Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Ernest Bloch :: The Original Jacket Collection: Jascha Heifetz [Box Set]

Peerless...

Hank Drake | Cleveland, OH United States | 04/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"One of the positive aspects of RCA/BMG's merger with Sony is that they can bring together collections from both of their archives. Such is the case with this collection of Jascha Heifetz recordings, with most gathered from RCA's vaults, but the last volume (a live recording of Heifetz's final concert) from Columbia Masterworks, Sony's predecessor.



It has long been popular in some circles to call Heifetz's playing "cold". I think "aristocratic" is a more apt term. It's important to view Heifetz in the context of his time, in which personalized, romanticized performances were being rejected in favor of an accurate rendition of the score. Heifetz was a pretty faithful interpreter, yet all of these performances bear his own indelible stamp: flawless intonation, a strong, throaty tone, tempos that may seem a bit fast by today's standards, well judged use of portamento. It was an approach that well served many different genres of music, from the relatively chaste Bach partitas, to the Slavic passion of the Tchaikovsky concerto, to the wintry fire of the Sibelius concerto.



Unlike too many classical musicians, Heifetz knew when to quit. The violinist was only 71 when he gave his last public performance, although he lived another 15 years. While his technique was thrillingly intact, a few fleeing intonation problems hint at a recent shoulder operation from which the violinist never completely recovered.



As the recordings date from the late 1940s to 1972, the sound varies considerably. The mono Bach items are in intimate mono, while the concertos with Reiner and Munch highlight RCA's then new Living Stereo process - and still sound impressive today. While the balance in concerto recordings tends to favor the soloist (Heifetz was notorious for edging himself closer to the microphone during recording sessions), the orchestra is well heard. These recordings have been issued multiple times on CD. With the exception of a few that have been issued in three-channel hybrid SACD format, they've never sounded better.



This set is a must for all lovers of violin music. Heifetz fans will also want to update their collections for the improved sonics and excellent presentation."

Great treasure for all violin lovers

Mateusz Papiernik | 04/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"God of 20th century violinists, unrivalled Jascha Heifetz with all major violin works in a single set? A year ago it could sound as a dream or a fantasy, but it is a dream-come-true thanks to Original Jackets collection. One of the best violinists of all time captured with remastered sound quality is a must have for all violin lovers. His interpretations always stand out and are never same as from other masters, such as Menuhin, Oistrakh or Milstein. His playing is vigorous, controlled, technically flawless, well thought and aristocratic, yet extremely moving and emotional. I completely disagree with people calling Heifetz a soulless player. He certainly had a soul, and it was a very big soul indeed. I assume every violin player and lover have different releases by different violinists, as well as older Heifetz CDs - but this set is something what can't go unnoticed. Remastering quality and boxset quality - a full 5. For Heifetz playing, needless to say, 5 is an understatement."

A master at work

AFK | Lakewood OH USA | 04/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Each of these performances is a classic. Heifetz was the undisputed king of 20th-century violinists. In addition to his RCA releases, the in-concert recital available many years ago on the Columbia label is finally available on CD. Hallelujah!

Performance=5stars; Sound=4stars"