Zino Francescatti
Though indeed of Italian background, violinist Zino Francescatti was a Frenchman, born in Marseilles in 1902. His real name was René-Charles Francescatti. Both his parents played the violin, and his father René had been a student of Paganini. The younger Francescatti performed the Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 at his official Paris debut in 1925.
By that time Francescatti was already an experienced performer. He gave his first concert at age 5 and played the Beethoven violin concerto at 10. From his late teens he concertized regularly, and after arriving in Paris in 1924 he formed a duo with none less than Maurice Ravel and embarked on an international tour. In the 1920s and 1930s Francescatti toured the globe, although his U.S. debut didn't come until 1939, once again with the Paganini Concerto No. 1, in a New York Philharmonic concert.
Despite his fondness for Paganini, Francescatti was more identified with elegant, natural-seeming playing than with sheer virtuoso fireworks. Later in life he toured and recorded with the similarly fluid French pianist Robert Casadesus in duo repertory; they recorded a complete set of Beethoven's violin and piano sonatas, lyrical works ideally suited to their combined styles. Living in New York but often returning to France to perform and teach, Francescatti made durable recordings of several major repertory works, including the Beethoven concerto with conductor Bruno Walter and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. Francescatti retired in 1976, moved back to France, and sold his prized Stradivarius instrument to Salvatore Accardo. In 1987 he used part of the proceeds to establish an educational foundation and a violin competition in the city of Aix-en-Provence.
Despite the deep-rooted European traditions exemplified in his playing, Francescatti's memory has not been particularly well served by reissue houses. An exception, however, is the Bridge release An Evening of Paganini (Great Performances from The Library of Congress, Vol. 17), which won a Best Recording of the Year award from Fanfare magazine. The disc presents a 1954 Paganini recital Francescatti gave with pianist Artur Balsam. The Zino Francescatti in Performance two-disc set released by the Music & Arts label offers Francescatti concerto performances from the 1940s and 1950s with various orchestras. Some of his original concerto recordings on the Columbia label have been reissued as part of the Sony Masterworks Heritage series.
© TiVo
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Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 7 & 8 (Remastered)
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 1 mrt. 2019
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky, P.I.: Violin Concerto / Bruch, M.: Violin Concerto No. 1 / Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto No. 3 (Francescatti) (1943, 1945, 1951)
Klassiek - Released by Music and Arts Programs of America on 1 jan. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 3 & 4 (Remastered)
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 1 mrt. 2019
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Concerto pour violon, Romances pour violon et orchestre Nos. 1 & 2 (Mono Version)
Zino Francescatti, Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Franck & Debussy: Sonates pour violon et piano (Mono Version)
Kamermuziek - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Chausson: Concert pour violon, piano et quatuor à cordes, Op. 21 & Poème, Op. 25 (Mono Version)
Quatuor Guilet, Zino Francescatti, Eugene Ormandy
Klassiek - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven & Casadesus: Violin Sonatas (Remastered)
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 1 mrt. 2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruch: Concerto pour violon et orchestre No. 1, Op. 26 & Wieniawski: Souvenir de Moscou, Op. 6 (Mono Version)
Zino Francescatti, Artur Balsam, New York Philharmonic
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: The Complete Violin Sonatas
Klassiek - Released by Sony Classical on 1 mrt. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Zino Francescatti: A Treasury of Studio Recordings 1931/55
Klassiek - Released by Music and Arts Programs of America on 10 apr. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonate per Pianoforte et Violino
Zino Francescatti, Robert Casadesus
Kamermuziek - Released by MVE on 10 apr. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Legend - Zino Francescatti, Vol. 8
Klassiek - Released by Documents 2 on 9 dec. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Concerto pour violon No. 1 - Saint-Saëns: Concertos pour violon No. 3 (Mono Version)
Eugene Ormandy, Zino Francescatti, Dimitri Mitropoulos
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1950
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002 (Live)
Klassiek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 30 okt. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Mozart & Bach: Violin Sonatas
Zino Francescatti, Robert Casadesus
Kamermuziek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 28 sep. 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Zino Francescatti, Vol. 1: Bach & Paganini
Zino Francescatti, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Alfred Wallenstein, Unknown Artist
Klassiek - Released by DOREMI on 5 mrt. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of a Legend - Zino Francescatti, Vol. 9
Klassiek - Released by Documents 2 on 9 dec. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major, Op. 6, MS. 21 - Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 (Studio Recording)
Concertmuziek - Released by Artemisia on 5 jan. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Concerto pour violon, Op. 35 (Mono Version)
Zino Francescatti, Dimitri Mitropoulos, New York Philharmonic
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas No. 9 "Kreutzer" & No. 1 (Mono Version)
Zino Francescatti, Robert Casadesus
Divers - Released by BNF Collection on 1 jan. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 7-9
Zino Francescatti, Robert Casadesus
Kamermuziek - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 27 okt. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo