I just love listening to classical music especially violin music. There is nothing like it that can relax me. It takes my mind to a different level where all of my worries are gone. In the past I have just picked any violin music CD at the store but as I listened more I began to have some ideas on how to pick the best violin music to listen to. One sure method that I have discovered is to find the albums or recording by some of the greatest violin players who have ever lived. Here are some of the names that I recommend:
David Oistrakh- This Russian musician became famous all over the world for playing Tchaikovsky’s music. He was also friendly with some of the great Russian composers of his time and they all wrote musical pieces for him. Despite the fact that he had played most of the great musical compositions for violin with great accomplishment Tchaikovsky’s was his favourite of all and many agree that he had made the best recording of it ever.
Fritz Kresler- He was a master right before the age of recording and he made the transition quite well. His special mark was technical perfection that was never aggressive or forceful in nature. As a person he was known to be very polite to all people and this translated to the way that he played his instrument.
Mischa Elman- he was widely considered to be one of the greatest violinists of all time. Like most gifted violinists he was a precocious child. By the age of 11 he could already play some of the most difficult musical pieces. His playing was characterized by the intense emotions that he could convey in it.
Jascha Heifetz- Many consider Jascha Heifetz to be the greatest violin player of the modern age. His ability and technical accomplishment can never be equalled by any player today. Music lovers today wonder at the way that he can attain tonal quality and strength.
Now those are some of the greatest violinists that I go for when buying CDs, but I have another method of getting the best violin music to listen to. That is by getting the top violin concertos of all time. Here is another list that represents my choices when it comes to that:
Tchaikovsky Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major Opus 35- This is considered to be the greatest violin concerto to have ever been written. This piece has been a favourite of music lovers for centuries and is bound to be so for many years to come.
Brahms Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major Opus 77- This work is an ideal combination romanticism and form.
Mendellsohn Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E Minor Opus 64- This concerto sounds so natural that it seems like it was never composed.
Of course this list is highly subjective. Others are bound to disagree with some of the things that I have written down here but for me these are the best choices when it comes to violin music.