Description

MISCHA (MIKHAIL SAULOVICH) ELMAN (JANUARY 20, 1891, TALNOYE, UKRAINE, RUSSIAN EMPIRE [NOW TAL’NE, UKRAINE] — APRIL 5, 1967, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.)

Mischa (Mikhail Saulovich) Elman was a Ukrainian-born Jewish-American violinist, famed for his passionate style, beautiful tone, and impeccable artistry and musicality. Moses or Moishe Elman was born in the small town of Talnoye (now known as Talne) in the Kiev Governorate, Ukraine, then in the Russian Empire. His grandfather was a klezmer, or Jewish folk, musician who also played the violin. It became apparent when Mischa was very young that he had perfect pitch, but his father hesitated about a career as a musician, since musicians were not very high on the social scale. He finally gave in, and gave Mischa a miniature violin, on which he soon learned several tunes by himself. Soon thereafter, he was taken to Odessa, where he studied at the Imperial Academy of Music. Pablo de Sarasate gave him a recommendation, stating that he could become one of the great talents of Europe. He auditioned for Leopold Auer at the age of 11, playing the Wieniawski Concerto No. 2 and 24th Caprice by Paganini. Auer was so impressed that he had Elman admitted to the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Elman was still only a boy when Auer arranged for him to play with the famous Colonne Orchestra during their visit to Pavlovsk. In 1903, Elman began to play concerts in the homes of wealthy patrons of the arts, and he made his Berlin debut in 1904, creating a great sensation. His London debut in 1905 included the British premiere of Alexander Glazunov’s Violin Concerto in A minor. He played in Carnegie Hall in 1908, making a great impression on his American audience. He toured Australia in 1914. In 1917, he was elected to honorary membership in Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity. He sometimes performed in as many as 107 concerts in a 29-week season. The Elman family moved to the United States, and Mischa became a citizen in 1923. In 1943, he gave the premiere of Bohuslav Martinů’s second concerto, which was written for him. Sales of his records exceeded two million. A frequent accompanist in chamber works during Elman’s early American career was Emmanuel Bay, who was born on exactly the same day as Elman, January 20, 1891. But Elman also performed and recorded with Josef Bonime, Carroll Hollister, Wolfgang Rosé and others, and from 1950, his steady accompanist and recital partner was Joseph Seiger. He also briefly performed and made recordings with the Mischa Elman String Quartet. Elman died in his apartment on April 5, 1967 in Manhattan, New York City, a few hours after completing a rehearsal with Seiger. He is buried in the Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

TRACKLIST

1. Elman String Quartet Quartet in D Minor Menuetto (Mozart) Victrola 64661 64661
2. Elman String Quartet Quartet in E Flat – Allegro Finale (Dittersdorf) Victrola 64671 64671
3. Elman String Quartet From the Emperor Quartet Theme and Variations Op. 76 No. 3 (Haydn) Victrola 6634-B
4. Elman String Quartet Andante Cantabile (Tchaikovsky) Victor 6634-A
5. Elman String Quartet Minuet (Schubert) Victor C-21496
6. Elman String Quartet Quartet in G – Andante (Dittersdorf) Victor 74525
7. Elman String Quartet Quartet in B flat major K. 458 (Mozart) Victor CVE-32860
8. 9. 10. 11. Elman String Quartet Quartet in D minor Op. 76 (Haydn) Allegro… Andante o piuttosto allegro… Menuetto allegro ma non troppo… Vivace assai Victor CVE-37403 CVE-37404 CVE-37405 CVE-37406