Shortly before moving to the United States, the great violinist David Oistrakh gave some performances in Europe and made these recordings in Paris. They were the first ones issued in the U.S. that gave a fair idea of how he sounded, and they caught him in top form. This is simply some of the greatest violin playing ever recorded, including some of the most musically convincing performances of such major works as Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata and the Franck Violin Sonata. The 1953-54 sound is excellent hi-fi mono. And don't miss the Ysaÿe Sonata for Unaccompanied Violin, a stunningly impassioned performance. --Leslie Gerber