Heifetz Plays Beethoven & Vieuxtemps

On this CD:

1. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by NBC Symphony Orchestra with Jascha Heifetz
Conducted by Arturo Toscanini

2. Concerto for violin and orchestra in D minor, Op. 31/4
Composed by Henri Vieuxtemps
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra with Jascha Heifetz
Conducted by Sir John Barbirolli

Tracks:

A May Breeze
Humoresque
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Thais: Mediatation
L' Arlesienne: Intermezzo
Scherzo
Liebesfreud
Liebesleid
Rondino On A Theme (By Beethoven)
Caprice Viennois
Tambourin Chinois
Frasquita: Ser
Giudetta: Ser
Wienerisch
La Vida Breve: Danse Espagnole
En Bateau
Slavonic Dance No.3 in G
Indian Lament
Tango, Op.165/2
Malaguena

Average customer rating:

The best ever
The probelm of Heifetz
At last...
Typical Heifetz
towering masterpieces

Heifetz Plays Beethoven & Brahms

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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Jascha Heifetz: The Supreme

ASIN: B000003ENT
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Con in D, Op.61: Allegro, Ma Non Troppo - Boston SO/Charles Munch
Con in D, Op.61: Larghetto - Boston SO/Charles Munch
Con in D, Op.61: Rondo - Boston SO/Charles Munch
Con in D, Op.77: Allegro Non Troppo - Chicago SO/Fritz Reiner
Con in D, Op.77: Adagio - Chicago SO/Fritz Reiner
Con in D, Op.77: Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Vivace - Chicago SO/Fritz Reiner

Customer Reviews:

The best ever.......2007-06-24

Heifetz was the greatest violinist -- ever. But there were times when he could drive you crazy by playing too fast or where the sound quality was not good. But for the masterworks, like the Brahams violin concerto, no one has ever played them better. Specifically, playing "Big Daddy Brahms" is hard because it is very rich and there is a tendency to slow down at every little musical moment. The result is that in poor performances it can sound thick and make you slightly sea sick. Heifetz does not fall for these traps. He has the unique strength, both technical and musical, to play pure Brahms. This recording is a wonder. The slow movement is one of the most wonderful moments in all of recorded music. Buy this recording and you will listen to it over and over. The Beethoven is just as good.

The probelm of Heifetz.......2005-12-24

Heifetz seems to be one of those figures that divides the musical community into two opposing camps. Those that support him point out his absolute technical perfection and poise, and those that oppose him often resort to saying that he was "cold", or played too fast. The pro-Heifetz camp certainly have valid points, and if technique and poise are your main criteria, he really was the violinist of the century. However, those issues are secondary to me; what is of primary importance is a sense of improvisation, where every moment is full of love and the joy of living, and that I think is what the critics of Heifetz are reaching for when finding characterstics of his playing objectionable. If so, I feel their criticisms are justified, because I have only rarely heard performers more unspontaneous than Heifetz. Every note, even every sonic curve of every note is determined to the nth degree, so that although you are guaranteed a performance free of mistakes, you are also guaranteed not to hear any inspiration of the moment. To sum up, I feel that Heifetz the performer really was a machine that turned out a reliable, high quality product; if that's what you're looking for, he'll certainly satisfy you.
I have never been a fan of Reiner, now less so than ever. His conducting of the Brahms is as steely cold and impersonal as anything else he does, in fact by listening to the samples here you can hear how he rushes the oboe solo in the second movement so that it becomes totally lifeless. By all means do yourself a favor and listen to the Furtwangler/Menuhin recording instead of this if you want a genuinely human experience.
Munch does a vastly better job with the Beethoven, and although he adopts Heifetz's somewhat over-quick tempi, he still manages to breath some life into the music. Heifetz ruins the experience for me though, so I would recommend you look elsewhere. Of course there are many excellent recordings of this music, but again I personally feel most deeply for Furtwangler's vision of this work. The '53 recording with Menuhin is fine, despite Menuhin being much too closely miked and the performance being a bit stiff. Their Lucerne recording found on Testament is probably best.

