Recorded with the usual dryness at NBC’s Studio 8H, this well-restored concert sounds rather good considering the date (April 9th, 1944). Prosaic sonorities from the winds and a few heavy portamentos from the NBC Symphony strings are not enough to spoil Toscanini’s slow, grandiose conception of Prelude and Good Friday Spell from Parsifal, although the phrasing of those long, long melodic lines becomes erratic in places. Thanks to Jascha Heifetz’s implacable technique and austere expression, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto acquires a greatness and nobility–and warmth–not always granted by other performers, who (especially nowadays) too often fail to see the grand romantic gesture of the work and instead play it like a nice little postcard. One can only expect Toscanini to embrace such an elevated approach, and that’s what he does, providing a strong and incisive partnership to his golden-toned soloist. This disc is especially worthwhile listening for all fans of majestic violin playing.
