Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and for works from the Romantic period. He was also known for his long career: he performed at a high level into his mid 80s, retiring only after suffering a broken hand.
He was born in Odessa, then part of the Russian Empire (now in Ukraine), the fourth child of seven, to a middle-class Jewish family with virtually no musical background.
It was a concert by the 11-year-old Jascha Heifetz that inspired his parents to make a violinist out of Milstein. As a child (of seven years old), he started violin studies (as suggested by his parents, to keep him out of mischief) with the eminent violin pedagogue Pyotr Stolyarsky, also the teacher of renowned violinist David Oistrakh.
Every little boy who had the dream of playing better than the other boy wanted to go to Auer. He was a very gifted man and a good teacher. I used to go to the Conservatory twice a week for classes. I played every lesson with forty or fifty people sitting and listening. Two pianos were in the classroom and a pianist accompanied us. When Auer was sick, he would ask me to come to his home.
Milstein may in fact have been the last of the great Russian violinists to have had personal contact with Auer. Auer did not name Milstein in his memoirs but mentions "two boys from Odessa ... both of whom disappeared after I left St. Petersburg in June 1917." Neither is Milstein's name in the registry of the St Petersburg Conservatory.
Milstein also studied with Eugène Ysaÿe in Belgium. He told film-maker Christopher Nupen, director of Nathan Milstein – A Portrait, that he learned almost nothing from Ysaÿe but enjoyed his company enormously. In a 1977 interview printed in High Fidelity, he said, "I went to Ysaÿe in 1926 but he never paid any attention to me. I think it might have been better this way. I had to think for myself."
Milstein met Vladimir Horowitz and his pianist sister Regina in 1921 when he played a recital in Kiev. They invited him for tea at their parents' home. Milstein later said, "I came for tea and stayed three years." Milstein and Horowitz performed together, as "children of the revolution," throughout the Soviet Union and struck up a life-long friendship. In 1925, they went on a concert tour of Western Europe together.
He made his American debut in 1929 with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He eventually settled in New York and became an American citizen. He toured repeatedly throughout Europe, maintaining residences in London and Paris.
A transcriber and composer, Milstein arranged many works for violin and wrote his own cadenzas for many concertos. He was obsessed with articulating each note perfectly and would often spend long periods of time working out fingerings which would make passages sound more articulated. One of his best known compositions is Paganiniana, a set of variations on various themes from the works of Niccolò Paganini.
In 1948, his recording of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, with Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philharmonic, had the distinction of being the first catalogue item in Columbia's newly introduced long-playing twelve-inch 33 rpm vinyl records, Columbia ML 4001.
He was awarded the Légion d'honneur by France in 1968, and received a Grammy Award for his recording of Bach's sonatas and partitas in 1975. He was also awarded Kennedy Center honors by US President Ronald Reagan.
A recital he gave in Stockholm in July 1986 proved to be his final performance. This recital was recorded in its in entirety and shows the remarkable condition of his technique at age 82. A fall shortly afterwards in which he severely broke his left hand ended his career.
After playing many different violins in his earlier days, Milstein finally acquired the 1716 "Goldman" Stradivari in 1945 which he used for the rest of his life. He re-named this Stradivari the "Maria Teresa" in honour of his daughter Maria (presently wife of Marchese GiovanAngelo Theodoli-Braschi, Duke of Nemi and Grandee of Spain, descendant from Pope Pius VI) and his wife Therese. He also performed on the 1710 ex-"Dancla" Stradivarius for a short period.
During the late 1980s, Milstein published his memoirs, From Russia to the West, in which he discussed his life of constant performance and socializing.
Milstein discusses the personalities of important composers such as Alexander Glazunov, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky and conductors such as Arturo Toscanini and Leopold Stokowski, all of whom he knew personally. He also discusses his best friends, pianist Vladimir Horowitz, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and ballet director George Balanchine, as well as other violinists such as Fritz Kreisler and David Oistrakh.
Milstein also expressed his generally conservative, strongly anti-communist and anti-Soviet political beliefs. Milstein said that President Kennedy was a weak leader, admired President Reagan, and stated that he refused to return to the Soviet Union, even for a tour sponsored by the United States.
Milstein was married twice, remaining married to his second wife, Therese, until his death. He died of a heart attack in London on December 21, 1992, just three weeks before his 89th birthday.
From the tone of your comment, you may not be persuadeable, Musiclover, but in the spirit of fairness, it is worth having a look at the Sarah Chang performance of this on Youtube. It is excellent. Your list iof dead greats is accurate - all great, all dead - but it is nice to give credit where credit is due, and it is due to Chang here.
lets just say this. all of you are idiots. just shut up and listen to the music. and none of you should be comparing people because all of them, including sarah chang (although i agree the dead violinists are better), are better than all of you.
Guys, can all of you just shut up and enjoy this piece? Seriously, it's starting to bug me to see people go on and on in arguments. If anything, I think the uploader should disable the comments so we can enjoy this amazing piece in silence and without the comments being thrown around. Jeez..
its not about being the same, its about a level of greatness people like tempo cant comprehend with and thus get mad and go on an idiotic typin spree concluding im sayin all this because im jealous loll idiot, go study music, go listen to the violinists i mentioned, study them, there is a level of greatness that leaves an impact on musicality... i understand music is changing but interpretations of classical music should stay in the classical range
level of greatness? so you have power to say who is greater? this is subjective, there is no correct answer... and you do not have the right to smear the dignity of others because of your opinioon... you are the one who lacks comprehension
musiclover0187 <-- this guy is a jealous freak who can't get enough of just not liking an artist but goes as far as publicly insulting and destroying the image of that person... how pathetic
@TempoFurioso jealous ?? loll truly shows ur ignorance... its ok becuz we morals arent perfect. i am not a great violinist and even if i was i wouldnt consider myself to be one, its not about my play or my thoughts even, its about what is imprinted in history and the understanding and appreciation of it... go study art dumbass and mayb ull recognize that sarah chang is nothin compared to the people who she herself admires... a student will b a student in front of the teacher
@musiclover0187 you can;t even defend yourself from my accusation, but simply say that I am 'ignorant'... bcause you know what I said is true and it hit you... that is enough for me... you are a loser and you know that....
Why all this fighting about who is best? All of these violinists are amazing, and they have worked so hard to be able to play like they can. Music is supposed to be a universal language, and things like who speaks this language better are irrelevant.
see I am a violinist and I hear every single scratch, tug, pluck, or detail... all im saying is that I know what greatness is and trust me Sarah Chang is far from it...
Can't we just all agree that the violin is an amazing intrument, and anyone who can play it with the art and beauty as these violinists are great people? ( :
I totally agree with you. Milstein is by far one of the greatest violonist who ever existed. Personnaly my IDOL is Isaac Stern because it's something very personal and emotional (my father's first CD gift was Mendelssohn's concerto by I. Stern) but my teacher made me listen Milstein's Chaconne & D. trill and truly I LOVED it. There's so much emotion and yet so much control in his playing that I couldn't not love it.
Both Milstein and Szeryng were great musicians. In particular were their interpretations of Bach's music. Both their sounds were immediately recognizable Their tone was of great beauty.
Thank you aimson for this posting; surely one of the 'great' pieces.
Reading all of the stuff below; I am simply reminded that there really is no accounting for taste we all, just as much as these musicians, have our own preferences.
currently transcribing this for my soprano saxophone. can't wait to be busking with it... improvising with it. Seems like a great vehicle for motivic development, improvisation on a repeated harmonic progression.. which is more or less what I hear when I listen to this - what people call jazz.
this is a good recording at the 4:00 min mark with the really weird string crossings he plays that great, most of the new violinist playing that they kinda just throw fingers down and hope for the best, yea he may have taken a little liberty there but atleast all the notes were there
This performance moved me almost to tears with its beauty; for me, this is something Heifetz's version, while brilliant and technically fantastic, cannot do. Not to imply that other interpretations are in any way inferior.
