When I was about fourteen years old (around 1955) my grandfather took me to hear Ferras in the Adelaide Town Hall, South Australia. It was a life-changing experience, setting a bench-mark of desire for the violin that has never left me. Above all, it was his performance of the Fugue from Bach's C-major Solo Sonata that transfixed me. I could never have imagined that the violin could sound like that. Knowing how mu ch I owed to him, I decided, only a few years back to see if I could track him down to thank him, only to find, to my deep shock, that he had suicided at the age of fifty-five. I feel a deep grief both for him and for the fact that I could not thank him. I wonder how many hundreds, if not thousands, might have experienced a similar transformation, and whether he might have felt better about his life had he known. More recently I have listened to his recordings of The Chausson Poème and of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. Whilst I am by no means a violinist of his calibre, I could hear in his playing, seeds...nuances of elements of my own playing that I owed to him. Thank you, Christian!

Maybe the most beautiful piece ever written for violin, played by some with an unique soul and sound. It will probably never get better than this.

Only a long suffering soul can paint this piece like that.. this compositions and Sibelius concerto fitted to Ferras's idiosyncrasy perfectly....

Ferras is quickly becoming my favorite violinist. What a sound, phrasing and soul!!!

My style of French music - gentle, sweet, melancholic. At first it sounds too slow but grows on you. The vibrato, the shifts and the bowing bring it all out.

This is my favorite interpretation. The top two interpretations of this glorious Poeme, are in my opinion: it's the Ferras and Ginette Neveu. The drama of this Poeme Ferras reminds me of his unequaled interpretation of ViolinConcerto Sibeluis

Christian Ferras is just the greatest violist of all times....

One who likes Christian Ferras should listen to him playing Sibelius concert. It is so beautifully played as the Chausson Poeme!

Christian Ferras became from the very first audition in my favorite Violín player in so many master pieces, more and more. It's difficult for a musician just define one performer as the "favorite" because that depends on each style and composer that performer is performing, however; Ferras is always in the very top and mostly in the first place. My late Professor studied in the same time with Christian Ferras in France and she was so proud of him always, that makes me feel proud in extension. This amazing musician is really beyond limits.

Not even Oistrakh or Francescatti could play it like this…Ferras' is by far the most sensitive, poetic and eloquent reading of this sublime, but so tragic piece. Played not just with heart-stopping pyrotechnics, but with something far beyond that….

Christian Ferras has the purity necessary to a good rendition of this poem. This is an awesome recording ! The quality of the orchestra is also important.

Ferras for me cannot be surpassed. Unbelievably sensitive and I agree with Julia his Sibelius concerto for violin, especially the 2nd movement was einmalig. Soon after he took his life.

Fantastic interpretatin ! Ferras is unique! So wonderful a violin!

Haunting, achingly beautiful.

WOW!...the space of one one connecting to the next note is the magic of Ferras and of the old school of violin playing which sadly has faded today...

Dans cette oeuvre il reste un idéal à atteindre . Subtilité et émotion incomparable

Le plus grand artiste parmi les violonistes. Grand Merci à Christian Ferras. peu de talent aussi haut n'ont existé

Une version que je découvre ! Tout est dit les premières mesures du solo. On est comme "envouté" à peine arrivé à la troisième mesure..

Christian ferras est un merveilleux violoniste. Je l'apprécie beaucoup étant moi-même violoniste. C'est toujours un moment superbe lorsque je l'écoute. Le poeme de chausson est vraiment magnifique.

this wonderful musician and performer brought me the love of the violin. My first vinyl, Beethoven with Karian and the Berlin Philamonic. The then the Brahms concerto ...such a sad loss that he ended his life with so much genius to give.....

When listening to this, I have a feeling that this man is from another world. Unfortunately, he probably was convinced that he was not belonging to ours when he decided to take his own life... Karajan made him his favorite violinist, which says it all of the genius of Ferras, and also of Karajan's talent to recognise talents far away from his own universe, and help them to shine. Another example would be Maurice André.

Chausson had a similar skill tp Chopin.A way to discover an interval than would shine like a diamond and always seem like a refreshing surprise .

