Korngold: Concerto; RA³zsa: Concerto; Tema con variazioni; Waxman: "Carmen" Fantasy

Heifetz does in fact have a heart

I'm tired of reading reviews that pan Heifetz for either playing too fast or too coldly. Yes, sometimes I think he pushes the envelope a bit on tempo (the end of the first movement is a case in point), but lack of nuance? Missed opportunities for expression? Unless you are deaf, he has these in spades, albeit not always like other violinists. Perhaps that is the problem. He is unique in his sound and approach. Average, even very good violinists pull and yank at passages until the line of the music is broken and my interest wanes. I ask this question: would you return to a recording more than once? Competent ones are just that, competent. Great recordings make you return endlessly. And this is a great recording. The Rozsa is a gem that is not often heard, sadly. Whether Heifetz worried about someone hearing him play a wrong note is beside the point. Who cares? I don't know of other performers practicing in public. Do you? July 3, 2008

What price beauty?

Many years ago a friend of mine was studying music at USC, at the same time that Heifetz was on the teaching staff there. Heifetz was known to be so phobic about his image as a virtuoso that when he practiced in his home he would shut all the windows and pull all the blinds so that no one could ever hear him make a mistake.

Listening to this recording (especially of the Korngold) makes plain to me what that kind of mindset can produce; virtuosity, but at the price of beauty. In the Korngold his tempos are consistently too quick and he gives the impression of displaying virtuosity for its own sake, not in service to the music. He misses opportunity after opportunity for the kind of subtle nuances that other violinists take for granted, as if he simply weren't interested in what was being said musically. His performance left me not just unmoved, but actually angry: a wonderful piece of music made unmusical (I hate when that happens!).

For a far more satisfying musical experience of the Korngold, try Gil Shaham's version (the Penguin Guide's top choice, 2005-2006 edition). Shaham's has become one of my favorite recordings.

I certainly give Heifetz his due as one of the first and the greatest, but I'd much rather put up with the occasional imperfectly-placed note when the musical rewards are so much greater. March 9, 2008

Masterful performances

The Rózsa violin concerto is one of my favorite pieces and this is, beyond all doubt, the best recorded performance of this far-too-neglected work. I do have one quibble with Maestro Heifitz's performance: he rushes the central theme of the middle movement a bit; I would love to have heard him "sing" it a bit more, at a slighltly slower tempo -- a bit more tenderness and longing -- because it is such a moving melody.

The other pieces on this disc are also wonderful, especially the Korngold. I respectefully disagree with the earlier reviewer about the Korngold being too cliché and corny, but as the old Romans said, "De gustibus non disputandum est."

If you are a Heifitz fan, or these three great masters of film music, you can't go wrong with this CD. May 24, 2007

Transport to Heaven via Violin

Brilliant music played by a brilliant musician. I put it on the CD player in my office when I'm having a tough day and it makes all the annoyance fade away! January 3, 2007

Sweetest sounding Heifetz - 1950s mono RCAs

Heifetz tended to play monochromatically in the 30s and faster in the 60s (ala Toscanini). In the early half of the 1950s, he performed at his peak (which is the creme de la creme of violinists). His tone had an harmonic richness and variety coupled with his incendiary technique. This is the best of Heifetz (the Korngold is tops, better than any other recording). Try his Beethoven Kreutzer with Moseiwitch for a similar experience (warning, the RCA release favors Heifetz and is more accurate playing, the 1949 Moseiwitch sponsored recording has an even balance and is really great despite some Heifetz miscues). This particular CD incarnation is truly awful. I think the Korngold is fake stereo and overall the sound is mediocre. Seek out a clean mono LP copy (I found that a mint red seal from the 70s is best-just like the master tape). If a better CD issue becomes apparent, I'll post it here. August 18, 2005

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