I don't really know much about the perfection of the musician, I'm a rather amateur fan of classical music... being, I can't exactly notice all the little imperfections or play every scale at 164th notes or any of that. But from my own opinion, this piece (both how it's written and how's it's performed) is very beautiful. I don't know what happened to the world to make it disinherit a sound like this.
Nathan Goldstein, A New York Philharmonic violinist for almost 40 years, was superb and indisputably the best interpreter of the Vitali's Chaconne, as he did it with passion, tenderness and sublime perfection. .
Who played the best Vitali's Chaconne was Nathan Goldstein, from the New York Philharmonic. It was passionate, tender and above all, sublime! Nobody like Nathan!!!
This song is so beautiful and EXTREMELY difficult to play (I should know, I'm learning it right now). His intonation is superb, and probably one of the best recordings I've ever heard. Thank you very much for posting this.
Without being hostile or disparaging, I too would have to agree that this rendition is closest to perfect of all the artists that I've heard play it. Heifetz is so phenomenal on so many levels but this is absolute brilliance.
I also listened to Sarah's version but I'm afraid i prefer the traditional representation over hers. Nice, but not really comparable (in my humble opinion)
I absolute agree with r1johhny - this is music which is accountably of a toplevel platform, the more unique without the help of today's electronic mixings. Clear string for string sound, deep and a tonality not to be found in Chang's rendition.
He is soooo clean--you can here his fingers dropping....you can here that he has perfect tone .....you can here how he practice's in how he plays...amazing!!
I am playing this right now it's fun!! but compared to him i am trash-I must work harder-I just started it
Sarah Chang sucks, Go listen to all the dead violinest like Oistrakh, Milstein, heifetz, Szigetti, Francescatti, Szeryng, Kogan, Rabin and the list goes on, Sarah Chang can't even be nearly compared to these greats.
Sergei Khachaturian ... go listen to him... I'm a violinist myself , been playing for 15 years now, I know everything about the instrument and I hear things normal people don't even notice... my point is for the regular person Chang is great and everything but for a violinist who knows violinists and the art of music ... Chang is horrible... i lose count of the mistakes she makes during any one of her performances.... i cant even listen to it truthfully speaking...
@musiclover0187 I hate people like you who convince that other people taht this and that is horrible.... I am a violinist myself and I see mistakes too, but I take into account that many people do not see that, and they enjoy the music... that should be enough. they enjoy it. why destroy that, and smear someone's dignity in the process? you sound more jealous actually... poor you... chang may play terrible (although I do not believe it) but you, your problem is your attitude... thats hopeless
hey guys if u think im jealous? then that just shows how ignorant u are to music... if u think a musician is graet because his music makes u feel good then by all means enjoy but facts still stay as facts and the fact is that there are a chosen number of graets that should b recognized in a seperate catagory because of their greatness and violinists like sarah chang can not even b in that catagory... this isnt about me or my "ID" (its good to have a big ego but bad to have a big ID, moron)
@musiclover0187 facts facts facts... what facts? prove this objectively... there is no fact... you need to re-study art... and I did say, it makes THEM feel good, I did not say it makes ME feel good... so I respect what these people think... and do not say, "hey, what you like SUCKS!!!".... read first before you reply... tsk ignorant fool who think he knows all
@musiclover0187 I agree that Chang cannot be considered one of the greats as of now. However, realize that she is still incredibly young! She has MANY more years to mature her playing and prove herself. And not only that, do you not see how disrespectful you are being towards Chang? If you are truly a violinist of 15 years, then I can't see how you can mock a fellow violinist and musician; a person who has dedicated herself to music and violin as much as you have, if not more!
she could die a millon times over... her skill and her musicality is still in the gutter and always will be... trust me i been playing the violin professionally for 15 years now and Chang is someone I listen to to crack jokes on her every mistake...
@musiclover0187 another person who thinks highly of himself so as to smear on another artist's work just because, what? you played for 15 years? tsk... post a video and let us see how you play... maybe you are even more of a laughing stock... your ego is astounding
@TempoFurioso because there is no need to be so adept or knowleadgeable with all these things to appreaciate music... people appreciate her, and that's that.... people like you impose their standards on others... that is simply pathetic... go find a life... maybe it is you who should re-study art... if you really studied art as you claim, you would not be so stupid
@musiclover0187 Who are you to judge a hard working violinist?
If she sucks, I would like to hear you play better. Rarely someone who has time
to post comments that praise some and criticize others even know how to hold a violin.
If all you know are fantastic violinists, how is it wise to compare them to other artists?
Listening to good ol' fantastic violinists is understandable, however there's nothing wrong with liking, thinking and watching (and/or supporting) other violinists!
Thanks for posting this. Although I adore Heifetz, on this piece, I like Milstein's version the most. I am Korean, but I am not sure how Sara Chang can even be compared here. To me, her playing sounded like some sort of American pop-ballad. (nothing against American pop-ballad..;-) ) I can understand why some might like it, but I don't think she plays it the way Vitali intended it to be played or in the style of a Chaconne.
One might argue that it doesn't matter as long as some people like it but it's like hearing Mozart being played like Tchaikovsky or something and is just so weird.
I love other recordings of this piece too... but no one is better than Millstein. I do prefer the Charlier edition of the piece-- the one played by Heifetz and Oisrakh and Chang and Francescatti.
I do *not* understand why people rag on Chang's performance, which I regard among the greats.
I worked out how to play this on my diatonic harmonica. Although a relativly early, It's quite a bluesy piece. Being in a minor key, with trills and the stopping on the blue notes and really wailing on them. Also in the way it is repeated several times and elaborated on like a jazz solo.
Why worry about other's interpretations? just enjoy his own amazing interpretation. No violinist is the "best" its how people interpret their style of music and last time i checked, no person is exactly the same. All i know is Milstein, Hiefetz, Perlman, Zukerman, Shaham, and Oistrakh are fantastic violinists.
I respect the wiz kids for their ability to play music I will never be able to play but there is something lacking in the musical feeling. I play the violin and it is without a doubt a very difficult instrument. My father introduced me to recordings of Milstein, Kreisler, Francescatti, Menuhin and the list goes on. We will not see their likes again. Thank God for these recordings!
I'd forgotten how much I liked this version. Heifetz was so perfect that at times you couldn't connect with him, while oistrakh's version sounded melodramatic, but milstein's radiates humanity. Although it irks me that he didn't use the sul-A fingerings for 1:14 onwards.
For those of you arguing about which violinist is "perfect", everyone has a different idea of what "perfect" is and for me, it is the imperfections that make a performance so convincing to me. If you want perfect intonation, perfect rhythm, perfect phrasing, there are many violinists nowadays who can do that.
I don't necessarily seek that. To me perfection is the ability to expose your soul to the outside world - to the point where the audience can only respond by exposing theirs.
You make a very important point here. I'll add that this is the primary reason I do not listen to modern violinists. Listening to Hillary Hahn is as pleasurable to me as staring at a blank wall. No matter how clean and pristine it is, it is still a blank wall. Without individuality (likable or not), music is not art. To take it further, art without taste is bad art. Somewhere in the middle lies the great masters of the past, which differs quite a bit from a blank wall to my ears.
Who's Szeryng again? Oh yeah, now I remember the 7-second segment on him in The Art of Violin... Let me put it this way. To my mind, Glenn Gould is the greatest musician to play Bach on any instrument (of course, I really love hearing Casals, Enescu, and Milstein as well). Gould is nearly the complete polar opposite of Szeryng and I want nothing to do with him. Thanks for reminding me about my utter distain for a violinist who has no place being compared to anybody particularly important.
You're blinded here, aimson. You are correct about Gould, in my opinion. But blinded or even deaf in regards to Szeryng. I wonder why, actually. Hmm...