There are moments where you know, even though you may be of less skilled or less adept, or even less educated or versed in music, that without words, comments, blurbs from so-called critics, what you are heading is something beyond magic, beyond one-of-a-kind: it's the realization of perfect violin music making.

I have heard this piece many times and found this is the best performance... Maybe it is recorded in 1953, when Ferras was only 20 years old.

All the violinists play Chausson poeme, only Ferras recites the poeme!

No one has mentioned Ferras's version of the Berg Concerto. I heard him play it live, and memorized the LP. The feeling for that piece has simply never even been approached by anyone else. Not many interpretations are "essential," but that's one of them.

This is the playing of a great and desparate musician, who can not escape his despair. Why did nobody hear this and try to help him out?

Merci beaucoup d'avoir publié cet enregistrement

Heard him play back in the sixties....wonderful violinist.....

Very beautiful phrasing by Ferras, thanks for uploading!

It is interesting to note that the conductor George Sebastian was then Beatrice Martellière's husband who will be Christian Ferras' wife

I agree with you, dkurgano. This recording is amazing. Christian Ferras is still today my absolute favourite violinist. Everything he plays... becomes magic!

Gorgeous!!!

Ginette Neveu both versions, studio and live Carnegie Hall rendition has never been surpassed yet.

He uses the same phrasing and elements that George Enescu used in his interpretation, one can really sense the imense influence Enescu had on Ferras

Great piece. Thanks for posting it.

The most telling notes are so very simple here. Bar 198 poco lento.A magical note. Salvation , Release , Light, Peace, Beauty.

Yes! beautiful.

Struggente e stupendo. Bravo. Grazie ❤

Po prostu sama poezja. Genialnie.

Beautiful!!! David Oistrak is as well! I love both playing this.

My favourite as well!

Του Christian Ferras η μαεστρία ειναι αδύνατο να υπερκεραστεί. Only Ferras and Ginette Neveu, as someone else pointed out, can reach perfection and beyond it!!!!! The first took his life and Ginette lost her life in plane accident.

Fantastic!

This is a truly touching playing. I am in tears. Thank you for sharing.

Прекрасно!

Chaussons bekanntestes Werk - hier einfühlsam mit dem vorzüglichen frz. Violonstar Christian Ferras, der auch mit Karajan viel musizierte. - Eine der schönsten, authentischsten Einspielungen von Poeme ist die mit Izaak Perlman und dem Orchestre de Paris unter Jean Martinon (EMI). Bei KZfaq auch Beethovens Romanzen mit Ferras. Auch für Fans interessant: die Ferras-Gedenkkassetten von Brillant (Duos) und Doremi-Records ( u.a. mit Martinons 2. Violinkonzert.).

Bravo!!!!!!!!

Muy lindo! 💝

The true violoniste

WOW!!! I didnt even know this violinist!

the 3 thumbs down must be hilarry Hahn, Joshua Bell and Midori... can't touch this guy..

Yes Erik, Christian Ferras is just the greatest violist of all times.... www.associationferras.fr

1979

à notre époque, là , en 2019, qui dira :" je connais une plus belle interprétation du poème de Chausson que celle de Ferras ? " celui là mentira ou sera de mauvaise foi.

Otherworldly phrasing. Gold standard. Aaron Rosand a close second, completely different Ysaye-like interpretation though.

il joue en vérité.

s'agit-il de la version de 1953 ?

FERRAS WAS AMONG MY FAVORITE VIOLINISTS, BUT NO ONE PLAYS THIS PIECE AS WELL AS HEIFETZ PLAYED IT. FERRAS COMMITTED SUICIDE, BUT I CANNOT FIND OUT WHY & HOW. HE WAS ONLY 49 YEARS OLD.

This goes further even than Menuhin under Enescu. Abandon all hope ye who enter here.

Dommage que l’Orchestre ne soit pas du tout à la hauteur !

His vibrato is French

No esz mi interpretacion favorita

impressionante. Il finale e da mozzafiato. Tanto sensibile. Peccato che suona un' orchestra di merda. Incluso G.Sebastian!

le seul violoniste auquel je ne préfère pas une femme

There will never be anyone other than Ginette Neveu to play this work. It as much hers as was The Enigma Variations to Jaqueline Du pre. They both were born to play those two compositions.

Too slow.