CD: Historic Performances – Milstein

Nathan Milstein
Swiss Festival Orchestra
Igor Markevitch (Mendelssohn) | Ernest Ansermet (Dvořák)

Felix Mendelssohn
Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

Antonín Dvořák
Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53

(Recordings: Lucerne, 1953 & 1955)

His vigorous, intensive tone; his unsentimental, straightforward playing; his boundless virtuosity: these are the trademarks of the Russian violinist Nathan Milstein. In Lucerne “Nathan the Great” shone with the concertos of Mendelssohn and Dvořák during the 1950s. Conducting: Igor Markevitch and Ernest Ansermet, whose discographies until now have not featured these works.

The 28-page booklet in three languages provides extensive background information on Milstein and his relationship with the Internationale Musikfestwochen in Lucerne, and also features photos from the festival archive, published here for the first time.

The Historic Performances CD series presents live concert recordings of influential Festival artists. The sound quality of the original tapes has been painstakingly restored, and each release is accompanied by extensive documentation of its historical as well as artistic significance, together with photos and historical material from the LUCERNE FESTIVAL archive – a history of the Festival in sound.