Heifetz Bruch Scottish Fantasy - Vieuxtemps Concerto No. 5
Recorded in 1961 at London’s Walthamstow Town Hall, this session captures Jascha Heifetz at the peak of his powers. Accompanied by Sir Malcolm Sargent and the New Symphony Orchestra of London, Heifetz delivers a definitive reading of Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy, balancing technical perfection with deep folk-inspired soul. His interpretation of the Vieuxtemps Concerto No. 5 further cements his legacy, showcasing a fiery intensity and seamless, singing tone that remains a benchmark for violinists today.
This landmark session benefited from the historic technical partnership between RCA and Decca, led by legendary engineer Kenneth Wilkinson. Utilizing the superb acoustics of Walthamstow, Wilkinson captured an expansive soundstage and the vivid, lifelike presence of Heifetz’s violin. This transfer meticulously preserves the "shaded dog" sonic excellence of the original sessions, ensuring that every nuance of the performance is rendered with startling clarity and depth.
Artist(s): Violin – Jascha Heifetz
Conductor – Sir Malcolm Sargent
Orchestra – New Symphony Orchestra Of London
Recording Info: The recording team for the landmark 1961 session at Walthamstow Town Hall was led by the legendary engineer Kenneth Wilkinson, along with the Decca recording staff. Although the release was issued under the RCA Victor Red Seal as part of the Living Stereo series, it actually benefited from the successful technical partnership between RCA and Decca during that time. Wilkinson's expertise is often credited for the recording's renowned "shaded dog" sonic qualities, which include its expansive soundstage and the vivid, lifelike presence of Heifetz's violin. The production was supervised by Erik Smith, who collaborated closely with Wilkinson to achieve the precise balance between the soloist and Sir Malcolm Sargent's orchestra.
Transferred from a 15ips 2-track tape
Components used for Transfer: This transfer leverages precision analog playback and mastering-grade digital conversion. The signal path begins with a modified Nagra 4SJ with Flux Heads, fed through a Merrill Audio Master MX Tape Head Preamp. The analog signal converts via a Merging Hapi converter, synchronized to an Antelope Audio 10MX atomic clock for temporal accuracy. All components receive isolated power conditioning through a Shunyata Research Everest 8000 with Shunyata Sigma-X power cords, while grounding infrastructure utilizes Shunyata ALTAIRA hubs to minimize noise floor and preserve sonic detail throughout the transfer chain.
Henri Vieuxtemps Concerto For Violin And Orchestra No. 5 In A Minor Op. 37
1 Allegro Non Troppo 12:26
2 Adagio 3:34
3 Allegro Con Fuoco 1:07
Max Bruch Scottish Fantasy For Violin And Orchestra In E-flat Major, Op. 46
Harp – Osian Ellis
4 Introduction: Grave; Adagio Cantabile 7:43
5 Allegro 4:35
6 Andante Sostenuto 6:29
7 Finale: Allegro Guerriero 6:39
Please Note: This release was edited in DXD PCM from a DSD256 Master
then the DXD edited master was used to generate the final DSD files using
Merging Technologies Album Publishing.
DXD (352.8KHz 24/32 bit PCM) is one of the best and least destructive formats for post-processing DSD originated digital recordings
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