An absolute favorite violinist, who never ever gets enough praise, is Kyung Wha Chung. The Tchaikovsky was one of her signature pieces. Her playing is absolutely polished with such phenomenal phrasing and tone and she performs with passion and sensitivity. She recorded it with Previn, Giulini and Dutiot -- all are fabulous.

Glad you mentioned Szeryng / Munch. Not always mentioned but a very beautiful, passionate reading, Szeryng's tone is perfect for this sort of piece.

My go-to version, as I've stated in another video, is still the Kogan/Silvestri on EMI/Warner. Truly exciting with everyone in top form.

Thanks for including Ivry Gitlis. I remember when critics used to dismiss him as a "Gypsy" violinist (because of his interpretations, not his ethnicity), but he was definitely one of my favorites. Too bad he didn't leave more recordings. There is a fabulous video of the Tchaikovsky Concerto on You-know-whose-Tube (used to be on an EMI DVD).

Gitlis’s playing speaks so much even the auto-generated captions ascribed words to his playing

There is a stereo Oistrakh recording from 1965 (?) on Melodiya with Rozhdestvensky that was distributed by BMG in the 90s. Worth looking out for. It was originally in a box set that is now rare and horribly expensive, but the individual CDs regularly turn up on the used market. It is coupled with an equally fantastic version of... wait for it... the Sibelius concerto :-)

So glad you came to talk about Gitlis! I half expected you to mention him in the Sibelius talk, but his Tchaikovsky is just as exciting. How raw, and how refined at the same time. "Of the very, very highest quality" -- indded. Thank you!

The Vox Gitlis collection, despite poor sound and less than brilliant orchestral support, is simply remarkable. Fantastic fiddling indeed. This is now on Brilliant Classics too. A bargain. Can I also give a shout out for the Campoli. Magnificent in decent early stereo coupled with Bliss. Well worth a listen. As for Milstein - YES!

The double stops in the violin are my favorite. The thing Tchaikovsky often does where he seems to be arriving and then backs up is lovely . He also does it in the the Nutcracker when it seems to be arriving to the finale. Also done in the first piano concerto near the ending of the first movement.

Great list. I really enjoy Kyung Wha Chung's version with Dutoit and Montreal. I find myself stuck bouncing back and forth between loving the playing of the soloist and the playing of the orchestra/conductor tempos etc. Concertos are one of those three way juggling acts: soloist, orchestra/conductor, and recorded sound that can be a challenge.

For me there are two recordings that stand above all others Heifetz for sheer excitement and Oistrrakh for its Slavic Soul. No one else is in their league

Dave! The Gitlis recording is a revelation! How special!

It is amazing how you spent a large chunk of the intro professing a love-hate relationship with this work but eventually dug into your treasure trove and went through the list in so much details (and a sample play of Gitlis) like a true professional to make a very long video! Looks like strong emotions does elicit a passionate response 😂

Your wonderful review brought to mind how useful and enjoyable the Schwann catalog was for me when I started my odyssey into cd collecting...now that the Schwann is sadly six feet under, might you know of any online resource that fills the void left by Schwann in order to get a overview of what's available? Please keep the videos coming...and thanks!

I love the Morini recording, it's one of my favourite recordings of this concerto!

I love Kopatchinskaja's version. It's a very strange version with a lot of liberties, but I've heard so many versions of this concerto that I find it very fun to try something else. I see it as a humoristic take more than a serious recording.

Francescatti/Mitropoulos is well worth a listen IMHO, as much for the accompanist as anything. Mitropoulos as was his custom was all-in on this one and orchestra (NYP) and soloist play off each other beautifully. High marks for excitement and intensity of feeling.

I love this concerto! It has enriched my life beyond description with its raw, powerful emotion. My favourite performer of this work was Grumiaux.

Dave, last evening I was at a listening party for some very high quality audio equipment, and heard a portion of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto played by Vadim Repin with Valery Gergiev conducting the Mariinsky Orchestra, and it was stunning. It had passion, and the double stops were marvelous. No hen scratching there. I could almost visualize his fingerings and bowing. It’s on Decca. The excerpt I heard was a good 10 minutes and was long enough for me to want to purchase!

Thanks David for this much-awaited video on the best and worst Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. I love the Leonid Kogan version with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra with Constantin Silvestri (on Warner). You mentioned it in passing but did not show the CD. The Kogan Paris Conservatoire Orchestra Vandernoot version pales by comparison to the later Silvestri version. The Silvestri version is a scorching version of the concerto - rhythmic, gorgeous tone, expressive, technically top class with soloist, orchestra and conductor on fire. It is my desert island version over all your choices David trumping Heifetz, Oistrakh, Milstein, Stern, etc. Care to comment on it David?

