Compiled from LPs issued in 1963 and 1973,
Isaac Stern'sHumoresque was first released on CD in 1990. An extremely popular collection of encores for violin and orchestra, this disc is a mainstay of Sony's catalog, and evidently was selected for the Masterworks Expanded Edition for its cache and accessibility. Few violinists can match
Stern for his technical accuracy and appealing warmth, and his irrepressible personality makes this collection of light fare highly enjoyable, even though the pieces themselves are excessively familiar and more than a little time-worn.
Fritz Kreisler's genial Caprice viennois is offered as a bonus track, and this digitally recorded performance from 1996 may be considered a small inducement to choose this reissue over the older version.
Stern is front and center in the remastering, and the rich timbres of the
Columbia Symphony Orchestra are clearly enhanced but unobtrusive. The analog recordings receive a sonic boost through Direct Stream Digital and SBM Direct; there is virtually no tape hiss and the limitations of Columbia's engineering are well disguised in the remix. However, the sound level is rather hot, sometimes uncomfortably so, and listeners are advised to play this disc at middle volume for the best results.