Recordings of the
Menuhin siblings are coming thick and
fast, so fast that not even this reviewer
can quite keep up with them. This is
my second encounter with Ward Marston’s
transfers of the C minor and Kreutzer
sonatas on this site. He’s previously
produced a double CD set for Biddulph
which includes them, as well as a Bach
Sonata and two Brahms – the first and
third. For a précis of my reactions
to these youthful, if decidedly robust
and occasionally superficial Beethoven
traversals, you should read
my comments there. The Schubert
sports some ripely expressive and succulent
tone from Yehudi – his portamenti are
daringly constant and the prayerful
colours he conjures are warmed by a
rapid vibrato with a bewitching palette.
Hephzibah proves once again a young
musician of imagination and temperament
– as well as firm technical address.
Now to the question
of transfers. An A/B comparison shows
that Marston seems to have employed
the same master he used for the Biddulph.
There was a fractional dropout in the
Biddulph Kreutzer that is not
reproduced in this Naxos. The ticks
and pops there are minimalised here.
The main difference however is that
there is a greater forward presence
in the Naxos and that the surface crackle
has been better managed here. There
is still a relatively high level of
shellac noise but it’s well integrated
and not obtrusive and the violin emerges
with commendable clarity. Of course
one needs to be guided by the repertoire
but point-by-point comparison of the
two Beethovens favours the Naxos.
Jonathan Woolf
Yehudi Menuhin (violin) 