Whenever I tune in to Ida Haendel without knowing who is playing I invariably sit transfixed until the radio announcer gives the game away. I am never surprised‚ and yet discussions about ‘great’ fiddlers on disc too often relegate Haendel to the sidelines. As a pupil of Flesch and Enescu‚ and winner of the 1933 Huberman prize‚ she ‘goes back’‚ as they say‚ but her extensive travels‚ her triumphs at the Proms and her ageless energy pin her as much to the new generation as to the old. She made her Wigmore Hall début as recently as 2000 but when annotator Tully Potter claims that she was playing ‘better’ in 1996 (that is‚ on her recent Decca CD of Enescu and other composers listed above) than in the 1940s‚ I rather think he’s listening through rose­tinted speakers‚ though to be fair he may be referring more to live recitals. The idea of specific comparison was inspired by these two excellent releases. Take for example Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances. Testament’s ‘Popular Encores’ selection includes a recording from 1978 which‚ while not quite as agile as its 1947 predecessor (included on Decca’s bonus disc) is certainly more fluid than the August 1996 re­make‚ and probably more insightful than either. By contrast‚ her 1978 recording of Sarasate’s Zapateado has much more panache and inner vitality than the sweeter‚ lighter and marginally swifter 1941 shellac version. Haendel’s concentration and control benefit pieces such as Ravel’s Pièce en forme de Habanera‚ Schubert’s Ave Maria and Mendelssohn’s On Wings of Song‚ all of which are enriched by her seamless phrasing and sustained warmth of tone. Paganini’s La Clochette is a showcase of varied bowings and subtle nuances. And while not everything is light on its feet (Copland’s ‘Hoe­Down’ and Sarasate’s Habanera ideally need a defter touch) most items run delightedly against the spiritless tide of the times. Back in 1978 there was still widespread reaction against what has since blossomed to a revival of interest in Romantic­style violin playing. My own favourite track on ‘Popular Encores’ is the Tartini Andante­Presto (extracted by Bridgewater from two different sources) where Haendel’s svelte‚ sensitively modulated playing illuminates every bar. Turn then to ‘Baroque Transcriptions’ and you have what in my view is a genuinely great fiddle record‚ one to place alongside those in which Heifetz‚ Szigeti or Elman (to name but three) tackle similar repertoire. Indeed I found myself thinking that if it’s possible to make this music sound so beautiful‚ why does the ‘historic performing’ lobby kick up so much noisy opposition? Okay‚ I know all the counter­arguments and I respect them; and‚ yes‚ these are arrangements – which is different. But to take just one small example‚ at around 2'02" into the opening Adagio of Nardini’s Sonata‚ listen to how Haendel suddenly dips from mezzo­forte to piano‚ like switching from a serene smile to a questioning glance. The effect is both subtle and dramatic. Corelli’s La Folia and Tartini’s The Devil’s Trill Sonata are similarly expressive. As for Vitali’s Chaconne‚ Haendel admits that she was knocked out when she heard Heifetz play the piece and in some ways her impassioned performance resembles Heifetz’s interpretatively spectacular 1950 recording (of Respighi’s arrangement; Haendel plays David’s more comprehensive alternative). Always there’s that ecstatic control of melodic line‚ holding fast to the harmonic thread – musically‚ patiently and with the inimitable touch of a true craftsman. The recording is superb‚ more spacious than on the clear but mono­dimensional ‘encores’ disc‚ and the partnership with Geoffrey Parsons is beautifully balanced in both cases. Tully Potter’s informative annotations add to one’s pleasure‚ as usual‚ but ‘Baroque Transcriptions’ is the disc to go for first. It’s a truly wonderful CD.