Gil Shaham: smooth perfection and sonically fetching.

Great vid. Thanks, Dave. I'm glad it wasn't just me who came to this piece late. My early experiences of it tended to be tv gala kind of events and it was always the last movement. It always left me cold. What warmed me up was hearing Milstein live in the 70s, in Manchester, UK. He quite old then but you'd never know it to hear him and the sound he made was just so vivid (his encore was the opening of the E major partita!). After that it probably took another twenty years while I found my way to not being embarrassed about liking Tchaikovsky generally - it was hard to find a comfortable "fit" with more austere composers. Now, of course, I love him particularly when played with discipline and emotion. I must try Heifitz and Reiner.

Many, many thanks for mentioning the Milstein/Abbado coupling, Dave! You are generous with your enjoyable personal histories with various pieces, so I hope you will not object if I share one of mine. The first version of this concerto I heard was the Milstein/Steinberg recording. It was hot off the presses when the conductor of my high school orchestra, in which I played violin, played it for the whole orchestra. I was thrilled and excited by it, but it was not until many years later that I could buy my own copy of the work. That recording was the Abbado/Milstein. Many years after that, a friend played another Milstein reading, this time with the CSO under stock. It has terrible sonics but boy Milstein has a warmth, beauty of sound, and plasticity of phrasing and tempo that left me feeling as though I had never heard the concerto before. An absolutely memorable, ear-opening performance, but not for everyone, I am sure! Keep on writing, Dave. Just to butter you up a bit, I have to tell you that way back when we were both considerably younger, I read Classics Today in print version, and I'm glad to hear it is still available on line!

Dave, you are the best! Wish we had teachers like you all around!

My favourite recording of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto would have to be with Arthur Grumiaux and the New Philharmonia Orchestra. It's simply fabulous!

First time I heard the kopachinskaya interpretation I was driving and luckily there weren’t any trees beside the road for I would have gladly dived in to the first one, pretentious is the adjective that sprung to mind instantly.

I do like the stylish black-and-white checked babushka that Pavel Sporel is wearing. It reminds me of something my great aunt Sylvia might wear to match her new linoleum flooring. I am going to buy the CD just because of that.

Unfortunately the Label Speech is unavailable at least on Amazon. He does have some interesting recordings. I ordered one. Gypsy type music with the Digital Ensemble. Ill listen to that and might buy some more. Others here might take a look at his discography or research through streaming. DH,thanks for that discovery

David, I heard a marvelous recording by Ellinor D’Melon the other day that kept me in the car to listen to before shopping. I didn’t catch who the conductor / orchestra was. But I thought all three were in sync. It wasn’t exactly Milstein, et al, but I enjoyed it very much, despite a “puddle” segment. It was a feature on the Classical radio station called “Fresh from the wrapper”. It’s on the Rubicon label. I searched that but couldn’t find it. Have you heard it?

I didn't like much this concerto, until I saw a video of Pekka Kuusisto with Thomas Dausgaard. He plays it like a simple folk piece, with no added romanticism, and it works. And it makes it incredibly funny!

Full credit to you for mentioning the late great Ivry Gitlis. His recording of Wieniawski's first violin concerto especially the third movement is amazing. Also, I might add Ivry's student Daniel Rowland is a superb violinist and has inherited Ivry's flamboyancy and he teams up with the guitarist Alberto Mesirca in the album named Favorites, well worth listening to.

It’s interesting that you chose Milstein’s last recording given your recent observation that violinists don’t improve with age. He must be the exception that proves the rule. Will check it out. Like you, I’ve been slow to take to this piece. In fact I still really haven’t but maybe Milstein’s the one who will convert me. Thanks Dave.

Wow, that Viktoria Mullova/Ozawa disk is tremendous. Thanks for the recommendation.

I would define this video as a guide to a new age of the enlightenment. A guide so much needed in these dark and harsh times. My favourite is Kogan!

September 1983, Nathan Milstein, the titan of the violin, with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra playing the Tchaikovsky. Lucky me, young student with his discounted $10 ticket taking it all in. That said, Kogan was always my standard for this work (but Kogan/Silvestri, not this Kogan/Vandernoodle or whatever you've dug out of god knows where...). But lately I've found I like a little less edgy take and have surprisingly been really enjoying the sweet musicality of Sarah Chang and Colin Davis, not heretofore mentioned.

