Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) is still the holy terror of the violin for his way of getting from one place to another by the most direct and unhesitating path, even when it seems humanly impossible to do so. These performances, ideally transferred by Mark Obert Thorn, include a 1934 recording of Mozart’s ’Turkish’ Concerto No. 5 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra led by John Barbirolli, and two outings with Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic: Mozart’s Concerto No. 4 in 1947 and the Mendelssohn Concerto in 1949. Heifetz recorded these works a number of times, but the Concerto No. 5 with Barbirolli has a glamorous glow that many of his 1930s performances retain, making it my personal favorite for Heifetz-listening. Beecham was a congenial recording colleague for Heifetz, and the Concerto No. 4’s inherent elegance speaks clearly. Only the Mendelssohn seems a tad remote, although the overall performance is far better than a later recording with Charles Munch. The lingering, misleading notion that Heifetz was somehow ’cold’ in performance is contradicted by these warm interpretations. Benjamin Ivry - Strings Magazine - December 2001