ... although I've been a "fan" of what Szell could do ... the orchestral part, and, of course, WITH the phenomenal work of the Cleveland O., of the time ... is the part that SHINES, the most, to me. If any of you have ever listened-to Szell/Cleveland, in Walton's Partita for Orchestra, you'll know what I mean, about the Szell/Cleveland true AFFINITY for this great composer.

[@klep2859]

"...a sour note...". Yes. Zino had not the perfection of either Heifetz or Milstein playing live. He made up for it with that incredible density of sound from his Strad. My intro to him was via my grandparents old lp of the Saint-Saens #3 w/Mitropoulos & the N.Y.Phil.

[@yefimpastukh3505]

I also have this old great LP. But Walton is STILL (like many-many other)is the Heifetz Concero!

[@hartmutlindemann9735]

Even the complete absence of mistakes doesn't make anything great. Today we have so many uninteresting, yet well received violinists who play without mistakes. Francescatti playing on the other hand is of such a high intensity and over all exiting quality. He was not afraid of risk taking. A few dubious notes in a live concert, simply didn't matter in his days. Francescatti retained his radiant sound and the communicative quality of his playing until he retired. He kept himself in better violinistic shape than any other violinist I can recall.