Norman Schwartz replies to me on Francescatti's Beethoven Violin Concerto:

>>I'm not thrilled with it.  The last movement plods, and it should dance.
>>Walter or somebody chose too slow a tempo.  I like the Heifetz with (I
>>think) Munch best.  I know people find it slick.  I don't.
>
>I enjoy the Francescatti Beethoven concerto tremendously!  (as I also do
>his Tchaikovsky with Schippers and Mendelssohn with Szell both on Sony
>2-fers).  The Beethoven is played compassionately as coming from a living
>human being.

I share Norman's enthusiasm for Francescatti's Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn
(I also like his Bernstein Serenade), but his Beethoven . . . I even like
his Kreutzer (yes,  better than Heifetz's), but not the concerto.  To me,
it's a yawn.  It disappointed me, given the calibre of the performers.

>Pfeiffer (the producer of the Heifetz Beethoven recording under
>discussion) informs us that he advised various masters that they have to
>speed up their recorded performances.  He suggests the use of speeds in
>recording much faster than live performance since he didn't want the
>listener falling asleep whilst listening to a recording, the assumption
>being that unlike attendance at a concert there is nothing to hold the
>listener's attention home.  Heifetz seems to have heeded this instruction
>all too well!

And produced, in my opinion, the liveliest recording.  Ah, well.

Steve Schwartz