David Oistrakh’s playing is, at its best, a calming force in an agitated world – intelligent, considered (just occasionally overcalculated), invariably poised, big-toned and confident. You know what to expect and are rarely disappointed, and these excellent refurbishments of key Oistrakh performances from the 1950s lend a characteristic narrative quality to a wide variety of repertoire. Best perhaps is the twentieth-century sonatas disc, especially the Prokofiev sonata, which Oistrakh himself instigated in reaction to hearing the flute-and-piano original. The playing is quietly confidential in the first and third movements, pert in the scherzo and exuberant in the closing Allegro con brio. Oistrakh’s phrasing is incisive without sounding aggressive (most notes retain their full measure of tone, even at speed), while his handling of rhythm is both supple and muscular. Milstein (also recorded in 1955, now on a six-disc set) is perhaps just a mite more sophisticated, but this new reissue would still be my first choice. Szymanowski’s post-romantic Op. 9 is lusciously full-toned and expertly negotiated by Yampolsky, while Karen Khachaturian’s Op. 1 – a pleasant piece reminiscent of Kabalevsky, the lighter Shostakovich and, very occasionally, Gershwin – is slower, less ‘smoky’ than Heifetz (another masterly performance), especially in the delightful Andante.
The other sonata disc is crowned by a warmly cosseted account of Mozart’s great B flat Sonata, K454, with Yampolsky providing Oistrakh with trim pianistic support. The Beethoven Kreutzer is articulate, well paced and technically spot on, but although Lev Oborin was a fine pianist in his own right, I thought his contribution rather undercharacterized, certainly in comparison with such regal Kreutzers as Huberman-Friedman (on a two-disc set), Szigeti-Arrau (recorded live in 1944; four discs), Busch-Serkin and Kremer-Argerich. The E flat Sonata works better and so does the Schubert Octet, a stylish, easygoing performance graced by some superb instrumental voicing – especially from Yacov Shapiro, a master horn soloist with an endearing ‘Slavic’ vibrato. Oistrakh rises manfully to Tartini’s treacherous trills (so many rivals are either tepid or ungainly) and the recorded sound is excellent for the period.
As to the orchestral disc, Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole is another clear winner, smooth as velvet and elegant in both concept and detail (all five movements are included). Sampling the Scherzando shows Oistrakh and Martinon in their best light and should win this excellent performance many new friends. Prokofiev’s First Concerto was always an Oistrakh speciality (more so than the Second) and although an earlier Melodiya recording (under Kondrashin, 8/63 – nla) is perhaps even more interpretatively provocative (especially in the leaping figurations that pepper the first movement), EMI’s recording is the more refined of the two and Matacic conducts a sympathetic accompaniment. The encores are delightful, Tchaikovsky’s Valse-scherzo being among Oistrakh’s finest ‘sweetmeat’ recordings and Zarzycki’s Mazurka a tasteful and urbane alternative to Huberman’s versicoloured second version (on Biddulph, 3/94).
All in all, this is a superb series of discs, expertly annotated by Tully Potter and very well presented. I would call the Prokofiev Second Sonata as near ‘definitive’ as anyone has a right to expect, while the rest is typical of a violinist whose aristocratic playing and artistic diplomacy were – and remain – an inspiration to us all.'