At last..........2005-07-13

...an interpretation of the great Beethoven concerto that is actually as ambitious as Beethoven was himself. I've only listened to the concerto once before I bought this album, it was played by Menuhin. Quite frankly, I gave up after the first movement because the man bored me to tears with his extreme sentimentalism. He succeeded in mixing acceptable intonation with awkward vibrato. Worse than that, the concerto was so slow that it seemed to drag on endlessly as if it had a piano chained to it's foot. Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh on Menuhin, but having heard a great amount of Heifetz, Menuhin's subpar intonation really sticks out. And this was surprising for me because I loved just about EVERYTHING that came out of Beethoven's mind before this. For a couple of years, I had very low opinions on this concerto until I heard Heifetz play it. I had only bought the album for the Brahms (which is great as well), but encountered for the first time, the true power and beauty of the Beethoven violin concerto. As already mentioned by other writers, Heifetz doesn't spend too much time trying to suck out ever drop of sentimentality. There are many composers for which that would enhance the music, but some for which it would not; Beethoven being one of them. By playing the passages with a brisk tempo, we can hear what Beethoven had in mind, not what Menuhin or even Heifetz himself had in mine. The result is a masterpiece that successfully balances delicate intimacy with epic power, not to mention a cadenza that sounds so much like multiple violins that Paganini himself will turn in his grave.

Listening to the first movement of the Beethoven revolutionized my view not only on Heifetz, but on the essential nature of classical music itself. Before listening, I had always thought of Heifetz as nothing more than a technical machine. I saw nothing that was great about his playing because speed in concertos can be duplicated. In fact, I believe Milstein clocks faster than Heifetz in many great concertos, notably the Tchaikovsky's 3rd movement and Brahm's 3rd movement. As I listened to the 1st movement of the Beethoven, I began to realize the full depth and detail of Heifetz's playing. The 1st movement is nowhere near as difficult technically as say the Tchaikovsky or the Sibelius. But I realized that it wasn't speed that distinguished his playing, it was the fact that this man REALLY never missed 1 note. Every is not only perfectly intonated, it is carefully considered and skillfully interpreted. I truly believe that anyone who listens to Heifetz with a sensitive ear will also experience the epiphany of perfection. I'd HIGHLY reccomend this album.

Typical Heifetz.......2002-07-15

This is Heifetz - brisk tempi, perfect technique, intense virbrato, and searing beauty. The purist may complain that the Beethoven is taken too quickly, which is true. Perhaps some shade of contemplative reflection is lost in the innate forward push of the tempo, but there is nothing cold about this performance. The Brahms, a perfect vehicle for Jascha, is astounding. There is no saccharine hesitation, no excess dawdling. This is the Brahms at its best, with the contribution of Heifetz's own jaw-dropping cadenza. In sheer perfection and lyrical beauty, this recording has few peers. For those who prefer a "fatter Brahms" with broader tempi, find any of Oistrakh's wonderful recordings.

towering masterpieces.......2001-06-21

I have a deep regard and utmost esteem for the performance of Maestro Jascha Heifetz (1900-87) on this CD. These are recordings of the "towering masterpieces of the genre" according to Mr Mortimer H Frank, Contributing Editor, Fanfare, Stereophile, who also writes the notes. The violin concertos of Beethoven and Brahms presented here were both recorded in 1955. The former in November and the latter in February, conducted by Mr Charles Munch and Mr Fritz Reiner, respectively. I appreciate the reserved style for which Maestro Heifetz was famous. The solos for the first movements of each of the concertos are taut and still, exciting. The second movements (Larghetto & Adagio) are played with maturity and grace in my opinion. Mr Frank compares a previous recording and writes of the Maestro "with his technique remaining secure over the 15 or so years that separate the two versions, such challenges as the exposed octaves with which the violin enters in the Beethoven and the demanding multiple stops in the Brahms are handled with seeming ease." Another aspect I like about this CD is that it presents both concertos back-to-back. The points in common as well as the differences which Beethoven and Brahms bring become much more prominent in this format. The most obvious is that both end with a dance motif (Beethoven : Rondo; Brahms : Hungarian character). I found this to be an educational way of listening to these great pieces. Now, there are those to whom this may not be a consideration. Rather, some have taken to a cost/benefit analysis regarding the price per performance between one format and another. Please keep all costs in mind when doing this comparison and do not neglect the additional shipping cost. ;D Economics is seldom the best approach for artistic decisions. This is all to say that this collection stands on its own with the advantage of have two "towering masterpieces" on one CD. If you are interested in one of the most highly regarded violinists of the twentieth century, or in the violin concertos of the most influential composers of the 19th century, this CD will interest you.

