Octo_Russ

Beethoven - Violin Sonata 9 [Zukerman/ Barenboim] 

Another disc of the Kreutzer Sonata, i played this earlier in the month with Szeryng [9th April 2011], this was only recorded 6 years earlier than that performance, but sounds a lot older, this Sonata is my favourite, and gets a lot of play regularly.

Pinchas Zukerman is an Israeli Violinist, he emigrated to the United States in 1962, and now lives in Canada, he is 62 years old, he made this recording in the early Seventies, the booklet cover photograph is by Paul Mitchell, showing violins in close up in black and white, this is an EMI series entitled 'Gemini', black and white photographs, with a different colour scheme on each release, this one is red / maroon, very effective indeed, the recording isn't perfect, about 40 years old now, but still reasonable. 

This Violin Sonata is the pinnacle achieved by Beethoven in the medium, full of memorable tunes, and a real turn of universal expression, it was the ultra serious first movement that i found so compelling, i like the very revolutionary solo violin opening, a screeching out of tune intro [0'00-1:11], which is eventually joined by the piano, it takes a full 2 minutes before the Presto part of the movement gets underway [2:15+], nicely frantic and intense, but there's moments of lyrical rest inbetween all the presto fierceness, like a tightening of the knots, and then a release of those same knots, it's a real powerhouse of forward momentum. 

Here's Akiko Suwanai playing the first movement on YouTube.