Exquisite Szymanowski
Nicholas T. Follansbee | 03/07/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've known the 2nd of Szymanowski's violin concertos for perhaps 20 years from an LP where Szeryng is the violinist. It may still be my favorite performance of that wonderful work - by a hair. In recent weeks I acquired both this Juillet/Dutoit and the David Zehetmir/Simon Rattle, and both have been played many times. Wonderful! Rattle has become probably the best known proponent of Szymanowski's music outside of Poland and all of his Szymanowski recordings give me great pleasure. But for these extraordinary concertos I'm finding Juillet and Dutoit the recording I keep coming back to, though I really can recommend both.
Much as Szymanowski admired Stravinsky, the violin concertos of the two composers have, to my ear, nothing in common and are each for a different mood. The Stravinsky is well played, though."