Korngold: Concerto; Rózsa: Concerto; Tema con variazioni; Waxman: "Carmen" Fantasy

Erich Wolfgang Korngold (Composer), Miklos Rozsa (Composer), Franz Waxman (Composer), Alfred Wallenstein (Conductor), Walter Hendl (Conductor), Donald Voorhees (Conductor), Chamber Orchestra (Performer), Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Dallas Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), RCA Victor Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Chamber Orchestra
• Orchestra: Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra, RCA Victor Orchestra
• Conductor: Alfred Wallenstein, Walter Hendl, Donald Voorhees
• Composer: Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Miklos Rozsa, Franz Waxman
• Audio CD (June 17, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B000003FIW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #206,676 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #65 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Symphonies > Sinfonia Concertante
  • #66 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > Composers > Korngold, Erich Wolfgang

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful performances, May 24, 2007

By 

Donald M. Campbell (Moultonborough, NH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Korngold: Concerto; Rózsa: Concerto; Tema con variazioni; Waxman: "Carmen" Fantasy (Audio CD)

The Rózsa violin concerto is one of my favorite pieces and this is, beyond all doubt, the best recorded performance of this far-too-neglected work. I do have one quibble with Maestro Heifitz's performance: he rushes the central theme of the middle movement a bit; I would love to have heard him "sing" it a bit more, at a slighltly slower tempo -- a bit more tenderness and longing -- because it is such a moving melody.

The other pieces on this disc are also wonderful, especially the Korngold. I respectefully disagree with the earlier reviewer about the Korngold being too cliché and corny, but as the old Romans said, "De gustibus non disputandum est."

If you are a Heifitz fan, or these three great masters of film music, you can't go wrong with this CD.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Transport to Heaven via Violin, January 3, 2007

By 

Gayle Miller "Voracious Reader" (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Korngold: Concerto; Rózsa: Concerto; Tema con variazioni; Waxman: "Carmen" Fantasy (Audio CD)

Brilliant music played by a brilliant musician. I put it on the CD player in my office when I'm having a tough day and it makes all the annoyance fade away!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heifetz does in fact have a heart, July 3, 2008

By 

Steve Missal (Scottsdale, Arizona United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Korngold: Concerto; Rózsa: Concerto; Tema con variazioni; Waxman: "Carmen" Fantasy (Audio CD)

I'm tired of reading reviews that pan Heifetz for either playing too fast or too coldly. Yes, sometimes I think he pushes the envelope a bit on tempo (the end of the first movement is a case in point), but lack of nuance? Missed opportunities for expression? Unless you are deaf, he has these in spades, albeit not always like other violinists. Perhaps that is the problem. He is unique in his sound and approach. Average, even very good violinists pull and yank at passages until the line of the music is broken and my interest wanes. I ask this question: would you return to a recording more than once? Competent ones are just that, competent. Great recordings make you return endlessly. And this is a great recording. The Rozsa is a gem that is not often heard, sadly. Whether Heifetz worried about someone hearing him play a wrong note is beside the point. Who cares? I don't know of other performers practicing in public. Do you?