HEIFETZ plays ELGAR and
WALTON
WALTON Violin
Concerto
ELGAR Violin
Concerto
Jascha Heifetz
(violin)
LSO/Malcolm Sargent (Elgar) rec 6 June 1949
Cincinnati SO/Eugene Goossens (Walton) rec 18 Feb
1941
NAXOS HISTORICAL 8.110939
Great Violinists
[69.00]
Crotchet
AmazonUK AmazonUS
At first glance I thought this was a rerun of RCA Victor GD 87966 (c1988).
Not a bit of it. OK this is the same Elgar though taken down, as is the Walton,
from good condition issued black discs rather than metal masters. While the
Elgar is the same as the RCA the Walton is the world premiere recording not
the 1950 composer-conducted revised version. The Goossens is the only disc
of the original version. Differences between the Walton versions are not
that drastic. Tully Potter's notes (no room for claiming that budget discs
cut corners on notes or for that matter on transfer contractors - they retain
Mark Obert-Thorn) indicate that the original version had a different
orchestration with a heavier percussion element. Previously issued on Biddulph
this one has been very cleanly transferred with that suggestion of richness
of tone of soloist and orchestra well put across. Also the crumbly orchestral
sound (always subservient in a Heifetz recording) does seem less aged. The
tonal depth delivered by 1950 technology is well worth having for the Walton
but there is surprisingly little to choose between the two versions if you
concentrate on the solo line.
The Elgar is amongst my favourite versions and has been ever since I chanced
my arm and spent £1.99 on a secondhand RCA LP in Bristol's Hancock and
Monks in 1980. I also commend the derided Haendel version (now available
on Testament) and the Accardo (also good in the Walton). The Naxos mastering
has a rewarding bloom to the sound which was absent from the RCA disc. The
difference is not as extreme as the excellent work done by Naxos in their
recent Tchaikovsky Sibelius Heifetz disc when compared with the much poorer
EMI Références CD. However it is noticeable and worth having
especially at bargain price.
Rob Barnett