I listened to parts of the first movement of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto played by Heifetz on KZfaq but it sounds different than what I have heard before. Are there different revisions or versions of the violin concerto? What I heard was taped back in 1937.

OMG, Gitlis! A revelation! Thank you!

Thanks for the review... It will help me to fill some gaps. Anyway, I was planning to suggest Pavel Šporcl whom I did not assume you would mention, among all those celebrated players, but whose manly playing would deserve to be listened to, IMHO... Yet, you did! So, one more tip from Supraphon, this time a mere rarity (but quite magnificent playing, still). It is a live recording of 20th May 1972 (almost precisely 50 years ago) in which Václav Hudeček (20 y.o.) was accompanied by the Czech Philharmonic *conducted* by David Oistrakh. Hudeček seemed to be a young version of Oistrakh himself, at that time, and it is the energy as well as the unified feeling between the soloist and the conductor that made this performance so special. It is only available as download (a physical CD probably existed by I have never seen it) but I believe you may still find the TV version on KZfaq. The download is accompanied by a wild version of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, and there were rumours that Oistrakh choose much faster tempi during the concert than during the rehearsals... to the astonishment of the orchestra...

I decided to listen to the Kopatchinskaja, I am horrified.

Good choices. Talking about newcomers - usually don' hit me but I would pick up superb Johan Dalene recording on BIS. I was really surprised. Magnificent playing.

Have you (or has anybody here) heard the 2010 Mayuko Kamio with Thomas Sanderling on RCA? It's what we used to call "demonstration class" sonics, and the sound of her Strad is stunning.

Dave, any chance you could review the violin recordings of Erica Morini ?

He Kogan/Silverstri was available on EMIs budget Classics for Pleasure label on the UK when I was growing up. It was my first LP of the piece and still a great favourite.

I have not seen the whole video yet, but I’ve been starving for a good Currentzisis trashing, and I’m not disappointed. I’m listening to this version for some good fun tonight. For better or for worse, your Currentzisis reviews probably confirm the fact that nothing helps an artist like a bad review, and I am party to that phenomenon. If you can stomach it, Dave, check out the KZfaq videos of his open rehearsals (in fact, they’re called Orchestra Labs!) with his Stuttgart ensemble. I simply cannot get through these videos. They’re like live-action versions of his liner notes.

Dear Mr. Hurwitz. I'm running out of thumbs up for your reviews and moneys to follow your recommendations. I'm aware that your list is not meant to be exhaustive, but I would like to mention Gluzman/Litton (BIS) as an outstanding new performance. Gluzman always strikes me as a genuine Oistrakh's successor, just with superior recording sound. Many thanks for your invaluable lessons.

Weird that the Oistrakh box on Warner does not have a Tchaik cto. Also missing is the Franck/Brahms sonatas once on LP with Richter. I guess Melodiya records did not get picked up by Warner?

I have an old and a new one to add: Alfredo Campoli with the LSO/Argenta has the most incredible spiccato playing ever - real gypsy flair and good 50's Decca Stereo, and for a modern take Ray Chen for amazing intonation and both elegance and wit.

I think there is an earlier Perlman recording with LSO and Wallenstein - quite good if I remember rightly. Coupled with Piano Concerto 1 by Earl Wild / Fistoulari.

Probably worth a shout out is the recently released Gitlis box from Hanssler, with 4 cds over the 2 in the Vox set, and of course includes this Tchaik. To those who can't get enough of Gitlis (and who can), this is probably worth looking up.

May I recommend Morini with Rodzinski. Rodzinski is conducting is really special.

Fantastic, informative and fun video again. I laughed out loud with the Currentzis review. It made me want to listen to it just out of curiosity. I wished we had "Dave's hates" along with Dave's faves!

Campoli and Argenta. As a Spaniard myself, it has a place in my heart. Musically, it got me from the first note. To my ears, Argenta begins doing the opposite from most conductors: the first two bars with very short legato, and the last four crochets before the silence in bar 4 almost staccato. I am not sure that is what the score says, but it sure sound different. Also to my ears, he makes the winds sound with much more clarity during the whole concerto. As for Campoli, I loved this performance since I first heard how he manages the staccatos in the first movement in bars 108 onwards. The first time the tune flows, the second run ... what he does is stacattissimo! Similarly, the final movement he plays like a madman, and Argenta makes every note from the orchestra sound and never drown Campoli. I really like this performance, perhaps a little too different from what we expect in this concerto, but nevertheless exciting.

