A rare Christian Ferras (violin) DGG CD!

[Lance]

I didn't know about this recording — like many people and collectors — and, apparently, neither did DGG when they issued their recordings of violinist Christian Ferras in their big set [480 6655, 10 CDs]. Ferras committed suicide but left us a wonderful legacy of recordings on basically two major labels, DGG and EMI (in stereo and mono).

The disc is difficult to be located but can be found if one searches. It is entitled "Forgotten Ferras" and includes three pianists, Shuku Iwasaki, Pierre Barbizet and Ernest Lush. The recording is the first CD that captured Ferras' 16 recordings made in Japan with pianist Iwasaki for DGG in 1971 and and also includes performances from Brussels in 1951 and some Decca 78rpm recordings from 1948. Apparently DGG has withdrawn it from their active catalogue. The DGG catalogue number is 482 5037.

Also, an interesting observation: the CD itself is cream coloured with the text printed in white. For a moment I thought it was a blank disc but it is very difficult to see or read.

[John F]

What is it, encore pieces? I was never a particular fan of Christian Ferras, but I guess Herbert von Karajan was, if their recordings of standard repertoire are representative. Then Karajan discovered the teen-aged Anne-Sophie Mutter and appears to have dropped Ferras. Maybe that contributed to his depression, or maybe not.

[mikealdren]

John,
I think that his playing days were over before ASM appeared in about 1975, alcohol had really got him, his records with Karajan were in the 1960s.

I never liked his playing much either (I never heard him live) and I particularly disliked an encore disk which I used to joke about in my student days in the early 70s. I bought it on CD a few years ago and it's really quite good!

[John F]

There are quite a few violinists that others esteem highly but I don't much care for. The most famous is Jascha Heifetz. it's not that he's unmusical, his many chamber music recordings show otherwise and he was Toscanini's preferred soloist in concertos, but I don't find his playing very interesting, and sometimes it's rather hard-boiled.

Others include Zino Francescatti, who made an amazing number of recordings for Columbia, often with other major artists, and Yehudi Menuhin, a great humanitarian but too often a dull violinist, especially when performing with his sister Hephzibah. I have quite a few Menuhin recordings from the 1950s when he played concertos with Furtwängler and other major conductors, and I remember a fine Bartok concerto performance with Fricsay that I wish had been recorded instead of Fricsay's version with Tibor Varga - but they were exclusive artists for rival labels. But I seldom listen to him with pleasure.

[Lance]

It is interesting to note that Christian Ferras recorded for three rival major labels, first with British Decca, then with EMI (including Telefunken), concluding with DGG. Among those labels, there is a substantial amount of recorded material through different periods of his life. I, personally, was always interested in his art when I first discovered him, but only on recordings rather than in concert. One can only imagine the so-called competition in those days with so many violinists already in front of then much more loving classical music public. His primary collaborators included Sargent, Susskind, Karajan, Y-Menuhin, Vandernoot, Pretre, while his primary pianist was Pierre Barbizet. His performances were confined mainly to the European shores.

[barney]

Ferras' Beethoven concerto was greatly admired for a long time, though it has been well overtaken now. I haven't played it for years because I have at least 40 accounts, and Ferras is not in the top 20 for me. Another violinist whom JohnF does not esteem is in my top 20 accounts, and that is Francescatti.

[Lance]

Francescatti - tops for me, too!