@aimson i was real close to appreciating your love of milstein until you mentioned that lame excuse of a comment about szeryng
not particularly imporant? how incredibly ignorant, szeryng was one of the greatest technical and most passionate players back in an era so dominated by heifetz and milstein
even then he still had such a prominent influence, that labelling him as unimportant is such a low and ignorant comment
@aimson Wow. Your view makes me shake my head. Szeryng's Bach is considered the standard you stupid s%@t! Listen much with your heart? Is it his impeccable intonation or phrasing you don't like? Oh that's right, you cares what a stupid, ignorant person thinks?
@srcello Sorry, but you need to fuck off. I have very strong views about violinists. Most I don't care about, many I love, a few I favor, and some that offend me. Szeryng is in the last category for me and I refuse to sway my opinion based on kids like you. But changing my mind is not why you posted. It's because you feel you have a safe place to shit talk because I'm not standing next to you with a crow bar. If I were, I'd probably be happy to explain my view further but for now, fuck off.
There are no particular violonist I hate. Violonists (true ones) really work hard & deserve to be recognized for what they do: Szeryng plays good. But doesn't captivate me. Point . You have the right not to be fond of Szeryng. & really, in music, "standards" cannot be, because music is all about personal interpretation. Srcello talks about "standards" but where there can be standards is only in techniques, not in musicality. Anyway, aimson, I'm glad I met another Milstein's fan !!! lol
This is an extremely good point, and one that I often make in the field of classical guitar. There are so many guitar players who can play a piece perfectly that technical skill becomes only one part of deciding who is the best player. Like you, I consider the best player to be the one who is able to communicate emotion directly through the instrument. It is for this reason that Milstein's Chaconne (not this one) is my favoite piece of music.
Milstein's Bach Chaconne is truly amazing. Definitely one of my favorite interpretations on one of the most popular yet sentimental of all the violin repertoire.
don't necessarily seek that. To me perfection is the ability to expose your soul to the outside world - to the point where the audience can only respond by exposing theirs.
Brillant definiton! Regarding Gould etc. I do not agree that an interpreter absolutely the best for ANY piece of Bach, that is simply untrue and absurde. I never liked Gould´s Wohltemperiertes Klavier, and when I heard S. Richters version I immediately understood why... I like Gould´s Goldberg Variationen of course etc.
Nathan Milstein - so perfect. Even if you compare him to Heifetz and Oistrakh, he's so much more perfect. And especially when you compare him to sarah chang, he's so perfect.
Heh. I only did that because someone else randomly said in a comment here that "sarah chang produces and loves music, which is a form of art." I took it to mean that they thought chang was better, so *shrug* I said "especially when you compare him to sarah chang, he's so perfect. "
I beg to differ. Milstein is certainly a wonderful violinist, but calling him "more perfect" than heifetz is counter-intuitive. Listen to heifetz's version, and you might agree with me. Heifetz is the undisputed king of "perfect" (if that's the right word) violin playing.
Ah, but that's where the misunderstanding comes in. I suppose I should have made clearer my point. I was pointing out Milstein's utter precision in articulation.
my favorite version..not overly maudlin and he teases just a bit at the end by becoming very soft before the searing intensity...no, not a difficult piece but a difficult piece to deliver like this.
this is so deep, how could television compare to the depth music offers, the emotion it triggers is so captivating..........enjoyed this piece very much.
I was really touched by this version. In the end my conclusion: Sarah Chang did a great job for a live performance, Jascha Heifetz's version is godly, and Milstein...there is something hard to describe here. Was he perfect? Certainly not. If you want perfection you can listen to Heifetz. There is something Milstein does, however, what Heifetz did not, that is, having a profoundly human quality. I for one cannot associate with Heifetz but can with Milstein, and that's what makes the difference.
hey just wondering....this piece is hard for a violinist right....sry im not really a violinist..hehe...a pianist actually kinda sad how i dont know if this is hard or not...but im sure its like really hard...nice piece, very clear and i love the single note compared to piano where u play multiple notes at one time.
please don't ever compare a 21st century violinist with the legendary 20th century violinists like heifetz or milstein, seriously go idolize your overdramatic and emotion-lacking 21st century violinist somewhere else
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
I don't understand how people can claim Sarah Chang is a better violinist than Milstein because it's untrue on so many levels such as her being a women is already a huge negative.
I'm still unsure as to why a dick is required to play a violin. As I've tried to explain to people before, the brain - which controls motor functions, reason, sensory perception, etc. is what is responsible for competency in the vast, vast majority of jobs and activities. Note that the brain is housed in the head, not the crotch. However, I am a violinist, and I can confidently state that the violin is a matter of brain and fingers, not genitilia.
Merlin..as a female violinist I very much appreciate what you are saying here and you put it in a way I wouldn't quite phrase it..but you got the point across. One's "chest" does not interfere except with certain rapid bowing passages-in which case one just wears a jogging bra to prevent unsightly jiggle. This is the ONLY thing I have different that a male does not have to deal with...just "bounce" if you really want to know the truth. I think men are sometimes blessed with longer fingers..
I'm usually not nearly that blunt, however I thought the best way to counter such a chauvinistic statement would be to get readers to laugh at the absurdity of such a suggestion. I was unaware of jiggle issues, but I'm pretty flat, so I doubt it will ever be relevant. I agree about the fingers, I'm under 5'3", and I have miniscule hands.
I agree. Could you elaborate on this, please? Do you believe that her mammaries will get in the way of the violin? That she will hit her period while onstage? You're really making me stretch, here - I'm finding it to be a big stretch to attribute lack in performance on the violin to genetic differences between men and women, seeing how few there are.
??so glad people who think like that are not every where out there. that would make a strange world, don't you think? sorry for being a woman and daring to believe that a woman has the right to more than just raising children and doing housework, but I really see no discrepancy between women and music.REALLY.
Trust me, there's nothing greater than having Heifetz burned into your mind for the first thing. Start out with the best violinists just in the way that a great painter studies Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Forget Sarah Chang and Hillary Hahn and get the great masters burned into your mind before your taste gets spoiled. It'll all fall into place after that.
Sarah Chang does just as good a job as Milstein. Heifetz undeniably plays it better, but but she plays it with more emotion than Milstein. And by the time she's 50, she'll be at least on equal terms as the greats of the mid-late 90's.
Depends on what you mean by "emotion". If by emotion you mean melodramatic and silly playing, then yes, Sarah Chang does more of that than Milstein. But if by "emotion" you mean the communication of the compositional ideas then Milstein is far more emotional than Sarah Chang. Sarah Chang is a show-off, Milstein is an artist.
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Chang immerses herself in her music like no violinist since Heifetz. She just plays better than Milstein. Simple as that. But different strokes for different folks, as my mother says. I have reason to believe you get the meaning.
Chang is more dramatic than Milstein, but Milstein is more emotional. There's a difference between drama and true emotion. She doesn't play any where NEARLY as good as Milstein. Milstein is a much better violinist in every way possible.
Man I'm repulsed by my grammar in that last comment. It's an opinion, yes, but that doesn't mean anything. Your opinion is simply reflective of your poor musical taste. One day you will mature and learn to love and appreciate Milstein.
No, you can't actually, because it would take someone with a more distinguished taste to prefer Milstein over Chang. Chang is an excellent violinist, but that's it. She's no artist.
i woul like to know why the peoples likes to compare everythyng and said the woman cant be an artist?you are wrong...for many she is an artist of course you have your opinion
So if you like Chang's interpretation one is regarded as a fool? Well count me in because I happen to refer to her while I have been working on the piece, as I thought she did an outstanding job on this piece. I don't always like everything she does but I know that some things she does are outstanding. I don't put her on the level as Milstein by any stroke of the imagination but she certainly is an artist. It's alright to appreciate more than one interpretation, perfectly ok.
