This is a pretty expensive set compared to, say, the so-called 'definitive' version by Arthur Grumiaux from 1961. Naturally, this modern digital recording will be sterilely clean and free from tape hiss and rumble. (It took me a while, but I made my Grumiaux set more listenable by remastering it. For the more technical of you, I rolled off 19db at the center frequency of 150hz with a .6 oct width. I also reduced the hiss using Waves Z-Noise). Free from tape noise, you can now here Grumiaux's performance as it was meant to be heard - string squeaks, breath noises and all. The two readings are different, though. Where Grumiaux more or less attacks his violin in a robust dramatic way Tognetti opts at times for a lyrical approach, scooping into the notes, applying more vibrato and legato here and there as he sees fit. So, yes, the Tognetti is recommended but the price will keep the lovers of Grumiaux, Henryk Szeryng, Nathan Milstein, Jascha Heifetz, Julia Fischer, Gidon Kremer, et al at bay, especially since their recordings are far less expensive than Tognetti's.
