Even after over 50 years, Jascha Heifetz's performance of Spohr's A minor Op 47 concerto remains one of the supreme examples of violin playing at its peak. Spohr's concerto demands sophistication from the player; and it certainly receives it from Heifetz. A miraculous performance. The (free) download from Brompton's gives excellent sound from the 1954 original.
Dinner this evening was:
* Fresh asparagus, vinaigrette sauce
* Scallops with mushrooms, onions, Cambodian spices
* Plate of Normandy cheeses (Pont L'évêque, Livarot, Camembert)
* Salad of red fruits (strawberries, rasberries).
Wine: red and rosé (Côtes du Rhône).
All very enjoyable.
Personal journal dealing mainly with music listened to, plus various food and wine matters. Rants at a few favourite topics.
Harry Collier
My collection of recordings
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4 comments:
Fantastic performance Harry. Pity there are some minute cuts. Otherwise, it is unbeatable. Neither Hilary Hahn or Ulf Hoelscher can surpass him. The 'operatic' timing is great - the other 2 are staid by comparison. Also, his vibrato and portamento (slides) are so tastefully done. A desert island performance here from Jascha. My version is on the RCA Gold Seal. How does the Brompton fare with the other previous masterings?
The RCA transfers to CD were not well done. The Brompton sounds much more acceptable to me. Presumably we shall also see it available one day on a Naxos transfer (which may be the same as that used by Brompton's).
Wow. So sad I am missing out on this download from UK. I saw your mail to Brompton. Thanks.
It is the only example of a solo cadenza in Spohr violin concerti. It is interesting that Mr. HEIFITZ did not write his own cadenza for it.
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