For the discriminating but budget-conscious music lover, I highly
recommend the CD "Aaron Rosand Plays Sarasate" (Vox Allegretto 8160.)
It lists at $4.00.  Performers are the Southwest German Radio Symphony
Orchestra Conducted by Rolf Reinhardt, and Eileen Flissler, piano.
Contents include:

1. Carmen Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 25
2. Zigeunerweisen, Opus 20
3. Spanish Dance(s): Excerpt(s)
4. Navarra for 2 Violins and Piano, Opus 33
5. Caprice basque, Opus 24
6. Introduction and Tarantella, Opus 43

My favorites are the Spanish Dances.  Rosand plays with fire and yet with
a subtle delicate touch.  His runs are amazingly clean and brilliant, and
his pitch is always right on.  The sound, recorded in the 60s, is very
good.  The instruments are close in, allowing the tone of his Guarneri
violin to project very convincingly.  The channel separation is a little
bit fakey, with the violin on far left and the piano on far right.  But
strangely, the violin reverb is heard in the right channel rather than the
left.  If you can overlook this, you will enjoy this disc.  Unfortunately,
the track pointers are misplaced at least for track 3.  when you select
track 3, you wind up somewhere in the middle of it.  This isn't a problem
if you listen straight through, however.  But for $4 you can't complain too
much.  This is by far the best bang for the buck of my recent purchases.
If you're ordering a bunch of other CDs just tuck this right on in!

BTW there is a little essay on Sarasate by Rosand in the reviews section
of this disc at Amazon.com.  It is actually just the jacket notes to the
recording which he pasted in (but also wrote).

Chris Bonds