Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos

1. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major op. 35 - I Allegro moderato
2. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major op. 35 - II Canzonetta. Andante
3. Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major op. 35 - III Finale. Allegro vivacissimo
4. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor op. 64 - I Allegro molto appassionato
5. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor op. 64 - II Andante
6. Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor op. 64 - III Allegretto non troppo – Allegro molto vivace

Christian Ferras, like Yehudi Menuhin, was a pupil of George Enescu. Born in France in 1933, he performed as a young man with such figures as Menuhin, Pablo Casals, Wilhelm Kempff and Karl Böhm, going on to become one of Herbert von Karajan’s favourite violinists. His career was cut short by depression, but this 1958 recording of the Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn concertos shows his artistry – remarkable for its precision and uncontrived beauty – in all its youthful glory.