Bach; Händel; Mozart; Beethoven; Prokofiev; Bartók; Bloch; Stravinsky (2005)

Joseph Szigeti 1892-1973) was known for his active participation in the contemporary music of his day - not just playing the standard repertory. This set reflects that well. The set progresses in rough chronology, starting with Bach, Handel and Mozart on disc 1, proceeding to Beethoven on disc 2, and ending with 20th century works on discs 3 and 4. There are some real historical gems -- including Bartok and Stravinsky playing the piano parts in their own pieces! Bartok's "Contrasts" is perhaps the real historical highlight, played by the trio of Szegedi, Bartok and Benny Goodman on clarinet. Although the more modern pieces may be more significant, there's a very nice 1932 recording with Bruno Walter and the British Symphony of the Beethoven violin concerto included. The Bloch concerto with the Concertgebouw under Willem Mengelberg is excellent. The sound is very good for recordings from 1932 to 1948 and have been cleaned up very well -- practically no noise, distracting hisses, pops or cracks. (bron: Amazon)