[rklein]

Hi:

Last night I was listening to a record of violinist Michael Rabin.  This is an artist that probably most of you do not know.  However, in my humble opinion, is absolutely incredible!!  Born in 1936, he never reached the age of 36, but remains one of the most talented prodigies of the violin ever.  Below is a link if you wish to know more about this artist.

http://www.answers.com/topic/michael-rabin

I would highly recommend the following CD's.(I have them in vinyl as well).

http://www.cduniverse.com/images.asp?pid=7613001&style=classical&image=front&title=Dinicu+%2F+Paganini+%2F+Saint%2DSaens+%2F+Sarasate+%2F+Wieniawski+%2D+Wieniawski%2C+Paganini%3A+Violin+Concertos%3B+Saint%2DSa%EBns%3A+Introduction+%26+Rondo+Capriccioso+CD

http://www.cduniverse.com/images.asp?pid=8035320&style=classical&image=front&title=Rabin%2C+Michael+%2D+Michael+Rabin%3A+Collection%2C+Vol%2E+3+CD

Thanks,

Randy


 
 

 
 
 
 

[rklein]

Actually, this post may be better in the "What classical music you listening to, luv?" thread.  I will leave that up to Tyson.    Just wanted to share the artistry of M. Rabin with all of you.  The story has it that when he got done recording Paganini's Moto Perpetuo with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the whole orchestra stood up and cheered.

Randy

[egidius]

yes fantastic, but don't forget, that company publishes violinists most of us (no, me being a violinist crazy about old violinist, i know the nearly all) - you haven't heard of, and they have amazing things on offer. one of the good ones for example Milstein playing Goldmark concerto!!
egidius

[volvic325]

Rabin was a great violinist, too bad his career was so short.  However, my favourite is still Nathan Milstein, everything he did looked so effortless.  Click on link below to see his performance of Bach's Chaconne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_49625&v=yv5HmKomT7Y&src_vid=UFdbQtu2A4Q&feature=iv

[Soundminded]

Rabin was a great violinist, too bad his career was so short.  However, my favourite is still Nathan Milstein, everything he did looked so effortless.  Click on link below to see his performance of Bach's Chaconne.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_49625&v=yv5HmKomT7Y&src_vid=UFdbQtu2A4Q&feature=iv

Michael Rabin was one of the most underappreciated violinists of his time. A great talent his untimely death was a tragic loss to the world of music.

Thank you for the link to the Milstein performace of the Chaconne. It's an excellent place to make comparisons of different violinists. Hasn't changed my mind about any of them though.

The Milstein performance of the Chaconne showed excellent technique, very good tone, with insignificant exceptions excellent intonation but it was pedantic and uninspired. It was hard getting through it. I expect that others of the Soviet school of that era like Kogan would be similar. The Heifetz performance is so powerful it just blew Milstein out of the water and outclassed it in every way. It's hard to imagine better. None of the others I listened to so far came even close. Stern's performance was weak, sappy and at times labored, not in the same league with the others. Small wonder it runs nearly two minutes longer than Heifetz. After the Heifetz recording, Szeryng often one of my favorites was a disappointment.  Heifetz is just an impossible act to follow. I really didn't like the Szgeti version at all. Very staccato. Kremer looked and sounded like he was sleep walking through it. Should be included in a recording called "Music to Lose Your Mind By" a sure cure for insomnia.

[drjjpdc]

Soundminded,
I agree in large part with your comments. Heifetz is at the top of the mountain in a lot of repertoire that I love, but his Bach doesn't do it for me. Szeryng's Bach is just on another level (by that I mean higher) for me, it is a celestial (almost religious) experience.

[mjock3]

Maybe I shouldn't admit this but I never heard of Heifetz till about 6 months ago. I sat down to listen to his Tchaikovsky & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos on one of my dads CD's and bang he got my full attention. Truly a remarkable player, performer. I went and bought quite a few of his CD's after listening to that one a few times.

[Tyson]

I never fully appreciated Heifetz till I got some SACD's of him doing different pieces.  Before, he just sounded too fast and rushed.  But in hirez, you can hear all the inflections and emotions in his playing.  In my experience, all artists benefit from hirez, but some benefit more than others.  Heifetz and George Szell are 2 that come to mind.

[drjjpdc]

mjock3 & Tyson,

Here's a fun thing to try. Just like we play air guitar to Eric, Bruce or Pete (Townsend for the younger listeners), etc., just try playing with JH in the Tchaikovsky Concerto at the end of the 1st movement and all those double stops. It's damn near impossible, at least for me, but it is fun to try! 

Here's another violinist worth hearing, Salvatore Ricci. He does a lot of recital discs too with shorter pieces, on London Records. He had a great disc with the Carmen Fantasy (themes from the opera) and the Sarasate Zigeunerweisen. The Zig is cool even with a piano to hear the violinist really well, but it really cries out fot the orchestral treatment like Ricci's.

John

[Soundminded]

mjock3 & Tyson,

Here's a fun thing to try. Just like we play air guitar to Eric, Bruce or Pete (Townsend for the younger listeners), etc., just try playing with JH in the Tchaikovsky Concerto at the end of the 1st movement and all those double stops. It's damn near impossible, at least for me, but it is fun to try! 

Here's another violinist worth hearing, Salvatore Ricci. He does a lot of recital discs too with shorter pieces, on London Records. He had a great disc with the Carmen Fantasy (themes from the opera) and the Sarasate Zigeunerweisen. The Zig is cool even with a piano to hear the violinist really well, but it really cries out fot the orchestral treatment like Ricci's.

John

I've heard of Ruggiero Ricci and Salvatore Accardo but I never heard of Salvatore Ricci?????

[drjjpdc]

Sound,

Sorry that what comes of age and thinking of too many violinists at one time!

John

[hdspeakerman]

http://www.thirteen.org/publicarts/violin/oistrakh.html
David Oistrakh

check list at bottom for many more legendary players

[hdspeakerman]

Kyung-wha Chung. My favorite version of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto features this lovely lady.
Howard

[rklein]

Yes, I agree with all of the above artists being great violinists.  I have recordings by all of them.  There are others as well such as Itzahk Perlman and Joshua Bell.  I have some 78 recordings I picked up in a pawn shop while attending school in Philadelphia of Mischa Elman and Efrem Zimbalist(students of Leopold Auer) that are quite amazing as well.

The reason I mention Michael Rabin is that as a pure talent(which as some of you know does not always pan out) he was a real prodigy.  To hear recordings of him in his early twenties, I can't help but think what a mature Rabin would have sounded like had he lived as long as some of the others that are mentioned in this thread.

Regards,

Randy

[Tyson]

I don't think I have any Rabin recordings.  I'll have to rectify that!