Heifetz

While not technically awful, Jascha Heifetz's 1955 recording of Brahms' Violin Concerto with Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony is still close to unbearable. By 1955, Heifetz's once sinewy tone had tightened, his once supple technique had hardened, and his once warm interpretation had grown cold. With the never sinewy, supple, or warm Fritz Reiner, Heifetz creates a performance of Brahms' lyrical masterpiece that grates on the sensibilities.

The renowned artists, violinist Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, joined forces in 1949 at Chicago's Ravinia Festival. Twelve years later, and now good friends, both artists were in semi-retirement from the concert stage, yet enjoyed their evenings of chamber music with friends. This first ever complete collection of The Heifetz-Piatigorsky Concerts includes Dvorak's Piano Quintet No. 2 and Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence. The 21 CDs are packaged in mini-sleeves with the original album artwork and feature a new introduction by Heifetz expert John Maltese.

These classic recordings need little comment from me on artistic grounds. Heifetz's account of the Mendelssohn never has been bettered for sheer dazzling virtuosity, and although the Beethoven is more controversial (some find it "cold"), I love its unaffected, truly classical purity. Besides, you also get Munch and the Boston Symphony, no mean bonus. It's interesting to compare the two performances in multichannel sound, since the Beethoven is two-track, while the Mendelssohn offers three.

Jascha Heifetz was, probably, the greatest twentieth-century exponent of his instrument. Violin at its best, although some memorable recordings are … more memorable than others…

Jascha Heifetz was a Russian-American violinist. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time. Born in Vilnius, he moved to the United States as a teenager, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso from childhood. Fritz Kreisler, another leading violinist of the twentieth century, said after hearing Heifetz's debut, "We might as well take our fiddles and break them across our knees." He had a long and successful performing career; however, after an injury to his right (bowing) arm, he switched his focus to teaching.