Whether or not something or someone is art is up to perception. One thing that cannot be doubted is that Heifetz, Milstein, and Chang all love their music tremendously. I think that matters more than bigoted opinion over who is better.
a musician, aka a violinist, is an artist. the definition of an artist is one that produces and loves art, and sarah chang produces and loves music, which is a form of art.
We are all on different planes of understanding music. And Milstein requires an audience that can appreciate he's music in all it's brilliance, lest people will not find it to be any thing special. You do not appreciate it fully. You will naturally insist on you being right, and you are. No one can say your opinion is wrong. However, Milstein was more accomplished. And we are all evolving constantly; you'll be there later. Remember that.
@aimson Ok yea, in my opinion the old masters are the best in my opinion. But Hilary hahn is also good, and you may not like the way she interpret Bach. The old Violinists are disciplined more than the 21st century violinists, and people now days doesnt have the natural violin liking anymore, Heifetz and Milstein was the world great violinists, but more will come!!!!!
@ericgable Oh, I try not to get into the whole violinist shit-war thing. I've got my strong preferences of course. One historical trend worth keeping in mind is that many of the 20th century greats matured and became better violinists over the years. Oistrakh was 27 before anybody ever heard his name. Point is that there is still time for Hahn and Chang and Bell to become likable for me. I do have to say, though, that Vengerov is the only new violinist who consistently knocks my socks off.
@aimson Yea, im not planning to start a war cause really people think what they want cause if they had my thinking everyone would love Milstein and Heifetz. Yea violin improves over the years, your intonation and your understanding of the music,
@aimson Im sorry but to me Vengerov is not all that compared to any other violinists, I really dont like him as much as i LOVE Nathan Milstein. Vengerov play so..bad to me, but so do Sarah Chang. But thats my opinion as well.
I would like to point out that Bell is already quite old actually (42). I think it's wrong to always think of him as young...Also, I like Shaham a great deal (though again, almost 40). As a dose of perspective Midori is younger than either of them!
As for Szeryng, I would suggest you listen to his Brandenbug Concerti w/ St. Martin in the Fields. Astounding!
@ericgable Yes, I listened to Hahn's recording of the Bach chaconne. I can't say I didn't like it but I also can't say I did (I may listen again if I am bored). She's a respectable violinist to say the most. Again, for me, she joins the long list of violinists who strike me as bland and overly conservative, which isn't necessarily bad for most casual listeners. I was thinking about this in the car and on the Gould-Szeryng spectrum, Hahn lies far closer to Szeryng than I care for.
@ericgable i would say the same. nowadays we have 8 year olds playing this piece probably because they have listened to a recording a hundred times and dont have the feeling that milstein heifetz and oistrakh had about this piece.
my little brother says this sounds dreary D: nothing dreary about it
bludgerable 2 weeks ago
And the Angels Wept.....
lonewolffullmoon 1 month ago
Beautiful. The emotion itself is so pure, so raw. Simply beautiful.
Weee0402 1 month ago
Этого гениального скрипача поцеловал Бог!
This ingenious violinist was kissed by God!
777ViolettaAngelo 1 month ago
That was a really long long comment dude, props to you!
Peanutbuttrluv 2 months ago
NATHAN MIRONOVICH MILSTEIN (January 13, 1904 [O.S. December 31, 1903] – December 21, 1992) was a Russian-born American virtuoso violinist.
Molto Bello!!! Thank you for sharing this video.
MrGer2295 2 months ago in playlist More videos from aimson 2
@MrGer2295 I tuoi commenti sono tutti buoni - molto belli. Bravo a te! :-)
Bret6464 1 month ago
Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and for works from the Romantic period. He was also known for his long career: he performed at a high level into his mid 80s, retiring only after suffering a broken hand.
Molto Bello!!! Thank you for sharing this video.
MrGer2295 2 months ago in playlist More videos from aimson
He was born in Odessa, then part of the Russian Empire (now in Ukraine), the fourth child of seven, to a middle-class Jewish family with virtually no musical background.
Molto Bello!!! Thank you for sharing this video.
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It was a concert by the 11-year-old Jascha Heifetz that inspired his parents to make a violinist out of Milstein. As a child (of seven years old), he started violin studies (as suggested by his parents, to keep him out of mischief) with the eminent violin pedagogue Pyotr Stolyarsky, also the teacher of renowned violinist David Oistrakh.
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When Milstein was 11, Leopold Auer invited him to become one of his students at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Milstein reminisced:
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Every little boy who had the dream of playing better than the other boy wanted to go to Auer. He was a very gifted man and a good teacher. I used to go to the Conservatory twice a week for classes. I played every lesson with forty or fifty people sitting and listening. Two pianos were in the classroom and a pianist accompanied us. When Auer was sick, he would ask me to come to his home.
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Milstein may in fact have been the last of the great Russian violinists to have had personal contact with Auer. Auer did not name Milstein in his memoirs but mentions "two boys from Odessa ... both of whom disappeared after I left St. Petersburg in June 1917." Neither is Milstein's name in the registry of the St Petersburg Conservatory.
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Milstein also studied with Eugène Ysaÿe in Belgium. He told film-maker Christopher Nupen, director of Nathan Milstein – A Portrait, that he learned almost nothing from Ysaÿe but enjoyed his company enormously. In a 1977 interview printed in High Fidelity, he said, "I went to Ysaÿe in 1926 but he never paid any attention to me. I think it might have been better this way. I had to think for myself."
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Milstein met Vladimir Horowitz and his pianist sister Regina in 1921 when he played a recital in Kiev. They invited him for tea at their parents' home. Milstein later said, "I came for tea and stayed three years." Milstein and Horowitz performed together, as "children of the revolution," throughout the Soviet Union and struck up a life-long friendship. In 1925, they went on a concert tour of Western Europe together.
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He made his American debut in 1929 with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He eventually settled in New York and became an American citizen. He toured repeatedly throughout Europe, maintaining residences in London and Paris.
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A transcriber and composer, Milstein arranged many works for violin and wrote his own cadenzas for many concertos. He was obsessed with articulating each note perfectly and would often spend long periods of time working out fingerings which would make passages sound more articulated. One of his best known compositions is Paganiniana, a set of variations on various themes from the works of Niccolò Paganini.
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In 1948, his recording of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, with Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philharmonic, had the distinction of being the first catalogue item in Columbia's newly introduced long-playing twelve-inch 33 rpm vinyl records, Columbia ML 4001.
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He was awarded the Légion d'honneur by France in 1968, and received a Grammy Award for his recording of Bach's sonatas and partitas in 1975. He was also awarded Kennedy Center honors by US President Ronald Reagan.
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A recital he gave in Stockholm in July 1986 proved to be his final performance. This recital was recorded in its in entirety and shows the remarkable condition of his technique at age 82. A fall shortly afterwards in which he severely broke his left hand ended his career.
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After playing many different violins in his earlier days, Milstein finally acquired the 1716 "Goldman" Stradivari in 1945 which he used for the rest of his life. He re-named this Stradivari the "Maria Teresa" in honour of his daughter Maria (presently wife of Marchese GiovanAngelo Theodoli-Braschi, Duke of Nemi and Grandee of Spain, descendant from Pope Pius VI) and his wife Therese. He also performed on the 1710 ex-"Dancla" Stradivarius for a short period.
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During the late 1980s, Milstein published his memoirs, From Russia to the West, in which he discussed his life of constant performance and socializing.
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Milstein discusses the personalities of important composers such as Alexander Glazunov, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky and conductors such as Arturo Toscanini and Leopold Stokowski, all of whom he knew personally. He also discusses his best friends, pianist Vladimir Horowitz, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and ballet director George Balanchine, as well as other violinists such as Fritz Kreisler and David Oistrakh.
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Milstein also expressed his generally conservative, strongly anti-communist and anti-Soviet political beliefs. Milstein said that President Kennedy was a weak leader, admired President Reagan, and stated that he refused to return to the Soviet Union, even for a tour sponsored by the United States.
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Milstein was married twice, remaining married to his second wife, Therese, until his death. He died of a heart attack in London on December 21, 1992, just three weeks before his 89th birthday.
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From the tone of your comment, you may not be persuadeable, Musiclover, but in the spirit of fairness, it is worth having a look at the Sarah Chang performance of this on Youtube. It is excellent. Your list iof dead greats is accurate - all great, all dead - but it is nice to give credit where credit is due, and it is due to Chang here.
leitfie3579 6 months ago
lets just say this. all of you are idiots. just shut up and listen to the music. and none of you should be comparing people because all of them, including sarah chang (although i agree the dead violinists are better), are better than all of you.
THEMOVIEMAKER202 9 months ago
muito bom HIHIH
jorgejlsdc 11 months ago
Guys, can all of you just shut up and enjoy this piece? Seriously, it's starting to bug me to see people go on and on in arguments. If anything, I think the uploader should disable the comments so we can enjoy this amazing piece in silence and without the comments being thrown around. Jeez..
VanillaEnigma 11 months ago 11
its not about being the same, its about a level of greatness people like tempo cant comprehend with and thus get mad and go on an idiotic typin spree concluding im sayin all this because im jealous loll idiot, go study music, go listen to the violinists i mentioned, study them, there is a level of greatness that leaves an impact on musicality... i understand music is changing but interpretations of classical music should stay in the classical range
musiclover0187 1 year ago
@musiclover0187
level of greatness? so you have power to say who is greater? this is subjective, there is no correct answer... and you do not have the right to smear the dignity of others because of your opinioon... you are the one who lacks comprehension
TempoFurioso 1 year ago
musiclover0187 <-- this guy is a jealous freak who can't get enough of just not liking an artist but goes as far as publicly insulting and destroying the image of that person... how pathetic
TempoFurioso 1 year ago
@TempoFurioso jealous ?? loll truly shows ur ignorance... its ok becuz we morals arent perfect. i am not a great violinist and even if i was i wouldnt consider myself to be one, its not about my play or my thoughts even, its about what is imprinted in history and the understanding and appreciation of it... go study art dumbass and mayb ull recognize that sarah chang is nothin compared to the people who she herself admires... a student will b a student in front of the teacher
musiclover0187 1 year ago
@musiclover0187 you can;t even defend yourself from my accusation, but simply say that I am 'ignorant'... bcause you know what I said is true and it hit you... that is enough for me... you are a loser and you know that....
TempoFurioso 1 year ago
I agree that Milstein's performance remains among the most inspirational interpretations of the Vitali's chaconne!! Together with Oistrach also!!
poicpi
82224561 1 year ago
Why all this fighting about who is best? All of these violinists are amazing, and they have worked so hard to be able to play like they can. Music is supposed to be a universal language, and things like who speaks this language better are irrelevant.
biddleje 1 year ago
see I am a violinist and I hear every single scratch, tug, pluck, or detail... all im saying is that I know what greatness is and trust me Sarah Chang is far from it...
musiclover0187 1 year ago
Can't we just all agree that the violin is an amazing intrument, and anyone who can play it with the art and beauty as these violinists are great people? ( :
Sarah110010002279 1 year ago
Stunning in its effect. So sensitive! Many thanks for posting this. Best wishes.
Ivanhoe2 1 year ago
I totally agree with you. Milstein is by far one of the greatest violonist who ever existed. Personnaly my IDOL is Isaac Stern because it's something very personal and emotional (my father's first CD gift was Mendelssohn's concerto by I. Stern) but my teacher made me listen Milstein's Chaconne & D. trill and truly I LOVED it. There's so much emotion and yet so much control in his playing that I couldn't not love it.
EIEN07 1 year ago
Both Milstein and Szeryng were great musicians. In particular were their interpretations of Bach's music. Both their sounds were immediately recognizable Their tone was of great beauty.
fredhainen 1 year ago
Thank you aimson for this posting; surely one of the 'great' pieces.
Reading all of the stuff below; I am simply reminded that there really is no accounting for taste we all, just as much as these musicians, have our own preferences.
armstrongariz 1 year ago
currently transcribing this for my soprano saxophone. can't wait to be busking with it... improvising with it. Seems like a great vehicle for motivic development, improvisation on a repeated harmonic progression.. which is more or less what I hear when I listen to this - what people call jazz.
Horwellston 1 year ago
Nathen Milstein a true inspiration to me... i really communicate with him and hes playing..
ericgable 1 year ago
this is a good recording at the 4:00 min mark with the really weird string crossings he plays that great, most of the new violinist playing that they kinda just throw fingers down and hope for the best, yea he may have taken a little liberty there but atleast all the notes were there
64f100bill 1 year ago
This performance moved me almost to tears with its beauty; for me, this is something Heifetz's version, while brilliant and technically fantastic, cannot do. Not to imply that other interpretations are in any way inferior.
GlueWorks 1 year ago
I don't really know much about the perfection of the musician, I'm a rather amateur fan of classical music... being, I can't exactly notice all the little imperfections or play every scale at 164th notes or any of that. But from my own opinion, this piece (both how it's written and how's it's performed) is very beautiful. I don't know what happened to the world to make it disinherit a sound like this.
ElAqero 1 year ago
Maria Lazareva has a pretty good version too. Listen to it here on youtube.
surfboy 1 year ago
Nathan Goldstein, A New York Philharmonic violinist for almost 40 years, was superb and indisputably the best interpreter of the Vitali's Chaconne, as he did it with passion, tenderness and sublime perfection. .
wildstoneflower 1 year ago
Who played the best Vitali's Chaconne was Nathan Goldstein, from the New York Philharmonic. It was passionate, tender and above all, sublime! Nobody like Nathan!!!
wildstoneflower 1 year ago
This song is so beautiful and EXTREMELY difficult to play (I should know, I'm learning it right now). His intonation is superb, and probably one of the best recordings I've ever heard. Thank you very much for posting this.
ReasonFalling 1 year ago
Without being hostile or disparaging, I too would have to agree that this rendition is closest to perfect of all the artists that I've heard play it. Heifetz is so phenomenal on so many levels but this is absolute brilliance.
I also listened to Sarah's version but I'm afraid i prefer the traditional representation over hers. Nice, but not really comparable (in my humble opinion)
:)
Enjoy
r1johnny 2 years ago
I absolute agree with r1johhny - this is music which is accountably of a toplevel platform, the more unique without the help of today's electronic mixings. Clear string for string sound, deep and a tonality not to be found in Chang's rendition.
zzp1 2 years ago
He is soooo clean--you can here his fingers dropping....you can here that he has perfect tone .....you can here how he practice's in how he plays...amazing!!
I am playing this right now it's fun!! but compared to him i am trash-I must work harder-I just started it
but he did have some octaves out!!:(
triBond151 2 years ago
Sarah Chang sucks, Go listen to all the dead violinest like Oistrakh, Milstein, heifetz, Szigetti, Francescatti, Szeryng, Kogan, Rabin and the list goes on, Sarah Chang can't even be nearly compared to these greats.
musiclover0187 2 years ago 13
All of those violinists are great no doubt, but sarah chang is great too.
Her vitali chaconne is what got me hooked on this piece.
She plays it in a more modern style.
sijas 2 years ago 3
who gives a shit about sarah chang after all....
crazy77town 2 years ago
You have just listed the GODS of the violin.
calloffthedogs 2 years ago
well it's completely unfair to say bad things about her, for though she may never be able to own up to the greats, she's still unbelievably good.
cause i'm pretty sure she DOESN'T suck. not in the slightest.
deadSIRENS 1 year ago
@musiclover0187 she dosnt suck....calm down
startingsgatwwms 1 year ago
@musiclover0187 Sorry but disagree totally! Sarah Chang is extraordinary, but for Perlman she would be the top performer today.
