I felt the same way when I got it, based on a rosette bestowed upon the
recording in one yearbook of the Penguin guide...  from the opening phrase
of Barber's, you felt you were in for something special with this disc.

Over time, I've sampled a couple competitor recordings...  Bell in the
Barber, and (I think), Heifetz in the Korngold...  and over all, I felt the
Shaham recording to be most the most satisfying for both.  Perhaps not the
most *natural* recorded sound, but really rich-sounding and flattering to
the violin tone.  I can't fault the performances on any of them, but the
richness of recorded sound really goes in favor for the Shaham recording.
Plus, the coupling is the best...  I'd rather have these 2 on one disc than
the other pieces that the other recordings respectively coupled with them.

Albie