Jascha Heifetz Plays Mendelssohn And Beethoven

Average customer rating:

Jascha Heifetz Plays Mendelssohn And Beethoven

Manufacturer: As. Disc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003WG3
Release Date: 1995-01-01

Average customer rating:

Plays Brahms & Beethoven
Heifetz , and Mitropoulos
Manufacturer: Prelude
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000003DJT
Release Date: 1996-07-09

Average customer rating:

antique recording

Heifetz Plays Beethoven & Vieuxtemps

Manufacturer: Classica D'oro
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005A8C9
Release Date: 2001-04-03

Tracks:

Vn Con in D, Op.61: Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Vn Con in D, Op.61: Larghetto
Vn Con in D, Op.61: Rondo/Allegro
Vn Con No.4 in d, Op.31: Andante/Moderato/Cadenza
Vn Con No.4 in d, Op.31: Adagio Religioso
Vn Con No.4 in d, Op.31: Scherzo: Vivace & Trio
Vn Con No.4 in d, Op.31: Finale: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

antique recording.......2005-05-10

When I purchased this CD, I was unaware it had recording dates of 1935 and 1940. The sound is greatly disappointing.

Benno Moiseiwitsch Plays Beethoven, Vol. 2

Average customer rating:

Benno Moiseiwitsch Plays Beethoven, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Apr UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000065AIA
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Average customer rating:

Johanna Martzy Plays Beethoven

Manufacturer: Coup d'Archet
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000EDUA2Q

Product Description

Violinist Johanna Martzy is joined by pianist Jean Antonietti in Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47 and Sonata No. 8 in G major, Op. 30, No. 3. Taken from rare radio broadcasts 1956 and 1951. British import.

Heifetz Plays Schubert, Brahms, Beethoven

Average customer rating:

Heifetz Plays Schubert, Brahms, Beethoven

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000003FJH
Release Date: 1997-06-17

Tracks:

Fant, D.934, in C: Andante Molto - Brooks Smith
Fant, D.934, in C: Allegretto - Brooks Smith
Fant, D.934, in C: Andantino, Tempo I - Brooks Smith
Fant, D.934, in C: Allegro Vivace: Allegretto, Presto - Brooks Smith
Pno Qt, Op.60, in c: Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Jacob Lateiner/Sanford Schonbach/Gregor Piatigorsky
Pno Qt, Op.60, in c: Scherzo: Allegro - Jacob Lateiner/Sanford Schonbach/Gregor Piatigorsky
Pno Qt, Op.60, in c: Andante - Jacob Lateiner/Sanford Schonbach/Gregor Piatigorsky
Pno Qt, Op.60, in c: Finale:Allegro - Jacob Lateiner/Sanford Schonbach/Gregor Piatigorsky
Trio, Op.9, No.2, in D: Allegretto - William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky
Trio, Op.9, No.2, in D: Andante Quasi Allegretto - William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky
Trio, Op.9, No.2, in D: Menuetto: Allegro - William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky
Trio, Op.9, No.2, in D: Rondo: Allegro - William Primrose/Gregor Piatigorsky

Music Track:

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