In light of the many excellent, all-digital recordings available, and in consideration of advancements in period performance practice, the re-release of Yehudi Menuhin's Mozart recordings seems to be for their historical value alone. This five-disc box set of works for violin and orchestra offers much more than the average listener needs, and its appeal may only be apparent to collectors. The five Violin Concertos and the Sinfonia Concertante were previously reissued on Seraphim as a budget double disc, and that set is ...
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In light of the many excellent, all-digital recordings available, and in consideration of advancements in period performance practice, the re-release of Yehudi Menuhin's Mozart recordings seems to be for their historical value alone. This five-disc box set of works for violin and orchestra offers much more than the average listener needs, and its appeal may only be apparent to collectors. The five Violin Concertos and the Sinfonia Concertante were previously reissued on Seraphim as a budget double disc, and that set is recommended if this one seems padded. The dubious authorship of the Sixth and Seventh concertos makes their inclusion here questionable, and the appearance of the spurious "Adelaide" Concerto is baffling, except as evidence of Menuhin's enthusiasm for it. The Concertone, the excerpted Serenade No. 7, and the Divertimento No. 15 feature prominent violin solos, yet they are provided as filler, perhaps only to document everything featuring Menuhin as soloist. In terms of musical quality,...
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