Guilty pleasure: Kopatchinskaja's version is really fun to listen to for me. But I did write a doctoral thesis on cynicism and the grotesque in my youth. If you want to throw away that disc, I will pay you for it. I only downloaded the FLAC because I did not discover it till it was out of print.

Unless i am in error, there is a third Stern recording, since i am positive i once owned an all-Tschaik LP of Isaac Stern with Rostropovich conducting. Aside from the concerto, the other item on the disk is the opus 42 Meditation (originally for violin and piano, but as orchestrated by Glazunov). To be honest, the Meditation seemed more memorable than the concerto.^^ // Warning: partisan S.E. Asian orchestra booster alert---> Sporcl has played the Dvorak concerto with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, utilizing his unique and unmistakeable blue-varnished violin.

Thank you very much.

l always liked Alfredo Campoli, with Ataulfo Argentina, conducting The London Symphony Orchestra (1958)

Great video.

I really enjoy Benedetti and Hrusa. The performance is gentle and poetic.

i'am happy in your choice you take the szering-munch version ( rca)...this is my best version ....for orchestra....and my best best ( in your choice to) is leonid kogan (emi) with constantin silvestri...i love this version really inspired beautiful magnificent....etc...and on other side,for curiosity,you know surely,the theme of the movie ''the rigth stuff''(1983) composed by bill conti, is widely inspired by the theme of the first movement of tchaikovsky violin concerto....he win a oscar for the soudtrack of this movie the next year

Just thought I would mention Shizuka Ishikawa and the Czech Philharmonic with Zdenek Kosler, I just think it's a great performance coupled with a fine Sibelius concerto

I'll always be grateful to Oistrakh for making so much sense out of the whole. Tchaikovsky tends to be discursive in his structure, but Oistrakh, for me, was the first I heard who could link it all together cohesively.

This video is a riot. Hilariously vicious teardown of Kopatchinskaja/Currentzis. Ivry Gitlis was a really interesting guy too, his personality was just as wacky as his playing, plenty of KZfaq videos with him now.

Tibor Varga's is the one I love.

The "wedding photo" cover reminded me of nothing so much as those creepy photos of dead people in 2001's The Others (Nicole Kidman; the scariest movie ever made by the way-- with or without double stops.)

Yes, the Pat and Teo recording was a shock, the sleeve notes embarrassing; and I believe she mostly plays barefoot.. I sent it to a friend who sent it to a friend, and the key point is we didn't like it, so in that respect it was an experiment that failed. But it does help restore what it is that people do like about the Tchaikovsky concerto, and I agree with Dave's choices, but also as noted below Kyung Wha Chung is a valued recording. There is room for experiments in classics, even if they rarely work -try, if you can stomach it, the strangulation of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony by Pierre Boulez, one of the most extraordinary things I have ever heard which I never want to hear again!

What!?! how can you not like multiple sonorities on the violin. Or any string instrument capable of multi-stops for that matter?!

Dear sir I would advice besides Heifetz the violinist with wonderfull slides the forgotten violinist Bronislaw Gimpel conductor Johannes Schuller Bamberg Symphony. Available on Spotify. A forgotten gem of a violinist. It is a old recordings pre WW2. Listen also to his wieniasky playing exquisite!!!!!

Love the letter. It would have been more fair to, in addition to stomping PK’s Tchaik (which I agree mostly doesn’t work and isn’t enjoyable to listen to), mention how when she’s in her element, she is utterly convincing and fantastic. Speaking of her Stravinsky, Bartok, Enescu, even certain performances Schubert and Beethoven (e.g. her playing in the videos with Fazil Say) are really impressive and toe the line successfully. It would be fair to qualify in that way (unless you think it’s all just bad! But then I have some questions about the praise of Hilary Hahn) alongside the charmingly delivered criticism. As an essentially ‘old school’ violinist myself, it’s easy for me to hate on her for the unsuccessful projects (there are more of them lately), but once I heard the amazing ones, it’s clear she’s a kind of genius, and I find myself forced to lead with that before any bashing commences. If it means your letters will become less entertaining, disregard everything I just wrote.

The versions I have enjoyed over time are Nishizaki which has no cuts and more importantly is so lyrical, heitetz, milstein, huberman, mutter, grumaiux, bell, mullova, perlman, menuhi and ricci as physical cds. I think the Bruch is much more beautiful, but Tchaikovsky does have fireworks .

"I hope that the caterer pushed them into the cake" (7:55) LOL. Love the pretentious quotes from their sleeve notes that follow ... "from the bowels of their beings" seems appropriate self-criticism.

I've never warmed up to the Milstein/Abbado version. Yes, it is fast and technically superb, but it doesn't breathe. It sounds rushed to me, like he is playing on automatic and racing to the end. I don't feel that way about Oistrakh or Heifetz. The challenge of this piece to me is to play it fast without making seem fast, which means having a extremely musical command of legato and being in the moment. I imprinted on Heifetz when I was young, before I had ever heard of Oistrakh. BTW, I haven't heard any mention of the BBC Legends 1960 live recording with Oistrakh/Royal Phil./Del Mar. There's also the 1960 Oistrakh recording with Rozhdestvensky/Moscow re-released on Brilliant. The BBC Legends version is a much better sounding recording, but both performances are excellent. You can tell I'm an Oistrakh fan... I just ordered the Gitlis, what little I heard in your video I liked. Thanks.

Pinchas Zukerman/Dorati for me. Though Perlman/Leinsdorf is also excellent, as is Isaac Stern in either version. I could probably write a book here on how many performances I love - but better not... To my shame, I must admit that I had not heard of Ivry Gitlis. Wow, what a performance!

Milstein, like Oistrakh, was from Odessa, both students of the legendary teacher Piotr Stoliarsky.

I knew quite before you mentioned that It was Kopatchinskaja and Currentzis!!! 🤣🤣 And I agree, it's grotesque in the worst way. And I tend to like Kopatchinskaja, but this is unforgivable

Those who don't adore Heifetz are missing a universe. That's why I named my Mynah Bird Jascha. I don't mean to sound evangelical..

perlman and ormandy, best for me

I'd never heard of Giltis. Thank you . I've bought some of his recordings. He sounds amazing. I wonder why he never achieved the fame of other violinists of the period.

Great video. My favorite recording is Christian Ferras and Karajan...soulful and haunting..

Surprised to see Nemanja Radulović not appear! A beautiful rendition in my opinion

I think sometimes the grinding, scratching sound of multiple stops can be a definite feature! Tell me you don’t love those five triple stop monstrosities at the start of the Dvořák cello concerto!

On a percentage scale how many of these violinists are actually dead? Begs the question can modern violinists produce unique sound like the old ones did. I must admit, though technically great, the new kids on the block all sound the same.

I hadn't heard the Gitlis before. But, compared to Heifetz, his tone seems so anemic. That opening to the third movement needs the rich, syrupy tone the Russian violinists have. None better than Jascha.

At last someone like Dave calls out the travesty that is Kopatchinskaja / Currentzis. Cannot believe that some British magazine gave it top recommendation. Its perverse and simply ugly. Having said that, the Les Noces is very good, so the album is not a total dead loss.

While completely disagreeing with your dislike of Kopatchiskaya, I like Mullova an Milstein as you do. Thanks for pointing out Gitlis. I have never heard of him. What a tone!

The very notion that you stated that you do not like doubles and the very concept that you did not like this Concerto when first heard is appalling to me as a violinist. Just absurd even.

Poor Tchaikovsky. We would not tolerate numerous cuts in the concertos of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms or Mendelssohn, yet the Tchaikovsky has been abused 150 years. if only Oistrakh and Ormandy had recorded it complete!

well, i thought, surely dave is exaggerating. the kopatchinskaya performance couldn't be THAT bad, so like the fool I am, I took a listen to hear it for myself and WOW. i must admit i think i've never ever heard a performance like it. Dave was not exaggerating. It was worse than bad. At least with a bad performance you can just say the performer is no good, but in this case she/they clearly have talent, but WOW, put to the wrong use. the word buffoon comes to mind. ask yourself what a buffoon would sound like and you'd be close to this performance. you know heifitz made that recording of a bad performer, but at least he was doing it tongue in cheek. Even the great heifitz couldn't play this badly..... ha ha By the way, i was waiting for the 3rd movement to start with the ending of the 2nd, and as i wondered what she would do, I was right. BANG, CRASH. this has to be practical joke a la Heifitz. yes, it must be a joke. well done. it is quite the parody. ha ha very funny.

I recently saw Patricia K perform the Shostakovich Violin Concerto live with the Aurora Orchestra and it was the WORST performance I have ever had the misfortune to witness, absolutely dreadful. She was contrived, out of tune in places, temp all over the place and unnecessarily self indulgent However, the audience seemed to like it and it was also performed a few days later at the BBC Proms and received good reviews so what do I know!

Haha! But doesn't Putin like Currentzis, Dave? I believe a well-known Russian bank associated with Putin funds their endeavours.

This concerto was over played, over recorded and overrated.