Further Examination of Interpretative Elements

Drawing on a representative sample of eleven Prelude recordings from the set of 136, this chapter builds on the general findings from previous chapters in order to examine particular aspects of interpretative approach in greater detail. As listed in table 10.1, the representative recordings cover many aspects of the recorded performance tradition already identified, and the list includes all four of Heifetz’s recordings. To discover more about these representative recordings, it is first necessary to divide each one into smaller parts, similar to how Bowen divided up symphony recordings by their individual movements. ¹ The analytical overview of the Prelude in chapter 1 provides a useful template for dividing the Prelude into eight parts. As listed in table 10.2, each part is described as a percentage of the entire piece. These percentages make it possible to compare recordings of any duration to this theoretical point of reference. Table 10.1 Eleven representative Prelude recordings

Recording	Particular attributes
Sarasate 1904	First recordings; shortest; subject of much debate
Heermann 1909	Early recording; short duration; virtuosic style
Heifetz 1946	First of four; live; seventh shortest of 136 recordings
Heifetz 1950	Second of four; taken from video
Heifetz 1952	Third of four; studio; part of complete recordings
Szigeti 1955	Rebuttal of his earlier virtuosic or ‘Italian’ style recording
Heifetz 1972	Fourth and last; live at Heifetz’s final concert in LA
Huggett 1996	Period instrument violinist; slow recording
Wallfisch 1997	Period instrument violinist; one of the fastest on record
Kremer 2001	Modern violinist; no trill and duration as Heifetz
Schmitt 2004	Period instrument; slowest recording by any violinist