Bret6464 1 year ago 2
Sergei Khachaturian ... go listen to him... I'm a violinist myself , been playing for 15 years now, I know everything about the instrument and I hear things normal people don't even notice... my point is for the regular person Chang is great and everything but for a violinist who knows violinists and the art of music ... Chang is horrible... i lose count of the mistakes she makes during any one of her performances.... i cant even listen to it truthfully speaking...
musiclover0187 1 year ago
@musiclover0187 I hate people like you who convince that other people taht this and that is horrible.... I am a violinist myself and I see mistakes too, but I take into account that many people do not see that, and they enjoy the music... that should be enough. they enjoy it. why destroy that, and smear someone's dignity in the process? you sound more jealous actually... poor you... chang may play terrible (although I do not believe it) but you, your problem is your attitude... thats hopeless
TempoFurioso 1 year ago
hey guys if u think im jealous? then that just shows how ignorant u are to music... if u think a musician is graet because his music makes u feel good then by all means enjoy but facts still stay as facts and the fact is that there are a chosen number of graets that should b recognized in a seperate catagory because of their greatness and violinists like sarah chang can not even b in that catagory... this isnt about me or my "ID" (its good to have a big ego but bad to have a big ID, moron)
musiclover0187 1 year ago
@musiclover0187 facts facts facts... what facts? prove this objectively... there is no fact... you need to re-study art... and I did say, it makes THEM feel good, I did not say it makes ME feel good... so I respect what these people think... and do not say, "hey, what you like SUCKS!!!".... read first before you reply... tsk ignorant fool who think he knows all
TempoFurioso 1 year ago
@musiclover0187 I agree that Chang cannot be considered one of the greats as of now. However, realize that she is still incredibly young! She has MANY more years to mature her playing and prove herself. And not only that, do you not see how disrespectful you are being towards Chang? If you are truly a violinist of 15 years, then I can't see how you can mock a fellow violinist and musician; a person who has dedicated herself to music and violin as much as you have, if not more!
sworly 11 months ago 22
@sworly Bravo!
TheDirectorWong 1 month ago
@musiclover0187 what about when she dies? :P
Aurelius27x 1 year ago
she could die a millon times over... her skill and her musicality is still in the gutter and always will be... trust me i been playing the violin professionally for 15 years now and Chang is someone I listen to to crack jokes on her every mistake...
musiclover0187 1 year ago
@musiclover0187 another person who thinks highly of himself so as to smear on another artist's work just because, what? you played for 15 years? tsk... post a video and let us see how you play... maybe you are even more of a laughing stock... your ego is astounding
TempoFurioso 1 year ago
@TempoFurioso because there is no need to be so adept or knowleadgeable with all these things to appreaciate music... people appreciate her, and that's that.... people like you impose their standards on others... that is simply pathetic... go find a life... maybe it is you who should re-study art... if you really studied art as you claim, you would not be so stupid
TempoFurioso 1 year ago
@musiclover0187
It's one thing to warn against comparing a talent with the all-time greats. It's another thing to say she sucks.
herodot2 10 months ago
@musiclover0187 Nevertheless... Sarah Chang is still a good musician.
PinoyMicah 9 months ago
@musiclover0187 Who are you to judge a hard working violinist?
If she sucks, I would like to hear you play better. Rarely someone who has time
to post comments that praise some and criticize others even know how to hold a violin.
If all you know are fantastic violinists, how is it wise to compare them to other artists?
Listening to good ol' fantastic violinists is understandable, however there's nothing wrong with liking, thinking and watching (and/or supporting) other violinists!
VirtuosoInTheMaking 6 months ago
Thanks for posting this. Although I adore Heifetz, on this piece, I like Milstein's version the most. I am Korean, but I am not sure how Sara Chang can even be compared here. To me, her playing sounded like some sort of American pop-ballad. (nothing against American pop-ballad..;-) ) I can understand why some might like it, but I don't think she plays it the way Vitali intended it to be played or in the style of a Chaconne.
changgo22 2 years ago 6
One might argue that it doesn't matter as long as some people like it but it's like hearing Mozart being played like Tchaikovsky or something and is just so weird.
changgo22 2 years ago
¡Por fin encuentro lo que buscaba! Es maravilloso.
classicmusic5 2 years ago 2
very clear sound!!!HE IS GOD!!!!!!!
Obroten 2 years ago
I love other recordings of this piece too... but no one is better than Millstein. I do prefer the Charlier edition of the piece-- the one played by Heifetz and Oisrakh and Chang and Francescatti.
I do *not* understand why people rag on Chang's performance, which I regard among the greats.
Zarfff 2 years ago 4
they all sound like the same edition to me...=/
Moonshine148 2 years ago
I worked out how to play this on my diatonic harmonica. Although a relativly early, It's quite a bluesy piece. Being in a minor key, with trills and the stopping on the blue notes and really wailing on them. Also in the way it is repeated several times and elaborated on like a jazz solo.
Horwellston 2 years ago
try it on a chromatic! i'm sure it would be a cool piece to play with a harmonica orchestra.. bass and chord harmonicas and all!
jalopy2222 2 years ago 2
Why worry about other's interpretations? just enjoy his own amazing interpretation. No violinist is the "best" its how people interpret their style of music and last time i checked, no person is exactly the same. All i know is Milstein, Hiefetz, Perlman, Zukerman, Shaham, and Oistrakh are fantastic violinists.
typoCritic 2 years ago 31
Yo, typoCritic. It's spelled "Heifetz." :)
felixmendelssohn 2 years ago 3
*cough* and Chang. haha :P
ciaconne90 2 years ago
Kogan! too! you missed a biggie in your little list. Szering, Francescatti, etc.
calloffthedogs 2 years ago
agreed.
Moonshine148 2 years ago
@typoCritic
Don't forget Kreisler! :D
His palpable charm and tone are remnants of a bygone era.
euroguitars 1 year ago
@typoCritic
I respect the wiz kids for their ability to play music I will never be able to play but there is something lacking in the musical feeling. I play the violin and it is without a doubt a very difficult instrument. My father introduced me to recordings of Milstein, Kreisler, Francescatti, Menuhin and the list goes on. We will not see their likes again. Thank God for these recordings!
1931lugosi 8 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Milstein is no good! No connection ever to his music....
He plays to much without emotion...
maxhansendk 2 years ago
Are you even listening correctly?
Oadin 2 years ago
that's the first time I ever heard anyone use "plays too much" as an argument for poor musicianship.
brainwasher9876 2 years ago 2
this is a good version.. i prefer heifetz's though :D
BaRToLoMaSi 2 years ago
I'd forgotten how much I liked this version. Heifetz was so perfect that at times you couldn't connect with him, while oistrakh's version sounded melodramatic, but milstein's radiates humanity. Although it irks me that he didn't use the sul-A fingerings for 1:14 onwards.
brainwasher9876 2 years ago
where can i get the heifetz version? a little help here pls.
NecroViolinist 2 years ago
type in "heifetz vitali chaconne" in the search bar.
brainwasher9876 2 years ago
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This is nice, best violinist I think!
If you want to SEE a good violin then go to my channel and look at the video of my $50,000
Stradivarius12506 2 years ago
My favorite version of the Vitali Chaconne. To me, this just "breathes" more than any other.
tawny624 2 years ago 4
He play good, I suggest you listen my playing.
takhirviolinest 2 years ago
This is why people still look upto violinists like Milstein.
slimbullet96 2 years ago 2
For those of you arguing about which violinist is "perfect", everyone has a different idea of what "perfect" is and for me, it is the imperfections that make a performance so convincing to me. If you want perfect intonation, perfect rhythm, perfect phrasing, there are many violinists nowadays who can do that.
I don't necessarily seek that. To me perfection is the ability to expose your soul to the outside world - to the point where the audience can only respond by exposing theirs.
