Brahms & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos Jascha Heifetz

• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Violin Concerto in D, Op.77:
• 1 I. Allegro non troppo 18:55
• 2 II. Adagio 08:15
• 3 III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace 07:19
• Piotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893): Violin Concerto in D, Op.35:
• 4 I. Allegro moderato 15:51
• 5 II. Canzonetta - Andante 05:31
• 6 III. Allegro vivacissimo 08:12
• Total Runtime 01:04:03

Info for Brahms & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos

In the very early days of Fanfare, one critic dismissed Heifetz as a relic, soon to be ignored. Of course that’s turned out to be utterly false; the Heifetz blend of fire and ice has been tremendously influential since then, and the somewhat more romantic elements of his playing are coming back into vogue (not that, in his maturity, Heifetz was given to romantic extremes). Just think about Itzhak Perlman, whose entire career has been an effort to play like Heifetz (to the extent of appropriating the more oddball elements of his repertoire) while being loved like Kreisler. Heifetz retired 35 years ago, but his style is still very much with us. So are his recordings.

Little need be said about these justly famous performances from 1955 and 1957. The Brahms has great drive—Heifetz and Reiner get through it in 35 minutes—but this never comes at the expense of Heifetz’s singing tone. Heifetz provides his own cadenza, which is suitably virtuosic but not alien to the Brahms style. From soloist and orchestra alike, this is a note-perfect performance in a vivid recording, about which more later. The Tchaikovsky offers more of the same, although in this case the brevity (just under 30 minutes) has more to do with a small cut than with speed. The performance is extroverted yet elegant, truly debonair, benefiting from the soloist’s rich tone and sustained phrasing and Reiner’s incisive partnership.

This is one of the RCA Living Stereo 24bit Remaster, two-track in the case of the Brahms and three in the Tchaikovsky. In the Brahms, the orchestra is string-dominant, with winds and brass comparatively submerged most of the time, although Heifetz seems naturally positioned, closer to the orchestra than to the listener. The orchestra is better balanced in the Tchaikovsky. All in all, this is the best sonic presentation of these recordings yet.“ (James Reel, FANFARE)

Jascha Heifetz, violin
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner, conductor

Recorded in 1955 and 1957
Engineered by Lewis Layton
Produced by John Pfeiffer

Digitally remastered

No biography found.

Booklet for Brahms & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos