Christian Ferras - Christian Ferras Swr Recording Collection - Import 4 CD Box set

Credits:

Christian Ferras

Description:

Many firsts! Christian Ferras (1933-1982) is one of the most famous violinists in France. He was one of the most famous French violinists of the postwar period, and his performances were full of elegance, immersion in the music, and sometimes bursts of intense passion. Ferras was very popular even in postwar Germany, and many of the performances recorded and broadcast by local broadcasters have been reissued on CD, but this set is the first CD release of all the pieces from the original masters, with the exception of the Berg. Fans of violin music will find this release noteworthy. Ferras' father was a violinist under Marcel Chailly, who taught Ginette Neveu, Laura Bobesco, and Ivry Gitlis, and under his father's guidance, Ferras showed his talent early on.In 1941, at the age of eight, he was admitted to the Conservatoire de Nice, where in his third year he won first prize in violin and chamber music. Two years later, in 1946, he graduated with first prize in chamber music and violin. Ferras made his Paris debut at the age of 13, performing Lalo's Spanish Symphony and Beethoven's Violin Concerto. In 1948, he won the first prize at the International Competition in Suchenningen, chaired by Yehudi Menuhin, and the following year, he won the second prize without first prize at the International Competition of Ron Thibaud (as it was then called). On this occasion, Ferras was so impressed by the performance of pianist Pierre Barbizet that they formed a famous duo that would last for the rest of their lives.After the departure of the young Ginette Neveu in 1949 and Jacques Thibaud in 1953, Ferras became a force to be reckoned with in the French musical world, and his fame became international when Herbert von Karajan preferred to use him for his recordings. This four-disc box set is a delightful collection of some of the most important works in the violin repertoire. All are performed with great aplomb, but the most notable of them are, first of all, Enescu's Sonata No. 3 on CD 2. The tempo is generally faster than in the later 1962 recording, and the improvisational exuberance is palpable. CD3 features the improvisational cadenza in the first movement of the Tchaikovsky, the quintessential Ferras performance, and CD4, the long-awaited Brahms with Blomstedt, which had been well-received at the time. The Berg concerto is a repertoire in which Feras has excelled since his French premiere, and Gielen's analytical conducting is superb.All have been mastered entirely new for this release from the original master tapes, reproducing the vivid tone of the 1950s mono recordings and the Ferras sound. Naxos Japan