Description

ERICA MORINI SIRACUSANO (VIENNA, AUSTRIA, JANUARY 5, 1904 – NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, U.S., OCTOBER 31 OR NOVEMBER, 1995)

 

 

 

 

Morini was born in Vienna, and received her first instruction from her father, Oscar Morini (originally spelled Oser or Ojser, family name Moritz), who was the director of his own music school in the Imperial capital Vienna, and completed her studies under Otakar Ševčík. Hers was a case of remarkable precocity. Erika’s mother was Malka Morini, née Weissmann. Her father was born at Czernowitz in Bukovina, which was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Morini had six siblings. When she made her début in 1916, with the Leipzig Gewandhaus and the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, under Arthur Nikisch, the critics made no allowance for her youth, but spoke of her work as the equal of that of the most famous of the younger generation of violinists. Her American début at the age of seventeen in New York (January 26, 1921) was one of the musical sensations of the year, and since then she performed in the United States often, both in recital and with the foremost orchestras. Shortly after her New York début, she was presented with the Guadagnini violin which had been owned by the celebrated American Violinist Maud Powell, who had died in 1920. In March 1921, Morini made her first recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey, accompanied on the piano by her sister, Alice. She resided in New York after 1938, and began spelling her first name Erica. She made her first visit to London in 1923. On the boat ride from Europe to New York, Erica and her cousin Louis played violin and clarinet together for the first class passengers, and were allowed to stay in first class on account of their popularity. Along with the Guadagnini violin, Morini also played the “Davidov” Stradivarius violin from the year 1727, named for the Russian cellist Karl Davydov. Morini’s father had purchased it for her in Paris in 1924 for $10,000. Morini retired in 1976 and reportedly never played the violin again. Morini’s valuable Davidov Stradivarius (as well as paintings, letters, and her scores, complete with fingerings and other valuable notes) were stolen from her New York City apartment shortly before her death in October 1995, at the age of 91. She had been hospitalized with heart disease and was never told of the theft. The crime remains unsolved.

 

 

TRACKLIST

 

 

1. Spanish dance, No. 3 Romanza andaluza Op. 22 (Sarasate) with Alice Morini piano Victor 74692 C-25125 3-29-1921
2. Mazurka Op. 26 (Zarzycki) with Emanuel Balaban piano Victor 74727 C-25126 3-29-1921
3. Romance (Wieniawski) From Second Concerto in D Minor with Emanuel Balaban piano Victor 74717 C-25127 3-29-1921
4. Romance in G (Svendsen) with Alice Morini piano Victor 74797 C-26194 4-3-1922
5. Valse sentimentale (Schubert) with Emanuel Balaban piano Victor 66086 B-26400 4-3-1922
6. At the fountain (Am Springbrunnen) (Schumann) with Emanuel Balaban piano Victor 66074 B-26193 4-3-1922
7. Flower song Op. 39 (G. Lange) with Kurt Hetzel piano Victor 6454-A C-27373 1-4-1923
8. Hearts and flowers Op. 245 (Tobani) with Kurt Hetzel piano Victor 6454-B C-29254 1-7-1924
9. June barcarolle, Op. 37, No. 6 (Tchaikovsky) with Alice Morini piano Victor 957-A Camden (New Jersey) 1930
10. Sérénade, Op. 6 (Toselli) with Alice Morini piano Victor 957-B Camden (New Jersey) 1930
11. Capriccio-valse, op. 7 (Wieniawski) with Max Lanner piano RCA Victor CAL-207 CS 068172 1941-11-07 New York
12. Pièce en forme d’habañera (Ravel) with Max Lanner piano RCA Victor CAL-207 BS 068169 1941-11-07 New York
13. Caprice viennois, op. 2 (Kreisler) with Leon Pommers piano Universal Victor MVCZ-10104 XWN18087 1954-12-01 New York
14. Liebeslied (Kreisler) with Leon Pommers piano Universal Victor MVCZ-10104 XWN18087 1954-12-01 New York
15. Schön Rosmarin (Kreisler) with Leon Pommers piano Universal Victor MVCZ-10104 XWN18087 1954-12-01 New York