Neo21803 2 years ago 3
You make a very important point here. I'll add that this is the primary reason I do not listen to modern violinists. Listening to Hillary Hahn is as pleasurable to me as staring at a blank wall. No matter how clean and pristine it is, it is still a blank wall. Without individuality (likable or not), music is not art. To take it further, art without taste is bad art. Somewhere in the middle lies the great masters of the past, which differs quite a bit from a blank wall to my ears.
aimson 2 years ago
Wow, that's pretty mild criticism compared to your opinion on Szeryng, Aimson...what were your thoughts on him again? ;)
felixmendelssohn 2 years ago
Who's Szeryng again? Oh yeah, now I remember the 7-second segment on him in The Art of Violin... Let me put it this way. To my mind, Glenn Gould is the greatest musician to play Bach on any instrument (of course, I really love hearing Casals, Enescu, and Milstein as well). Gould is nearly the complete polar opposite of Szeryng and I want nothing to do with him. Thanks for reminding me about my utter distain for a violinist who has no place being compared to anybody particularly important.
aimson 2 years ago
You're blinded here, aimson. You are correct about Gould, in my opinion. But blinded or even deaf in regards to Szeryng. I wonder why, actually. Hmm...
BWolcott 2 years ago 3
@aimson i was real close to appreciating your love of milstein until you mentioned that lame excuse of a comment about szeryng
not particularly imporant? how incredibly ignorant, szeryng was one of the greatest technical and most passionate players back in an era so dominated by heifetz and milstein
even then he still had such a prominent influence, that labelling him as unimportant is such a low and ignorant comment
sorry
wtfpwndzor 1 year ago
@aimson Wow. Your view makes me shake my head. Szeryng's Bach is considered the standard you stupid s%@t! Listen much with your heart? Is it his impeccable intonation or phrasing you don't like? Oh that's right, you cares what a stupid, ignorant person thinks?
srcello 1 year ago
@srcello Sorry, but you need to fuck off. I have very strong views about violinists. Most I don't care about, many I love, a few I favor, and some that offend me. Szeryng is in the last category for me and I refuse to sway my opinion based on kids like you. But changing my mind is not why you posted. It's because you feel you have a safe place to shit talk because I'm not standing next to you with a crow bar. If I were, I'd probably be happy to explain my view further but for now, fuck off.
aimson 1 year ago
@aimson
There are no particular violonist I hate. Violonists (true ones) really work hard & deserve to be recognized for what they do: Szeryng plays good. But doesn't captivate me. Point . You have the right not to be fond of Szeryng. & really, in music, "standards" cannot be, because music is all about personal interpretation. Srcello talks about "standards" but where there can be standards is only in techniques, not in musicality. Anyway, aimson, I'm glad I met another Milstein's fan !!! lol
EIEN07 1 year ago
@EIEN07 ....i like him, too!!!!!!!!!!
outoftunefiddler 1 year ago
This is an extremely good point, and one that I often make in the field of classical guitar. There are so many guitar players who can play a piece perfectly that technical skill becomes only one part of deciding who is the best player. Like you, I consider the best player to be the one who is able to communicate emotion directly through the instrument. It is for this reason that Milstein's Chaconne (not this one) is my favoite piece of music.
swarmoflocusts1 2 years ago
Milstein's Bach Chaconne is truly amazing. Definitely one of my favorite interpretations on one of the most popular yet sentimental of all the violin repertoire.
Neo21803 2 years ago
don't necessarily seek that. To me perfection is the ability to expose your soul to the outside world - to the point where the audience can only respond by exposing theirs.
Brillant definiton! Regarding Gould etc. I do not agree that an interpreter absolutely the best for ANY piece of Bach, that is simply untrue and absurde. I never liked Gould´s Wohltemperiertes Klavier, and when I heard S. Richters version I immediately understood why... I like Gould´s Goldberg Variationen of course etc.
artsloving 2 years ago 2
he has changed lot or things in this piece and I can't say that I like it. my favorite is version of Oistrakh.
izabella92 2 years ago
This is some of the best music in the entire world.
samuelus12 2 years ago
Nathan Milstein - so perfect. Even if you compare him to Heifetz and Oistrakh, he's so much more perfect. And especially when you compare him to sarah chang, he's so perfect.
belmany 2 years ago
Agree with you re: Heifetz but Oistrakh? And I don't think Milstein would have been very flattered to have been compared with Sarah Chang!
Charlieray15 2 years ago
Heh. I only did that because someone else randomly said in a comment here that "sarah chang produces and loves music, which is a form of art." I took it to mean that they thought chang was better, so *shrug* I said "especially when you compare him to sarah chang, he's so perfect. "
belmany 2 years ago
I beg to differ. Milstein is certainly a wonderful violinist, but calling him "more perfect" than heifetz is counter-intuitive. Listen to heifetz's version, and you might agree with me. Heifetz is the undisputed king of "perfect" (if that's the right word) violin playing.
brainwasher9876 2 years ago
Ah, but that's where the misunderstanding comes in. I suppose I should have made clearer my point. I was pointing out Milstein's utter precision in articulation.
belmany 2 years ago
and heifetz doesn't?
brainwasher9876 2 years ago
This is heaven.
areneth 2 years ago
my favorite version..not overly maudlin and he teases just a bit at the end by becoming very soft before the searing intensity...no, not a difficult piece but a difficult piece to deliver like this.
OriginalMoonbeam 3 years ago 3
bravo
musikisbella 3 years ago 2
That double trill at the end is amazing!
risingpianofire 3 years ago
the correct term is double octaves.
brainwasher9876 2 years ago
I was referring to what sounded like thirds :)
risingpianofire 2 years ago
double-stop.
kenhimurabr 2 years ago
this is so deep, how could television compare to the depth music offers, the emotion it triggers is so captivating..........enjoyed this piece very much.
nocip77 3 years ago 2
I was really touched by this version. In the end my conclusion: Sarah Chang did a great job for a live performance, Jascha Heifetz's version is godly, and Milstein...there is something hard to describe here. Was he perfect? Certainly not. If you want perfection you can listen to Heifetz. There is something Milstein does, however, what Heifetz did not, that is, having a profoundly human quality. I for one cannot associate with Heifetz but can with Milstein, and that's what makes the difference.
brainwasher9876 3 years ago 2
hey just wondering....this piece is hard for a violinist right....sry im not really a violinist..hehe...a pianist actually kinda sad how i dont know if this is hard or not...but im sure its like really hard...nice piece, very clear and i love the single note compared to piano where u play multiple notes at one time.
lilpuppy430 3 years ago
exactli
maycarrion 3 years ago
i love milstein.,
but sarah chang, sure nailed this one., ^^
peace.,!!
after all, we all have diffirent tastes,
nikkipotz29 3 years ago
a powerful version.. magnificent music! :) i hear him pouring his heart out.. so moving.. in his own way.. so clear.. so pronounced.. wonderful.. -_-
ANgelieTan 3 years ago
jeez guys they are both good in different ways. Just relax and enjoy!
anigopal 3 years ago 4
please don't ever compare a 21st century violinist with the legendary 20th century violinists like heifetz or milstein, seriously go idolize your overdramatic and emotion-lacking 21st century violinist somewhere else
lawlaw122 3 years ago 4
This comment has received too many negative votes show
I don't understand how people can claim Sarah Chang is a better violinist than Milstein because it's untrue on so many levels such as her being a women is already a huge negative.
Wurzel9894 3 years ago
Care to elaborate?
ichiromo 3 years ago
I'm still unsure as to why a dick is required to play a violin. As I've tried to explain to people before, the brain - which controls motor functions, reason, sensory perception, etc. is what is responsible for competency in the vast, vast majority of jobs and activities. Note that the brain is housed in the head, not the crotch. However, I am a violinist, and I can confidently state that the violin is a matter of brain and fingers, not genitilia.
