Itzhak Perlman & Vladimir Ashkenazy Beethoven Violin Sonatas No. 5 & 9 Hybrid Stereo Japanese Import SACD

Itzhak Perlman (violin) and Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano) perform Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9 "Kreutzer" and No. 5 "Spring", recorded at Kingsway Hall, London, in October 1973 and summer 1974.

If you would expect performances of Beethoven sonatas to be more than ordinarily good from two such artists as Perlman and Ashkenazy, you would be right. The soft playing, in particular, in both slow movements impressed me most; and that of the variations in the Kreutzer is especially deeply felt...The keen-eyed reader will not notice that these performances were originally issued on two different LPs. The Kreutzer was recorded in October 1973 and the Spring in the summer of 1974, both in Kingsway Hall in London, though producer and engineer were different. The gap turns out not to be significant and both were great successes as LPs (I have just enjoyed them as such). But the moment I started to play the Compact Disc I was amazed; for a good recording changes into what seems like the real thing, a performance with the players in your room. With the marvelous sound, round and mellow, and with a fine depth of bass, this is the real thing - or as near it as I have ever heard.