A very famous violin concerto from Mendelssohn. I love the style of this piece, especially the first movement, which is somewhat reminiscent of gypsy music but also I think to some degree reflects Mendelssohn's Jewish heritage and culture, which unfortunately eventually led to the repression of a lot of his music into obscurity around the time of Hitler, since Mendelssohn was also German. Of course, his music has been greatly revived since then, so it enjoys its former popularity, as I think it should. I tend to really enjoy Mendelssohn's music, it is a unique combination of the Classical and Romantic styles and philosophies of music, and I think it also consistently achieves a great degree of refinement. It is never bold or trend-breaking in a bad way, but simultaneously never mediocre. It seems to me that he puts a great deal of consideration into every aspect of every work, and fine-tunes it (no pun intended) until it perfectly suits his intent. I also greatly enjoy this rendition by Heifetz. Where sometimes I think he can be fast or arrogant in his playing, I think in this case he has executed it just right, and he is also Jewish, so I think he understands Mendelssohn in a particular way because of that. Technically and emotionally brilliant, this interpretation is the best of the ones I've heard.
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I adore Mendelssohn's music. I also like his 1st violin concerto (in Dm) and his concerto for violin and piano. I agree with you on the Heifetz recording. His approach to rythmn and phrasing is unlike anyone else I've ever heard. I have the 1950s recording with Charles Munch. I also prefer their recording of the Beethoven concerto. Everyone else plays it way too slow. The opening theme is heroic, not a bloody lullaby!
Paul Claerhout
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