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I have a few of these, and, while not as knowledgeable as some, here are my impressions:
Brahms/Beethoven: the Brahms is the highlight but does not displace the stereo version with Reiner; the sound is fairly poor on the Beethoven (I haven’t upgraded the Brahms to CD yet, so I haven’t heard the stereo Beethoven coupling to compare the two versions)
Glazunov concerto/Bruch Scottish Fantasy/Brahms Double Concerto: the Brahms with Feuermann is essential, in my opinion; the mono Glazunov has a bit more swagger, to my ear, than the stereo remake with Hendl, but the sound is obviously poorer; the Bruch is a bit of a lollipop, and I don’t have any strong feelings about it either way
Tchaikovsky/Wieniawiski/Sibelius: I greatly prefer the more atmospheric stereo remake of the Sibelius with Hendl; the reverse is true of the Tchaikovsky: the mono version is an absolute classic; the Wieniawiski is a dazzling, if a little slight, work
I’m assuming you’re familiar with Heifetz, so I won’t go into any lengthy descriptions of his playing: suffice it to say that speeds are quick and technique is always spectacular.
Of the three, the only one I wish I hadn’t bought was the Brahms/Beethoven coupling. The Beethoven is played extremely well, but the sound calls for some tolerance (easily the worst on any of the three CDs), and I find the overall interpretation a little chilly. If I didn’t own the stereo Brahms already and had no intention of doing so, I would heartily recommend this disc, but everything that is good about Heifetz in Brahms is even better in the stereo remake under Reiner.
If you’re a fan of the Brahms Double Concerto or the Tchaikovsky, then these are absolutely classic renditions.
As with all of the Naxos historical CD’s, the surface noise is very evident, but, in my opinion, preferable to the antiseptic approach of many of the major labels where much of the life of the performance is filtered out along with the surface noise (especially the bloom in the sound of the solo violin). To my ear, I tune out the background noise almost immediately, but if sound is a primary consideration, you might want to try the official EMI mono releases (although at almost double the price).
Regards,
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