Tibor Varga & Zagreb Philharmonic. Beethoven Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. (Op.61)

Tibor Varga (1921-2003) was a Hungarian born violinist, conductor, and teacher. His repertoire included the classics such as this, but he was known as being proponent of new music - particularly of Bartok and Schoenberg. In this somewhat obscure LP (Discogs does not list any other stereo versions from this label other than this LP) Varga gives a beautiful performance that seems to reflect his Hungarian roots. On first listening, one might not realize (I didn&that this is a live concert recording. There is applause at the end - and on closer listening an occasional small noise. There are also a few odd artifacts that seem to be a microphone being bumped, and in one case someone retuning their strings in the background. Otherwise the LP is amazingly quiet, with virtually no ticks or crackle even on the quietest passages. There is no date available for this release but based on reissued versions on other labels - it is likely from the early 1960s. Details: Album title: Ludw. Van Beethoven: Konzert für Violine und Orchester. Released by: Musica et Litera/M-E-L (MEL 8015) Year released: 1960s Soloist: Tibor Varga Orchestra: Zagreb Philharmonic Conductor: Milan Horvat