David & Igor Oistrakh: Bach Concerto BWV 1043 + Vivaldi - MK C 157-158 (10")

Jacket EX / LP EX

This handsome 10" LP from Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga · MK (C 157-158, Russian pressing, blue MK label, stereo) features David and Igor Oistrakh in sublime renditions of Bach's Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra in D minor BWV 1043 and Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Violins in A minor Op. 3 No. 8. In both works they are accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with Eugene Goossens conducting in the Bach and David Oistrakh himself leading from the violin in the Vivaldi.

Both recordings were set down in the warm acoustics of Wembley Town Hall, London – the Bach in February 1961 and the Vivaldi in March 1961.

And both performances remain true gramophone classics – noble and songful, beautifully pointed and expressive.

MK stereo issues are rather rare and this is a very fine copy. The reverse side of the jacket carries a simple track listing, in Russian only. The striking cover design is uncredited.