V.com weekend vote: What is your favorite Jascha Heifetz violin transcription?

February 4, 2024, 1:18 PM · This week - on Feb. 2 - marked the birthday of the great violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987), who was revered during his lifetime and beyond, for his prowess on the violin.

Violinist Jascha Heifetz, in the early 20th c.

Heifetz left quite a legacy - born in Vilna, Russia (*now Vilnius, Lithuania), in 1901, he started playing the violin at age three and gave his public debut at age 7. His life spanned an incredible century, and his performing brought him to highest-end concert stages of the world as well as to the battle fields of World War II. Many feel he was the greatest violinist who ever lived.

On Friday there was an excellent "Birthday Tribute Live from the Heifetz Studio at The Colburn School," curated by Master teacher Robert Lipsett. You can watch it here (start the video at 4:35) - it has vintage photos, a bit of the Heifetz's playing, footage of Itzhak Perlman talking about Heifetz, a tour of the Heifetz studio and some lovely performances by Colburn students. Quite a pleasure!

This made me think about one of the great legacies that Heifetz left specifically to us violinists: his many transcriptions and arrangements, which we can still play today. One reason they were preserved was through the work of violinist, pianist and teacher Ayke Agus, who wrote the book Heifetz As I Knew Him.

Ayke was a Heifetz student who then became his piano accompanist and creative collaborator in the latter 15 years of his life. Starting while he was living and then continuing after Heifetz died, Ayke worked to finish and assemble his many transcriptions. Those transcriptions are available as "The Heifetz Collection," in three volumes: Arrangements & Transcriptions, Transcriptions and Cadenzas, and Heifetz plays Gershwin.

They are a treasure well worth exploring. It is possible to hear Heifetz (and many other violinists) play them, with a quick search on Youtube.

For this vote I would like to ask everyone: what is your favorite Heifetz transcription or arrangement? And if you are unfamiliar with them, I have assembled links recordings of them, below the vote. (I found myself getting carried away, listening to all of them!) I have listed some of the most well-known transcriptions, but if there is another you like just answer "something else" and tell us about it in the comments. Also feel free to share your thoughts about Heifetz and his transcriptions. To my chagrin, I never saw Heifetz play live, but you are welcome to share about that as well, if you were fortunate to have seen him live or known him. (Enjoy the recordings below!)

Here is one video for you to watch, and I've provided links to all the others:

BELOW Jascha Heifetz performs his arrangement of "The Girl with the Flaxen Hair" by Debussy:

Listen to more (just click on the title to go to the video):

You might also like:

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Replies

Diana Skinner

February 4, 2024 at 07:47 PM · Thank you, Laurie, for using the Weekend Vote as a lovely tribute to Heifetz and an opportunity to reflect on this great violinist! My vote: Deep River!

Paul Deck

February 4, 2024 at 09:08 PM · I chose Hora Staccato just because I think that's the most iconic example of his virtuosity.

Alexander Saldarriaga

February 4, 2024 at 10:04 PM · I also love his transcriptions of music by Brahms ("Contemplation"), Korngold ("Garden Scene"), and Rachmaninoff ("It's Peaceful Here"). Too bad he never recorded the Brahms and Rachmaninoff transcriptions.

Jim Hastings

February 4, 2024 at 10:13 PM · It was a tough call at first, since just about any transcription by this master will grab my attention; but I went with Hora Staccato - I remember hearing this catchy piece in early childhood. Not sure, but it could have been on a vintage recording in my parents' collection. I, too, never saw Heifetz perform live.