Nathan Milstein: Four Violin Cadenzas

The practice of letting the soloist improvise their own Cadenza during a Concerto had almost died out by the nineteenth century, since composers disliked the way performers frequently used the oppurtunity to showcase their own virtuosic talent rather than working out a cadenza which would suit the music. These four Cadenzas for Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Paganini concerti, however, have been carefully worked out and performed by the modern violinist Nathan Milstein. They are extremely challenging but avoid 'empty virtuosity' - they have real musical value, as one would expect from one of the finest Violinsts of the Twentieth Century. They can be used for performance or as a study aid to the art of Cadenza improvisation. All four Concertos have been recorded by Milstein.