VC DESERT ISLAND DOWNLOADS | Pinchas Zukerman – ‘5 Recordings I Can’t Live Without’

The Violin Channel recently caught up with violin and viola virtuoso Pinchas Zukerman – for a fun game of VC Desert Island Downloads. 

We sat him down to pick his brain on which 5 CD recordings he would take with him to a deserted island – and how the tracks have helped shape him as a musician.

 

1. Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto – Performed by Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

“There’s a reason this is number one … I think no violinist who came of age in the 20th century can hear the name Heifetz without remembering ‘that Heifetz moment’ that inspired them”

 

2. Kabalevsky Violin Concerto – Performed by David Oistrakh, Dmitri Kabalevsky and the State Symphony Orchestra of Russia 

“As a young man this was a revelation … and the 45′ preserved the sound so organically“

 

3. Mendelssohn Violin Concerto – Performed by Isaac Stern, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra

“Stern was my personal mentor … and always a favorite to listen to“

 

4. The Complete Beethoven String Quartets – Performed by the Budapest String Quartet 

“These were some of the best listening hours of my life“

 

5. Chopin Polonaises – Performed by Arthur Rubinstein 

“Just a pure delight …”