Nathan Milstein & Arthur Balsam Bach / Beethoven

Nathan Milstein was born in Odessa, Ukraine, in 1904. A virtuosic violinist, Milstein made his US debut in 1929 with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He later settled in New York City and became an American citizen. On the first side here is his wonderful interpretation of Bach's Ciaccona. Using the general architecture of Ferdinand David's arrangement of the piece from the 19th century, Milstein reaches a peak in the second major part in an exciting and frenzied progression that shows impressive control of bow speed and vibrato. An emotional and impressive player and interpreter, and his perfomance here of Bach's Ciaccona, Partita in D minor for solo violin is one of the finest perfomances of his long and storied career. On the B side, Milstein is joined by the noted pianist Arthur Balsam for a recital of Beethoven's Spring: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F maj. Milstein's paying speaks volumes and this is a wonderful recital, though he may not be a household name, Milstein is a hero who deserves a place in the annals of classical music history.