BARGAIN OF THE MONTH
William WALTON (1902-1983)
Violin Concerto (rev.1945) [26:53]
Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Havanaise, Op. 83 [9:19]
Christian SINDING (1856-1941)
Suite im alten Stil, Op. 10 [11:46]
Mario CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO (1895-1968)
Violin Concerto No. 2 ‘The Prophets’ (1931) [29:27]
Jascha Heifetz (violin)
Philharmonia Orchestra/William Walton (Walton)
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra/William Steinberg* (Saint-Saëns)
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra/Alfred Wallenstein (Sinding, Castelnuovo)
rec. EMI Studio No.1, Abbey Road, London, 26-27 July, 1950 (Walton); Sound
Stage 9, Republic Pictures Studio, Hollywood, 18 June 1951, 9 December 1953
(Sinding) and 28-29 October 1954 (Castelnuovo). ADD/mono.
NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.111367 [77:25]
It’s hardly surprising that Naxos Historical’s Great Violinists series
already features several Heifetz recordings, including his 1949 recording
of the original score of the Walton Violin Concerto, coupled with his
1941 version of the Elgar Violin Concerto on 8.110939 – see review.
Now we have his 1950 recording of the revised version of the Walton, in re-mastered
sound as bright as a button and coupled with three other recordings from the
early LP era. The back cover of the CD refers to Heifetz’s polished elegance,
but there’s more to it than that. Some of Paganini’s contemporaries thought
that he’d sold his soul to the Devil to obtain such mastery of the violin:
they might well have thought the same of Heifetz, when everything here seems
grist to his mill.
Only the availability of the same Heifetz recording of the Walton, coupled
with other Walton works on a very inexpensive 2-CD RCA set – details at the
end of the review – gives me any grounds for reservations.
The Walton concerto was composed for Heifetz and, while it’s good also to
have more recent versions, notably from Nigel Kennedy, with the Viola Concerto
(not currently available?), Kurt Nikkanen (Nimbus NI6119
– see October
2010 Download Roundup), and Naxos’s own digital recording with Dong Suk-Kang,
a splendid bargain coupled with the Cello Concerto (8.554325 – see
review
and November
2008 Download Roundup), Heifetz still reigns supreme, with Walton and
the Philharmonia providing excellent support and Mark Obert-Thorn excelling
himself with a transfer which makes the recording sound almost as if it were
made yesterday. Even the limitations of mono hardly seem to matter.
After the Walton, the Saint-Saëns Havanaise inevitably sounds somewhat
trite. Naxos have chosen to present these recordings in the chronological
order of their setting down, but I could have wished the Walton to have been
left until last. Nevertheless, it’s churlish to complain when Heifetz weaves
his magic here, too, ably abetted by the RCA Orchestra and William Steinberg.
The Sinding Suite is more substantial and it, too, receives a performance
that makes me wonder why we don’t hear this work as often as the composer’s
Violin Concerto. This recording is rightly regarded as a Heifetz special.
The final work, Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s ‘Prophets’ Concerto was also composed
for Heifetz. As the notes observe, though it pre-dates his time in Hollywood,
it does have a Technicolor quality not unlike Respighi or Korngold. Once more
the music presents no problems for Heifetz and the LAPO under Wallenstein.
Beecham used to have the knack of making good second-rate music sound first-rate
and that’s exactly what all concerned do here.
I’ve already praised the quality of the Walton transfer but the whole of the
rest of the programme has received equally fine re-mastering. I’ve heard some
fine transfers recently from Beulah and High Definition Tape Transfers, but
nothing to excel what I hear on this CD. There were just a few moments in
the Castelnuovo-Tedesco when I felt that the treble needed to be tamed a little,
but it’s not a serious problem.
Naxos already have the superb 1955 Heifez/Reiner recording of the Brahms Violin
Concerto in their download-only series (9.80081, available in the UK for
£1.99). Perhaps they would consider adding that to the Great Violinists series.
For my money, Heifetz is the exponent of the Brahms, taking the opening
movement at the only speed that makes sense unless you want to have a work
with two slow movements. Only one other recording, from Szeryng, again with
Reiner as conductor, also from RCA, came close – and that’s deleted.
The only thing that I regret about this fine tribute to Jascha Heifetz is
that it’s not available in the USA and in several other countries, for copyright
reasons. Fortunately, the same recording of the Walton is available inexpensively*
on RCA (2 CDs, 74321925752) . See reviews by John Quinn – here
– and Rob Barnett – here.
Soon recordings of this vintage may not be available in the EU, either, so
snap it up while you can.
* John Quinn thought the Amazon price for this recording was a mistake: it
wasn’t – it’s currently available from them and our other partners at MDT
for even less.
Brian Wilson
One of the greatest historical bargains that I’ve heard for a long time.