Yehudi Menuhin: The Great EMI Recordings Audio CD – Classical, April 21, 2009

It's ironic that the Twilight of the CD Era should coincide with the Age of the Bargain Box. But so it is. EMI is clearly leading the way with huge omnibus collections devoted to some of the more significant figures from this company's extensive roster.Yehudi Menuhin certainly qualifies for this status. It is therefore fitting that EMI should release this 50-CD box on the tenth anniversary of his death. Though not the complete recorded ouvre of Menuhin, this set nevertheless represents the most extensive reissue of his work to date. It is also an astonishing bargain, particularly at current Amazon and Amazon affiliate prices. Since these prices are probably promotional, I would not delay in obtaining this box if you have sufficient interest in Menuhin and the remarkably diverse repertoire included herein.Over the years I have owned and enjoyed many of these recordings, on vinyl disc, and later on CD. Though I haven't yet heard any of the CDs in this box (having just placed my order), I'm assuming that the remasterings are either the same, or not appreciably different, than those with which I am already familiar. If so, then I can vouch for the high quality of the sonics and digital transfers--from monaural (including 78-rpm), stereo and early digital sources which have always sounded good.Among the treasures to be found here is the set of Bach *Sonatas and Partitas* that virtually launched Menuhin's international career in the 1930's, two historically and musically invaluable Beethoven Violin Conterto recordings under Furtwängler (one live, one studio), an early recording of the Elgar Concerto (with the composer conducting), a superb Brahms concerto with the BPO and Kempe from 1957 (so much warmer and more engaging than the overpraised Heifetz/Reiner from roughly the same period), an ever-fresh, and intensely satisfying, cycle of Mozart concerti with the Bath Festival Orchestra from the early Sixties (which includes two "spurious" but richly enjoyable works), some stylishly conceived and gracefully executed chamber repertoire from the Baroque period (Purcell, Corelli, Handel), two sumptuously played Brahms Sextets, enlivening jazz collaborations with Stephane Grappelli--the list could (and does!) go on and on.The selection of repertoire for this collection reflects a discerning attempt to maximize diversity of styles and periods while showcasing Menuhin's best work in the studio. I was delighted to discover that a sizeable amount of unusual or at least unhakneyed repertoire has been included, such as works for violin and orchestra by Berlioz, Nielsen, Bloch, Berg, Bartok, Panufnik, Williamson, Tippett, chamber music by Spohr, Chausson, Poulenc, Enescu, Bartok, Boulanger, --along with predictable concert fare such as multiple versions of the standard concerti by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Bruch and Paganini (but, curiously, no Tchaikovsky). I was also pleased that the editors found so much room for chamber music; for, in addition to the works cited above, we are also given the complete Beethoven violin-piano sonatas (some in alternate versions), all of Schubert's piano trios as well as two of his duos, Brahms's Horn Trio, a smattering of duo sonatas by Mozart, Handel, Prokofiev (but, curiously none by Bach, whose cycle of six violin-harpsichord sonatas Menuhin recorded twice). Then there is the blooming, buzzing swarm of encore pieces by Kreisler, Dinicu, Sarasate, etc. Three works for solo viola and orchestra are also included (the "reconstructed" Bartok Concerto, the Walton Concerto and Berlioz' *Harold in Italy"), to remind us that Menuhin's versatility extended to instruments as well as repertoire.Most of the works with orchestra feature world-class orchestras (in some cases ad hoc ensembles hand-picked by Menuhin himself) and first-rate conductors such as Furtwängler, Enescu, Dorati, Silvestri, Kempe, Boult, Boulez, Colin Davis, Fistoulari, Kurz, Wøldike, Tippett and Walton (the latter two in their own music). Accompanists include such distinguished figures as Kentner, Balsam, Enescu, Malcolm, and two members of Menuhin's family (Hephzibah and Jeremy)--among other oustanding collaborators.Given such a dazzling array of composers, periods, styles, idioms and such a distinguished roster of collaborators, it may seem curmudgeonly to entertain any complaints. Perhaps my sole complaint is that even this sumptuous feast could have been a bit more generous; for by reducing the multiple versions of standard repertoire concerti, more of Menuhin's work as a conductor and as a chamber musician could have been offered. For instance: Do we really need four Beethoven concerti (two with the same conductor--albeit a maestro of great historical significance), together with multiple offerings of his Romances? Do we really need even one version of Vivaldi's *Four Seasons*? Instead, could we have been given at least one of those Bach duo-sonata cycles, more Handel, or perhaps some superb Menuhin-led Mozart symphony recordings with the Sinfonia Varsovia? Thankful though one must be for such bounty, one does wonder about such duplication of standard repertoire in a collection which aspires to be maximally representative, though by no means comprehensive.What about Menuhin's playing? On the evidence of the many recordings I have heard over the years, it is always engagingly musical and warmly humane, if sometimes technically fallible. It is well known that Menuhin's technical facility began to decline fairly early in his career, so that by the 1950's his bowing could, on occasion, be erratic and his intonation likewise unreliable. But why should this bother us any more than the technical lapses and deficiencies of some great pianists? Pianophiles readily put up with glaring inconsistencies of pulse and rhythm from Schnabel, huge swaths of missed and wrong notes from Cortot, transcendental showmanship hiding a multitude of sins from Horowitz, glaring memory lapses from Richter. Indeed, few listeners complain about such pianistic shortcomings when interpretive insights are so rewarding; why, then, is Menuhin's equally searching artistry impugned on account of technical lapses no more or less serious than those committed by the aforementioned pianistic giants? If such criticism would be condescending in the case of Sviatoslav Richter (who was often well below form technically in both concert and recording), why would it be any less egregious in the case of Yehudi Menuhin?Enough said. Given the the ridiculously low price, ambitious collectors cannot afford to pass up this remarkably capacious retrospective of a unique, and uniquely lovable, figure in the musical firmament of the Twentieth Century. Listen beyond the flaws and you will hear the musical meditations of a great-souled man.

