Beethoven, Brahms: Violin Concertos

During a career spanning six decades, Jascha Heifetz, surely one of the greatest violinists of all time, left a recorded legacy of an enormous repertoire, including solo pieces, sonatas, a lot of chamber music, and, of course, all the famous violin concertos--from Baroque to the 20th century--some in several versions made many years apart with different orchestras and conductors. In addition to RCA's complete, 65-CD collection, there are many reissues of parts of his discography; this is a singularly felicitous coupling. Of two versions of each concerto, these are the earlier ones. Both performances are breathtaking in their effortless virtuosity, pristine perfection, aristocratic nobility, and elegance. And, of course, there is Heifetz's incomparable tone. Pure, never sweet or lush, with a focused, intense vibrato and infinite variety of nuance and inflection, it has a warm glow on the lower strings and a glorious radiance in the upper register that truly resembles the voices of angels in its soaring ecstasy.

He plays Auer's fiendishly difficult cadenzas with stunning bravura; they are justifiably overshadowed by Joachim's and Kreisler's and rarely heard. The record shows that even an artist of Heifetz's stature and personality depends on the accompanying forces for successful self-expression. In the Beethoven, Toscanini's famous penchant for brisk tempi and strict, unbending rhythm sometimes results in superficiality and severely limits the soloist's freedom and flexibility, but Heifetz's charm and elegance make the Finale effervescent. By contrast, the Brahms under Koussevitzky is expansive, intense, urgent, dramatic, warm, fiery, and very free; the slow movement is inward, leisurely, and ecstatic, the Finale exuberant. The performance should lay to rest the image of Heifetz as a cold, impersonal player, an impression originally created by his restrained appearance on stage. --Edith Eisler Amazon.com

Classic performances from the greatest

Heifetz was known as "the King of violinists" and called "God" by Perlman. On these recordings, it is easy to see why.

These are historical recordings, made in 1939 and 1940, but have been restored brilliantly and Heifetz's playing is indescribable; at least by me, check out the review on the Gramophone site.

The sound on the solos is excellent; of course there is some background hiss and popping, but it is minimal and should definitely not deter anyone from this masterpiece. December 8, 2004

Heifetz, Toscanini, and Koussevitzky

Heifetz's virtuosity shines in these early recordings of the Beethoven and Brahms violin concerto.

The Beethoven was recorded with Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony. Though I would generally agree that Toscanini favored the "correct tempi" over brisk tempi, that does not apply here. Heifetz's expressive capacity is limited by Toscanini's strict tempo. Though he favored this, Toscanini was first and foremost an opera conductor and had one of the most wonderful ears for rubato in accompanying a singer. So his inflexibility is quite surprising.

By contrast, Koussevitzky's Brahms is much more expansive and expressive, which allows Heifetz to explore an enormous range of expression.

Though Toscanini's adherence to tempo was quite alarming, he was the consummate master of interpreting Beethoven. That, coupled with another master Beethoven interpreter, made this recording of Beethoven's concerto memorable and powerful. The Brahms with Koussevitzky is dramatic and is quite a thrill to listen to. Heifetz was the greatest violinist to have lived and this recording, in his younger years, shows it. January 25, 2002

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