MerlinTheDraconic 3 years ago 7
*applause*
Smartguy1992 3 years ago 2
Merlin..as a female violinist I very much appreciate what you are saying here and you put it in a way I wouldn't quite phrase it..but you got the point across. One's "chest" does not interfere except with certain rapid bowing passages-in which case one just wears a jogging bra to prevent unsightly jiggle. This is the ONLY thing I have different that a male does not have to deal with...just "bounce" if you really want to know the truth. I think men are sometimes blessed with longer fingers..
OriginalMoonbeam 3 years ago
I'm usually not nearly that blunt, however I thought the best way to counter such a chauvinistic statement would be to get readers to laugh at the absurdity of such a suggestion. I was unaware of jiggle issues, but I'm pretty flat, so I doubt it will ever be relevant. I agree about the fingers, I'm under 5'3", and I have miniscule hands.
MerlinTheDraconic 3 years ago
Males can have tiny hand too. -_- I'm male. I'm of average height but my hands and feet are tiny. Makes music-making quite troublesome sometimes.
belmany 2 years ago
I agree. Could you elaborate on this, please? Do you believe that her mammaries will get in the way of the violin? That she will hit her period while onstage? You're really making me stretch, here - I'm finding it to be a big stretch to attribute lack in performance on the violin to genetic differences between men and women, seeing how few there are.
Smartguy1992 3 years ago 2
??so glad people who think like that are not every where out there. that would make a strange world, don't you think? sorry for being a woman and daring to believe that a woman has the right to more than just raising children and doing housework, but I really see no discrepancy between women and music.REALLY.
theViolinDreamer 3 years ago 3
I don't know anything about violinists but...
this is so beautiful...
saorin0 3 years ago
This makes stones melt and become weak...German proverbe. Simply
unbelievable this love and beauty.
Milstein is my favorite also for
Bachs Partitas.
artsloving 3 years ago
i can t play the violin only at a folk and beginner level
but I like heifetz's version the most.
I guess only bec. that's what I heard for the 1 st time, so it burned in my mind.
Maybe if I had heard milstein i would like him more. :-)
But now I found the Heifetz version best, though at some parts he is too sppedy
but at the top / climax parts i find him the most passionate. And it's just perfect.
Whyolin 3 years ago
Trust me, there's nothing greater than having Heifetz burned into your mind for the first thing. Start out with the best violinists just in the way that a great painter studies Rembrandt and Van Gogh. Forget Sarah Chang and Hillary Hahn and get the great masters burned into your mind before your taste gets spoiled. It'll all fall into place after that.
aimson 3 years ago
nah... Vermeer and Cezanne ;)
mihajovics 3 years ago
Sarah Chang does just as good a job as Milstein. Heifetz undeniably plays it better, but but she plays it with more emotion than Milstein. And by the time she's 50, she'll be at least on equal terms as the greats of the mid-late 90's.
cjh37878 3 years ago
Depends on what you mean by "emotion". If by emotion you mean melodramatic and silly playing, then yes, Sarah Chang does more of that than Milstein. But if by "emotion" you mean the communication of the compositional ideas then Milstein is far more emotional than Sarah Chang. Sarah Chang is a show-off, Milstein is an artist.
AbsoluteZ3R0 3 years ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Chang immerses herself in her music like no violinist since Heifetz. She just plays better than Milstein. Simple as that. But different strokes for different folks, as my mother says. I have reason to believe you get the meaning.
cjh37878 3 years ago
Chang is more dramatic than Milstein, but Milstein is more emotional. There's a difference between drama and true emotion. She doesn't play any where NEARLY as good as Milstein. Milstein is a much better violinist in every way possible.
AbsoluteZ3R0 3 years ago 3
That's an opinion. I personally favor Chang.
cjh37878 3 years ago
Man I'm repulsed by my grammar in that last comment. It's an opinion, yes, but that doesn't mean anything. Your opinion is simply reflective of your poor musical taste. One day you will mature and learn to love and appreciate Milstein.
AbsoluteZ3R0 3 years ago
My poor musical taste? I could say just the same to you. I, however, have enough respect for fellow musicians not to.
cjh37878 3 years ago 2
No, you can't actually, because it would take someone with a more distinguished taste to prefer Milstein over Chang. Chang is an excellent violinist, but that's it. She's no artist.
AbsoluteZ3R0 3 years ago
i woul like to know why the peoples likes to compare everythyng and said the woman cant be an artist?you are wrong...for many she is an artist of course you have your opinion
maycarrion 3 years ago 4
Yes, she is an artist to many fools.
AbsoluteZ3R0 3 years ago
So if you like Chang's interpretation one is regarded as a fool? Well count me in because I happen to refer to her while I have been working on the piece, as I thought she did an outstanding job on this piece. I don't always like everything she does but I know that some things she does are outstanding. I don't put her on the level as Milstein by any stroke of the imagination but she certainly is an artist. It's alright to appreciate more than one interpretation, perfectly ok.
OriginalMoonbeam 3 years ago 4
Whether or not something or someone is art is up to perception. One thing that cannot be doubted is that Heifetz, Milstein, and Chang all love their music tremendously. I think that matters more than bigoted opinion over who is better.
brainwasher9876 3 years ago 4
a musician, aka a violinist, is an artist. the definition of an artist is one that produces and loves art, and sarah chang produces and loves music, which is a form of art.
brainwasher9876 3 years ago 2
We are all on different planes of understanding music. And Milstein requires an audience that can appreciate he's music in all it's brilliance, lest people will not find it to be any thing special. You do not appreciate it fully. You will naturally insist on you being right, and you are. No one can say your opinion is wrong. However, Milstein was more accomplished. And we are all evolving constantly; you'll be there later. Remember that.
ThirddOracle 3 years ago 2
@aimson Ok yea, in my opinion the old masters are the best in my opinion. But Hilary hahn is also good, and you may not like the way she interpret Bach. The old Violinists are disciplined more than the 21st century violinists, and people now days doesnt have the natural violin liking anymore, Heifetz and Milstein was the world great violinists, but more will come!!!!!
ericgable 1 year ago
@ericgable Oh, I try not to get into the whole violinist shit-war thing. I've got my strong preferences of course. One historical trend worth keeping in mind is that many of the 20th century greats matured and became better violinists over the years. Oistrakh was 27 before anybody ever heard his name. Point is that there is still time for Hahn and Chang and Bell to become likable for me. I do have to say, though, that Vengerov is the only new violinist who consistently knocks my socks off.
aimson 1 year ago
@aimson Yea, im not planning to start a war cause really people think what they want cause if they had my thinking everyone would love Milstein and Heifetz. Yea violin improves over the years, your intonation and your understanding of the music,
ericgable 1 year ago
@aimson Im sorry but to me Vengerov is not all that compared to any other violinists, I really dont like him as much as i LOVE Nathan Milstein. Vengerov play so..bad to me, but so do Sarah Chang. But thats my opinion as well.
ericgable 1 year ago
@aimson
I would like to point out that Bell is already quite old actually (42). I think it's wrong to always think of him as young...Also, I like Shaham a great deal (though again, almost 40). As a dose of perspective Midori is younger than either of them!
As for Szeryng, I would suggest you listen to his Brandenbug Concerti w/ St. Martin in the Fields. Astounding!
rufebrushtail 1 year ago
@ericgable Yes, I listened to Hahn's recording of the Bach chaconne. I can't say I didn't like it but I also can't say I did (I may listen again if I am bored). She's a respectable violinist to say the most. Again, for me, she joins the long list of violinists who strike me as bland and overly conservative, which isn't necessarily bad for most casual listeners. I was thinking about this in the car and on the Gould-Szeryng spectrum, Hahn lies far closer to Szeryng than I care for.
aimson 1 year ago
@ericgable i would say the same. nowadays we have 8 year olds playing this piece probably because they have listened to a recording a hundred times and dont have the feeling that milstein heifetz and oistrakh had about this piece.
gaming4souls 1 year ago