The box contains 50 discs, all with the great violinist, Yehudi Menuhin. Ten of the discs were recorded in the 1930s while Menuhin was in his teens. The sound on these recordings is not up to present standards but is acceptable. The remaining 40 discs were mostly recorded in the 1950s and 1960s with very good sound quality.The set includes a booklet which takes 50 pages to just list the the names of the compositions, artists, and playing times. There is no discussion of the compositions.The number of compositions is too numerous to mention all of them here. There are many short compositions, but the heart of the set is the violin concertos (the only major one that is missing is the Tchaikovsky). Here is a quick rundown of the concerto contents: Bach, 6 discs, including 2 discs of the marvelous 30s recording of the complete Partitas and Sonatas; Beethoven, 7 discs with four!!! versions of the concerto and three discs of the complete violin sonatas; Bartok; Berg; Berkeley; Berlioz, Harold in Italy (viola); Bloch; Brahms, two versions of the concerto plus the concerto for cello and violin; Bruch, two versons; Dvorak; Elgar (with Elgar conducting); Handel: Haydn; Lalo, Symphonie Espagnol, two versions; Mendelssohn; four !!! versions; Mozart; Nielson; Paganini, two versions of the first plus one of the second; Panufik; Saint-Saens; Sibelius; Vieuxtemps; Vivaldi, including the Four Seasons; Walton; and Williamson.Because of the age of these recordings, none of them would be the first choice of any current classical music reviewer. But, Menuhin's performances are all first rate and no other violinist has recorded with the tone and intensity of which he was capable (listen to the Bruch and Paganini). Amazon is currently offering the set for $68. That comes to about $1.40 per disc!!! This is an amazing bargain that will not last long. Get your box before they're sold out.

If you want a collection of the greatest violin performances of all time, do not buy this set. There are a few here that a music historian might list as important performances, but most of those are among the oldest and thus have the poorest sound, so it's unlikely that anyone who doesn't collect 78 rpm discs could enjoy them very much. Most of what remains is second rate even compared to contemporaneous recordings by Heifetz, Oistrakh, Milstein, Grumiaux, Suk, etc., and the sound is mostly dreadful compared to records made more recently. In many (though not all) of the recordings made after World War II Menuhin's technical problems seriously compromise what would otherwise have been very musical performances. This can be painful to hear: he often starts very well but seems to be barely holding things together by the end of the movement. On the other hand, when he does a piece well, as he does with the Beethoven violin sonata #8 with Louis Kentner or the Bloch Concerto with Paul Kletzki, his version can be among the very best. And there's the rub: most of these really fine performances aren't available elsewhere at all, and when they are they cost so much more on a per-disc basis that you could collect just his best Bach and Bartok and spend more than this set costs. So I suppose my advice would be this: if you are a serious collector of historic violin recordings, then you have to own this set: even after weeding out the bad and the sad it is an amazing bargain. If you are simply trying to acquire the best recordings available of the violin repertoire, then avoid this set, or be prepared to work really hard to mine the handful of gems.

Yehudi Menuhin: The Great EMI Recordings Knowing nearly all the recordings of Sir Menuhin. the last CD of the cassette was a real surprise too me. The genial simplicity of his social works makes one understand that only someone who loves all living beings can play music as he did. Never has there been a better candidate for the Nobel Price of Peace, but I suppose nobody ever thought of that.Maarten Vasbinder

EMI has put together a beautiful boxed collection with great attention to detail, worthy I believe of the quality required to adequately represent the artistry of Menuhin over his entire career. Only two things could have been improved: first, there should have been at least one CD containing Yehudi's collaboration with Ravi Shankar, and second, my box was crushed on one corner, but luckily none of the CDs were damaged. I don't know WHO to blame for the damage though, EMI, Amazon, or the shipping company, so if you are purchasing this set solely as a collector's item, be prepared for the possibility that you may have to return it for a replacement. Unfortunate, but true.And just a Word to those who choose to criticize Menuhin's work, allow me to say as a Professional violinist, the criticisms are poppycock. As an artist, he was unique, and can never be replaced.

