This invaluable issue restores not only the pioneering recording of Frank Martin’s masterpiece, the Petite Symphonie concertante for harp, harpsichord, piano and double string orchestra, but also that of the Violin Concerto. The former was one of the first LPs I bought, and I remember it sounding pretty state-of-the-art then though, needless to say, it doesn’t now. All the same there is great authority and a sense of atmosphere that is very special and which has only been matched later by the composer himself (Jecklin, 10/90).
The Violin Concerto is an inspired and noble piece, and Schneiderhan’s mono recording makes its first appearance since the mid-1950s. He subsequently re-recorded it in 1971 with the Radio Luxembourg Orchestra under the composer’s own direction (Jecklin, 1/90) but the balance placed him rather forward, thus masking some of the orchestral detail. In reviewing the original Vox LP (1/73), Max Harrison spoke of the work’s “clarity, restraint and dignity”, not qualities in strong supply at present. Anyone who responds to the Prokofiev D major Concerto or the Bartok and Walton will feel at home here. The Concerto for seven wind instruments and the Etudes for string orchestra were recorded in the early 1960s and the sound is very fresh. The performances do not match the wonderful accounts, coupled with the Polyptique, that the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Thierry Fischer brought out some time ago. In terra pax was commissioned by the Swiss Radio to mark the end of the Second World War and has also been reissued before (coupled with Honegger’s Le roi David). It is a strong work, though I’d refer you to the Chandos version (reviewed on page 84). In any event this package is well worth having for the sake of the Violin Concerto.'