Beethoven, Heifetz, Munch, Boston Symphony Orchestra – Violin Concerto (In D)
By Mark Dohmann
| Label: | RCA Victor Red Seal – LSC-1992 |
|---|---|
| Series: | Living Stereo |
| Format: | Vinyl, LP, Stereo |
| Country: | US |
| Released: | 1959 |
| Genre: | Classical |
| Style: | Classical |
“We might as well take our fiddles and break them across our knees.”
Jascha Heifetz was a Russian-American violinist (born 1901 – and lived till 1987). Many consider him the greatest violinist of all time. Born in Vilna (Vilnius), he moved as a teenager to the United States, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso since childhood.
He had a long and successful performing career. However, after an injury to his right (bowing) arm, he switched his focus to teaching.
Late in life, Heifetz became a dedicated teacher and a champion of socio-political causes. He publicly advocated to establish 911 as an emergency phone number and crusaded for clean air. He and his students at the University of Southern California protested smog by wearing gas masks, and in 1967 he converted his Renault passenger car into an electric vehicle.
Heifetz was born into a Russian-Jewish family in Vilna, Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire. His father, Reuven Heifetz, son of Elie, was a local violin teacher and served as the concertmaster of the Vilnius Theatre Orchestra for one season before the theatre closed down. While Jascha was an infant, his father did a series of tests, observing how his son responded to his fiddling. This convinced him that Jascha had great potential, and before Jascha was two years old, his father bought him a small violin, and taught him bowing and simple fingering.
At five years old, he started lessons with Leopold Auer. He was a child prodigy, making his public debut at seven, in Kovno (now Kaunas, Lithuania) playing the Violin Concerto in E minor by Felix Mendelssohn. In 1910 he entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory to study under Auer.
He played in Germany and Scandinavia and met Fritz Kreisler for the first time in a Berlin private house, in a “private press matinee on May 20, 1912. The home was that of Arthur Abell, the pre-eminent Berlin music critic for the American magazine, Musical Courier. Among other noted violinists in attendance was Fritz Kreisler. After the 12-year-old Heifetz performed the Mendelssohn violin concerto, Abell reported that Kreisler said to all present, ‘We may as well break our fiddles across our knees.'”
Heifetz visited much of Europe while still in his teens. In April 1911, he performed in an outdoor concert in St. Petersburg before 25,000 spectators; there was such a reaction that police officers needed to protect the young violinist after the concert. In 1914, he performed with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Arthur Nikisch. The conductor said he had never heard such an excellent violinist.
Heifetz and his family left Russia in 1917, traveling by rail to the Russian far east and then by ship to the United States, arriving in San Francisco. On October 27, 1917, Heifetz played for the first time in the United States, at Carnegie Hall in New York, and became an immediate sensation. Fellow violinist Mischa Elman in the audience asked “Do you think it’s hot in here?”, whereupon the pianist Leopold Godowsky, in the next seat, replied, “Not for pianists.”
A story circulates that tells of an interaction with one of the Marx brothers: when he told the brother (usually Groucho or Harpo) that he had been earning his living as a musician since the age of seven, he received the reply, “Before that, I suppose, you were just a bum.”
Heifetz died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on December 10, 1987, at the age of 86 following a fall in his home.
In 1989, Heifetz received a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Heifetz was “regarded as the greatest violin virtuoso since Paganini”, wrote Lois Timnick of the Los Angeles Times. “He set all standards for 20th-century violin playing…everything about him conspired to create a sense of awe”, wrote music critic Harold Schonberg of The New York Times. “The goals he set still remain, and for violinists today it’s rather depressing that they may never really be attained again”, wrote violinist Itzhak Perlman.
Jascha Heifetz was a prolific recording artist. His style of playing was highly influential in defining the way modern violinists approached the instrument. His use of rapid vibrato, emotionally charged portamento, fast tempi, and superb bow control coalesced to create a highly distinctive sound that makes Heifetz’s playing instantly recognizable to aficionados. Itzhak Perlman, who himself is noted for his rich warm tone and expressive use of portamento, described Heifetz’s tone as like “a tornado” because of its emotional intensity. Perlman said that Heifetz preferred to record relatively close to the microphone—and as a result, one would perceive a somewhat different tone quality when listening to Heifetz during a concert hall performance.
Heifetz recorded the Beethoven Violin Concerto in 1940 with the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini, and again in stereo in 1959 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Charles Munch. The 1959 recording is the one in this review as it can be found as a reissue on LP as the originals are very hard to get. Discogs is a good place to hunt one down as the sellers Mint or Near Mint will arrive as stated.
I was introduced to Beethoven from a young age by my mother who played the classical German catalog on the home stereo du jour. Mainly works by Beethoven, Brahms and Mozart with a counterbalance of Italian Opera (and a lot of Johnny Cash and Englebert).
It was an audiophile buddy Richard from Sydney that sat me down one day and said “you need to hear this”. He played an original Heifetz Munch and I sat there in the listening room in solo darkness and “got an education”. It moved me to tears (Richard can also have that effect on people – with his humour!). I’ve played it once at a show and the room broke into applause at the end of the session. To avoid ruining the moment and sacrificing another artist on the hifi altar at a show (sorry Hugh Masakela and Stevie and friends Chris Jones, Norah and……….), I now play it on special occasions so as not to “wear out its welcome”.
I had a hard time deciding whether to introduce this album as Beethoven played by Heifetz or Heifetz plays Beethoven. I decided on the latter. Both were obviously incredibly gifted people. There are numerous Beethoven Violin Concerto in D recordings by other notable violinists. But if you are wondering what all the fuss is about then compare Heifetz to Mutter. Not playing down Mutter who carves her own sound and is also one of my favourite violinists.
So you get to hear an amazing original instrument, close miked, one of the great musical composers of all time, a conductor of an amazing orchestra, a great hall, and a violinist who created a reputation that has not diminished.
The Beethoven Violin Concerto in D is simply a stunning composition and one that grabs your attention. It’s exciting to hear it played by Heifetz at his prime.
Heifetz may have been helped by playing some legendary original instruments but that must be balanced by the respect he garnered from other musicians. He played famous violins from the 1700’s including Stradivarius, Carlo Tononi, Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, Piacenza, ex-David Guarneri, Guarneri. These instruments have a folklore all of their own.
Heifetz was also very particular about his choice of strings. He used a silver wound Tricolore gut G string, plain gut unvarnished D and A strings, and a Goldbrokat steel E string medium including clear Hill-brand rosin sparingly.
Heifetz believed that playing on gut strings was important in rendering an individual sound.
Having supported my daughter in her music studies (Viola), I can appreciate the player will prefer a certain brand of strings, a certain rosin, a bow or three made and steamed just right and No. 59 from John Collins not No.61 as that sounds “different”. Stringed instruments have a personality and life of their own. When an artist bonds with an instrument they extract more music from it. To get to University level playing stringed instruments is a special focus and joy to hear.
To have the ability of a Heifetz is on another almost cosmic level. That comet only comes around every few hundred years!
Tracklist
Violin Concerto D, Op. 61
A1 Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
B1 Larghetto
B2 Rondo
Jascha Heifetz
Born February 2, 1901 Vilna, Russian Empire (now Lithuania)
Died December 10, 1987 (aged 86) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Instruments Violin