While not technically awful,
Jascha Heifetz's 1955 recording of Brahms' Violin Concerto with
Fritz Reiner conducting the
Chicago Symphony is still close to unbearable. By 1955,
Heifetz's once sinewy tone had tightened, his once supple technique had hardened, and his once warm interpretation had grown cold. With the never sinewy, supple, or warm
Fritz Reiner,
Heifetz creates a performance of Brahms' lyrical masterpiece that grates on the sensibilities. With
Heifetz's imperious attack, matched by
Reiner's insensitive accompaniment and
Chicago's perfunctory playing, their Brahms concerto is a thick-waisted, near-sighted, dim-witted bore. Worse yet, their Tchaikovsky concerto is a simpering, whimpering twit with a bleached tone and a harsh affect. But worst of all is
Heifetz's self-composed cadenza for the opening movement of the Brahms' concerto. While not in the same league as, say, the ridiculous cadenza Schnittke composed for Beethoven's concerto,
Heifetz's wildly angular cadenza is still so far beyond the manner of Brahms that stylistic cogency is impossible and musical integrity is laughable. RCA's reissue, remastered for super audio sound, is a wee bit cleaner than the last reissue of remastered Living Stereo sound.