NATHAN MILSTEIN - The Last Recital (Sealed) (2LP)

What most astonished was the sheer facility of the 82-year-old violinist’s playing; its agility, quick reflexes and tonal lustre ... it is without doubt the pre-eminent recorded example of a great violinist giving of his best in old age. The Kreutzer Sonata is dapper, suave and tirelessly athletic: the first movement’s central development has real drama and temperament, the variations have plenty of colourful incident and the finale gallops along energetically. The Handel Sonata is cool and tastefully moulded; the Bach Chaconne, endlessly resourceful and superbly built. This is very much the Milstein of old – a highly cultivated artist and a supremely accomplished violinist. The sound is admirably clear – Gramophone