“Romanticism on the violin had a rebirth last night in Carnegie Hall,” wrote New York Times critic Harold C. Schonberg in 1970 following a recital by American violinist Aaron Rosand (1927-2019).
A decade earlier in October of 1960 Rosand made his New York Philharmonic debut, performing Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto. Leonard Bernstein was on the podium, and Barber was in attendance. Bernstein and Rosand had agreed to record the Concerto, but the opportunity ended up going to Isaac Stern. In later years, Rosand blamed politics. He never returned to the work.
Here is a rare recording of Rosand’s performance of Barber’s Concerto with the New York Philharmonic. It is taken from a radio broadcast. At times, Bernstein’s vocalizations are audible.
