>>227-228

In Beethoven’s virtuosic ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata,
HMV matched Heifetz with a player from the same Russian school, Benno Moiseiwitsch (1890-1963).
This excellent pianist, best known as an interpreter of Rachmaninov’s music,
was long domiciled in Britain and came to be taken rather for granted,
so that HMV generally issued his records on the cheaper Plum Label.
The partnership with Heifetz was intended from the start as Moiseiwitsch’s first Red Label outing for years.
When the two men arrived at No.3 Studio, Abbey Road, on 13th June 1949,
they had already rehearsed meticulously, but even after the usual balance tests,
they played the first side five times, as Heifetz kept insisting that his violin was not prominent enough.
The eight sides were still completed in one day,
however, and the second take of each was selected for the artists to approve.
Moiseiwitsch liked his test pressings but Heifetz did not: he still felt too much piano was in evidence.
The two therefore returned to the studio on 14th May 1951 for a re-recording.
This time the sessions took two full days and the result has never been classed with the ‘Kreutzer’ recordings
of Huberman/Friedman, Busch/Serkin and Szigeti/Bartok.
As to whether it improves on the 1949 version, collectors can now make up their own minds,
as the earlier performance has been published from the pianist’s cherished test pressings.
These two sets of sessions were to be the only ones featuring Moiseiwitsch as part of a duo.

今回のナクソスのリリース情報より