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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Concert de sonates (Aix, 1951)
Chamber Music - Released by INA Mémoire vive on Sep 28, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms, Bach, Ben-Haim & Others: Works for Violin (Live)
Zino Francescatti, Eugenio Bagnoli
Classical - Released by Orfeo on Aug 7, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 2, 6 & 8 (Remastered)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Mar 1, 2019
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Jan 1, 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 7 & 10 (Remastered)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Mar 1, 2019
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bruch: Concerto No. 1 in G Minor - Beethoven: Violin Romances - Saint-Saens: Violin Concertos
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Apr 22, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini, Kreisler & Others: Works for Violin & Piano
Zino Francescatti, Max Lanner, Artur Balsam
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Nov 27, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36 - Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 (Live)
Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, Zino Francescatti, Dimitri Mitropoulos
Classical - Released by Orfeo on Jan 1, 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 7 & 8 (Remastered)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Mar 1, 2019
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 3 & 4 (Remastered)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Mar 1, 2019
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven & Casadesus: Violin Sonatas (Remastered)
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Mar 1, 2019
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: The Complete Violin Sonatas
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Mar 1, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach: Violin Partita No. 1 in B Minor, BWV 1002 (Live)
Classical - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Oct 30, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven, Mozart & Bach: Violin Sonatas
Zino Francescatti, Robert Casadesus
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Sep 28, 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
Classical - Released by DOREMI on Mar 5, 2002
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)
Concertos - Released by Artemisia on Jan 5, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 7-9
Zino Francescatti, Robert Casadesus
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Oct 27, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Orchestral Works
Zino Francescatti, Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Classical - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Nov 6, 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven & Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Jan 1, 1960
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Orchestral Works
Zino Francescatti, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Jean Morel, Eugene Ormandy
Classical - Released by Biddulph Recordings on Dec 31, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lyrinx Archives (1958·61·75) Zino Francescatti, New York, Dec. 16, 1975: The Last Performance
Zino Francescatti, New York Philharmonic, Pierre Boulez, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Manuel Rosenthal
Concertos - Released by Lyrinx on Dec 16, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo