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Jascha Heifetz
The life and rebirth of a musical mastermind

The pianist lay unconscious in his hospital bed, bandages wrapped around his freshly shaved skull. Just days earlier, he could achieve astonishing feats at the keyboard, his hands often disappearing into a blur of energy, his body rising from the piano bench as he unleashed salvos of sound. Before doctors cut into his head, he was a virtuoso. Audiences marveled at his speed, his strength, his ability to thunder at the keys. A Soviet-trained prodigy, Alexei Sultanov won the gold medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition at 19, the youngest in history to do so. Like a rock star, with a mane of unruly hair, he played to hysterical fans across Europe and the Far...