The late Jascha Heifetz was a mature musician of 50 when these recordings were made in 1952. Yehudi Menuhin was a mere 13 when he committed the Sonata No. 3 in C to disc in 1929 and he was still only 19 when the final performances of this two-LP set were recorded. And yet, in terms of musicianship and understanding of the Bach style, it is very often the young Menuhin who is the more convincing of the two. At times one feels that Heifetz's instrumental perfection is acting against the expressive potential of the music, as Carl Flesch observed, ''He is a living example of the relativity of a virtue which, when it overshadows something more essential, may come to be felt as a defect''. Nevertheless, I am happy to say that there are also many movements in these suites where Heifetz's artistry is at one with the music, though the impact is often made by his sheer grasp and security, especially since everything is despatched with such exemplary tonal control.
From the first movement of the Sonata No. 1 in G minor it is very evident that Menuhin is the more impulsive player. He breaks up the notes into clearly defined harmonic episodes to a greater extent than does the Russian, and this gives him more scope in exploiting the character of the music. Adolf Busch's influence on the young Menuhin is apparent in the meticulous approach to the polyphonic side of the writing, the low strings have a very rich sonority in chords. Although Menuhin's technical grasp is often equal to that of Heifetz, there are one or two places where he sounds under strain as in the Fugue from the Sonata No. 2 in A minor. Heifetz's double-stopping here has considerably greater firmness and accuracy.
Whereas Heifetz stresses clarity of rhythm in the dance movements, I feel that Menuhin's elegance carries more stylistic authority. On occasion the Russian sounds baffled by the music, as in the Adagio first movement of the Sonata No. 3 in C, and here it is his colleague who understands the symbolic weight of the rising dotted rhythms that aspire to a higher plane. Menuhin plays the Largo of this sonata as if it were a lament; Heifetz almost transforms it into a dance.
Heifetz generally sounds more at home in the Partitas. The famous Bourree of the Partita No. 1 has that idiomatically incisive bowing that is so dynamic, and Menuhin is a little unsteady by comparison. Both players reserve their most stylish Bach-playing for the Partita in D minor and here Heifetz is transformed. The Courante movement interests him and his pure singing tone and extraordinary ability in shading with the bow make this awkwardly paced dance memorable. Though Menuhin's right arm often appears to be freer and his dance movements go with more buoyancy, one still marvels at Heifetz's vigour. When it comes to the monumental Chaconne, the young man cannot match his colleague's experience, and aspects of the interpretation are rather naive. And yet one cannot but admire Menuhin's control in building up a crescendo for climaxes. Heifetz of course is magnificent, though with him the Chaconne is treated more as a romantic vehicle for selfexpression. The Partita No. 3 in E has much the same strengths from both players as I have listed above.
Heifetz's style in Bach does not contain too many Auerisms—by this I mean slides between notes and a reliance on beauty of tone for the impact of the music—in fact, at times it is Menuhin's playing that appears to be the more old-fashioned. These performances will appeal to different people for different reasons. In terms of instrumental perfection and a consistently good recording quality, it is quite definitely Heifetz who would be the first choice. However, if one prefers a more human (if fallible), more spiritually uplifting and stylistically convincing Bach, then it is the young Menuhin who carries off the laurels. Naturally, the recording quality varies a great deal in his set, which is not surprising since some of the performances are getting on for 60 years old. However, the violin was one of the easiest instruments to record in those days, since its limited range of sound could be efficiently directed into the microphone. Surface noise is only a problem in the Andante movement from the Sonata No. 2.'