a Mendelssohn treat

I am a big fan of this bonkers video of Jascha Heifetz (one of the great violin virtuosos of the 20th century) playing the last movement of the Mendelssohn violin concerto. He’s accompanied by an orchestra of children and there’s a dog in the audience!?! One of the comments on the video suggests that it comes from a movie, so presumably there are plot reasons for all of this—but for our purposes it’s just wildly charming!

This movement is quintessential Mendelssohn to my mind: a perfect example of how he can be impish and cheeky yet totally refined and precise. It’s really an adorable piece of music—and it’s an absolute beast to play well. Naturally Heifetz pulls off the trick of making it look and sound like a total walk in the park.

I really love how still Heifetz is when he plays. He’s not an in-your-face-dramatic player; despite his virtuosity, nothing is ever over-the-top or cheesy. Because of this, I tend to think of him as pretty selfless musician: his playing is very much about the music and the violin, not about his personality. His tone quality is always gorgeous, his technique is always impeccable, and he plays with great character and depth of expression, but also with incredible poise and elegance.

All of this to say, watch the video! It’s a delightful pairing of composer and performer + a bunch of old-timey kids having the time of their lives + a well-behaved dog in the audience, what more could you want?