J'avais lu cet été, après l'avoir acheté 20 centimes sur un vide grenier, à Chenerailles, en Creuse, l'autobiographie (le voyage inachevé)du violoniste, et en avait été fort agréablement surpris : les souvenirs d'enfance aux E-U, ses parents tout droit sortis d'un roman de Singer, et le violon ! Je m'attendais à quelque chose de plus banal, de plus journalistique (lot de la plupard des autobio de célébrités, à qui on ne va pas reprocher de n'être pas des écrivains).Au lieu de quoi, nous lisons une ardente apologie, certes du violon ("je bénis le destin qui m'a épargné le piano et m'a engagé dans une perpétuelle étreinte avec un Stradivarius")mais surtout l'affirmation du rôle insigne que tient le musicien dans l'histoire de l'humanité, y compris dans ses failles les plus périlleuses (et il y a une formidable galerie de portraits, où Menuhin sait très habilement faire preuve d'humour et d'ironie, pas seulement de gratitude ou d'admiration, - comme de somptueuses anecdotes : celle de la montée au Canigou en pleine chaleur, arrosée au Champagne, avant un concert avec Casals, par exemple).J'avais déjà quelques bribes de la discographie, mais ce coffret m'a paru indispensable. Certes, et je partage l'avis d'un commentateur, EMI n'a pas soigné son prétendu hommage. Mais quand même : bien des merveilles ici présentes étaient devenues introuvables (le disque avec Grapelli est bien, mais on aurait pu faire également une petite place à Ravi Shankar), et de toute façon le reflet d'une grande âme ne peut pas être parfait.Le choix effectué rend compte assez exactement du répertoire de Ménuhin, qui était peut-être moins varié que celui des violonistes actuels, si l'on considère sa très longue carrière. Et heureusement pour nous, qui sommes exigeants mais peu fortunés, Menuhin (i.e. Bach, Beethoven, Mozart,Schubert, Brahms, Bartok, Mendelssohn, etc) est moins cher que les Beatles (dont la récente réédition est autrement plus scandaleuse).En bref, c'est quand même indispensable.

J'ai acheté ce beau coffret il y a plus d'un an et j'en suis de plus en plus déçu. Pourquoi, par exemple, les créateurs du coffret, chez EMI, ont donné, avant tout, des enregistrements de Menuhin d'avant la guerre ? Le manque d'excellentes Partitas et Sonatas de J.S. Bach captés sur disque dans les années 60 est vraiment frappant ! Je ne trouve non plus de rencentre légendaire avec Ravi Shankar... Dommage que l'équipe EMI ne soit pas "passionnée" de ce qu'elle édite... Il a plutôt fallu faire un box avec le tout de Menuhin-violoniste et un autre avec Menuhin-chef!

メニューインを聞いたことがない方々には無条件でお勧めします。昔からLPで聞いてきた方々には購入前の注意事項をお知らせします。このセットには、メニューインがEMIに録音したすべてが収録されているわけではありません。収録曲目と録音年は、EMI ClassicsのWEBサイト（URL: [...]）で確認できます。昭和５０年代に、東芝からセラフィムというシリーズで１枚1,300円の廉価版LPが出ていました。そのシリーズにメニューインが妹の伴奏で演奏したクロイツェル・ソナタのステレオ盤（1957年〜1958年の録音）が入っていました。中学生の時から愛聴していたのですが、現在、この演奏のCDは廃盤になっています。当然、それが収録されていると期待して購入したのですが、このセットには妹の伴奏で演奏した旧録音（1934年録音）とKentnerのピアノ伴奏による1954年の録音が収録されていました。ご参考までに。

いきなりＣＤ１がＢＡＣＨです。すごい歌っているヴァイオリンです。やっぱり20世紀の名演奏家って言われるだけの人ですね。ユーディ・メニュインの事は、評論家によって善し悪しがあることが、クラシックの名盤で旧本に出ていても、新本では削除されたりしたことからうかがえる。彼は第二次世界戦争後、ドイツに批判的であったり、半日感情もあり、政治思想的にあんまり評価がよくないようですね。でもバイオリンは1770年代のもので、7歳でブルーノ・ワルターに見込まれるなど非凡な才能をもっています。50枚ものＢＯＸですのでようやく1８枚まで聞きましたが、録音は古そうですが、ノイズがなく十分すばらしいＢＯＸです。ラジオ放送で彼の演奏を聞いてよかったのですが、同じくいいですね。ベートーベン・バイオリン協奏曲では独特なセンスで演奏しています。リズムが極端にゆっくりでピアノと歩いているな感覚です。１８にはベルリオーズのイタリアや夢とカプリっちぇとかマルティンの教会ミサというレアものが入っていて、すごくうれしいですね。