These four discs document an amazing array of concerto soloists, caught at various stages of their careers in the four years 1953-56. Among them are several with claims to be the finest exponents of their particular concertos - notably David Oistrakh playing the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in a broadcast from the BBC Studios in 1954, and Dennis Brain in two Mozart Horn Concertos from 1953 and 1954 respectively along with Strauss’s Horn Concerto no.1, from 1956.

For those collectors looking for rare artists who were less well known to the general public, the Italian violinist Gioconda de Vito and the French virtuoso pianist Monique de la Brouchollerie are represented; the former with a wonderfully spontaneous account of Viotti’s Violin Concerto no.22 from 1953, while Brouchollerie adds a scintillating performance of Rachmaninov’s Paganini Rhapsody from 1955.

The remaining artists in the set are all well known to collectors and the public alike. The great Polish violinist Ida Haendel recorded the Sibelius Concerto and her live performances including this 1955 Prom account were praised by the composer himself. The Italian violinist Alfredo Campoli became one of Britain’s most beloved musicians and this broadcast of Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole from 1954 captures his sweet tone perfectly. French cellist André Navarra had no peer in the Lalo Concerto while the Canadian-born Zara Nelsova, who studied under Casals and was known for her colossal stage presence and technical command, gives a freely spontaneous performance of the Dvořák Cello Concerto.

This release has been sourced from the Richard Itter Archive of ‘live’ BBC recordings. The collection is very important for collectors because it has never been on the market before. Following the archive’s launch in October 2017 with successive releases featuring Beecham, Böhm, Cantelli, Casadesus, Karajan, Menuhin, Monteux, du Pré, Klemperer, Rostropovich and Walter, it has received universal praise from both the classical media and record collectors for the excellent sound and performances.

Contents:

CD1
Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto
- David Oistrakh/RPO/Sir Malcolm Sargent (BBC Studios, Maida Vale 29/11/54)
Sibelius - Violin Concerto
- Ida Haendel//RPO/Basil Cameron (Royal Albert Hall, London 16/8/55)

CD2
Viotti - Violin Concerto no.22
- Gioconda De Vito/Rome SO/Fernando Previtali (Usher Hall, Edinburgh, 23/8/53)
Lalo - Symphonie espagnole
- Alfredo Campoli/BBCSO/Alfred Wallenstein (BBC Studios, Maida Vale, 30/11/55)

CD3
Tchaikovsky - Variations on a Rococo Theme
- André Navarra/BBCSO/Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (BBC Studios Maida Vale, 10/4/55)
Lalo - Cello Concerto
- Navarra/BBCSO/Jean Martinon (Royal Festival Hall, London 27/10/54)
Dvořák - Cello Concerto
- Zara Nelsova/BBCSO/Sargent (Royal Albert Hall, London 17/8/55)

CD4
Rachmaninov - Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini
- Monique de la Bruchollerie/BBCSO/Sir Eugene Goossens (BBC Studios, Maida Vale 30/10/55)
Mozart - Horn Concerto, K417
- Dennis Brain/LSO/Walter Goehr (Royal Festival Hall, London, 12/4/54)
Mozart - Horn Concerto, K495
- Dennis Brain/RPO/Paul Sacher (Royal Festival Hall, London, 18/11/53)
Strauss - Horn Concerto no.1
- Dennis Brain/BBCSO/Sir Adrian Boult (BBC Studios, Maida Vale 18/3/56)