Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108 (Milstein, Horowitz) скачать в хорошем качестве

Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108 (Milstein, Horowitz)

Nathan Milstein (1904 - 1992), violin Vladimir Horowitz (1903 - 1989), piano June 22/29, 1950: RCA Studio No.2, New York City, New York (Studio) Photos : 0:00 1. Allegro : 0:15 2. Adagio : 8:09 3. Un poco presto e con sentimento : 13:06 4. Presto agitato : 16:05 Historical context : After getting graduated in 1920, Horowitz starts doing concerts in Russia. At that time he meets a young Ukrainian violinist: Nathan Milstein. They play violin sonatas of Franck, Saint-Saëns, Grieg, Medtner, and Beethoven ("Le Printemps", op.30 n°2 and n°3). They also gave the Russian Premiere of Szymanowski and Prokofiev's Violin Concerti No.1 (on November 21, 1923, at the Moscow Conservatory). In his biography, Milstein describes their first meeting: « During the 1921 winter, I gave 2 recitals in Kyiv. At the end of the concert, an unexpected guest went backstage. It was Vladimir Horowitz; he was seventeen years old. I immediately called him by his nickname "Volodya". I remember he was as handsome, slim and elegant as a greyhound. His sister Regina accompanied us and invited us to have tea at their house. At the Horowitzs, there were many other musicians. They snacked and then the young people locked themselves in Regina's room to play. She played Chopin well, but wisely while Volodya launched into the sabre scene from Wagner's Siegfried, excerpts from "The Golden Cockerel" and "Tristan". I was stunned; It was a musical hurricane. I started playing and there was an immediate chemical reaction between Volodya and me. » In 1922, the Soviet regime decides to nationalize concerts and Horowitz and Milstein, because of their success are immediately recruited into the mobile artistic brigades by Pavel Kogane (Horowitz's first agent!) and they start travelling across Russia through trains, uncomfortable hotels, stages on trestles, untuned pianos, freezing rooms and noisy audiences. Little by little, while they were still only provincials, their fame grew until a rave article described them as "The children of the Soviet Revolution". They were asked to come and play at communist meetings. Milstein remembers that he obviously did not play in overly bourgeois clothes: he showed up in a peasant's jacket. The two friends then settled in Moscow, sharing a tiny room. One concert, Horowitz began to improvise parts of his accompaniment, leaving the violinist on the edge of the score. Milstein, half-heartedly, said: « I had to adapt to Horowitz who accompanied me. He couldn't stand to remain in the shadows. » In Moscow, in 1923 the passion they both share above all is theatre, and they go there as much as possible. To cheer them up, an absolutely wonderful character will join them: Gregor Piatigorsky (1903 - 1976), aka Grisha. Milstein says he was "charm incarnate": tall, handsome, joker and infinitely tender. They will form a trio of unwavering friends. Even if he is Ukrainian and their age, Grisha certainly did not have a golden childhood. He arrived in Germany at 21 during an incredible journey. Listening to Piatigorsky perform Don Quichotte with the Berlin Philharmonic, Richard Strauss declared: "I finally heard Don Quichott as I had imagined it." The cellist kept this position until Merovitch (Horowitz and Milstein's agent) dangled a career as a soloist in front of him. Banco! He left the Berlin Philharmonic and found himself a comrade of Horowitz and Milstein at 26. Milstein describes their understanding with great affection: "We became the three musketeers." He remembers that they followed all the news together in the hope that democracy would return to Russia. They had their own grudges against German musicians. At home they were called "the divers of the great depths." And then they supported each other. Grisha joins the band just before Volodya leaves for the first 1925 concert in Hamburg and does his best to relax the young musician who bites his nails. This recording is the only testimony of their musical dialogue. Obviously, in 1950, Vladimir was an absolute star, Milstein less so and the former may have wanted to please the latter. The friendship with Milstein and Horowitz, and the thousand memories attached to it, can perhaps be heard in this recording. It is also amazing to know that Milstein lived some time with the Horowitzs and whiteness the dramatic events such as George's (Horowitz's brother) uncured illness. We know that Vladimir Horowitz was pampered, but we must not forget the role played by this beloved brother. We must not lose sight of the fact that Volodya witnessed his mental collapse as if, hidden behind the mirror, George was sending him back an image of abysmal distress for the rest of his days. Milstein, already very close to Volodya at that time, would always insist: « We must understand that his art is inseparable from his neurotic and hyper-nervous nature. » A few notes about my YouTube video : The edition I used for this score video is an Urtext edition with fingerings of the composer included