Michael Rabin (violinist)
Encyclopedia
Michael Rabin was an American
virtuoso violin
ist whose fame has continued despite his death at the age of 35.
Michael Rabin was of Romanian-Jewish descent. His mother Jeanne was a Juilliard
-trained pianist, and his father George was a violinist in the New York Philharmonic
. He began to learn the violin when he was seven, his talent being fostered by his parents. A lesson with Jascha Heifetz
was arranged and the master advised him to study with Ivan Galamian
, who said he had "no weaknesses, never." He began studies with Galamian in New York and at the Meadowmount School of Music
and the Juilliard School, and went on to appear with a number of American orchestras before his Carnegie Hall
debut on 29 November 1951 in the Paganini
D major Concerto
, with Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting the New York Philharmonic. He was aged only 15. (He had also appeared at Carnegie Hall in January 1950, when aged only 13, as soloist with the National Orchestral Association, under the direction of Léon Barzin
.)
He first appeared in London on 13 December 1954, still aged only 18, playing the Tchaikovsky
Concerto in D
at the Royal Albert Hall
with the BBC Symphony Orchestra
.
Michael Rabin recorded concertos by Mendelssohn
, Glazunov
, Paganini (No. 1 in D major; 2 recordings), Wieniawski
(No. 1 in F-sharp minor
, No. 2 in D minor
), and Tchaikovsky, as well as Bruch
's Scottish Fantasy
and the Paganini Caprices
for solo violin. He recorded the Bach
Sonata in C major for solo violin and the Third and Fourth sonatas for solo violin
by Eugène Ysaÿe
, as well as virtuoso pieces, including an album with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
.
Rabin played in a bel canto
style. He performed for many years on the "Kubelik" Guarnerius del Gesu
of 1735. He toured widely, playing in all the major cities of the U.S., Europe, South America and Australia. He even appeared on a 1951 episode of the variety television series "Texaco Star Theatre". During a recital in Carnegie Hall
, he suddenly fell forward and momentarily lost his balance, and this was the beginning of a neurological condition which was to affect his career adversely. He died prematurely at the age of 35 from a head injury sustained in a fall at his New York apartment.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
virtuoso violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist whose fame has continued despite his death at the age of 35.
Michael Rabin was of Romanian-Jewish descent. His mother Jeanne was a Juilliard
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
-trained pianist, and his father George was a violinist in the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
. He began to learn the violin when he was seven, his talent being fostered by his parents. A lesson with Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
was arranged and the master advised him to study with Ivan Galamian
Ivan Galamian
Ivan Alexander Galamian was an influential Armenian violin teacher of the twentieth century.He was born in Tabriz, Iran, but his family soon emigrated to Moscow, Russia. Galamian studied violin at the School of the Philharmonic Society there with Konstantin Mostras until his graduation in 1919...
, who said he had "no weaknesses, never." He began studies with Galamian in New York and at the Meadowmount School of Music
Meadowmount School of Music
The Meadowmount School of Music, founded in 1944 by Ivan Galamian, is a 7-week summer school in Westport in Upstate New York for accomplished young violinists, cellists, violists, and pianists training for professional careers in music. The students are required to practice for at least five hours...
and the Juilliard School, and went on to appear with a number of American orchestras before his Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
debut on 29 November 1951 in the Paganini
Niccolò Paganini
Niccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
D major Concerto
Violin Concerto No. 1 (Paganini)
The Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 6, was composed by Niccolò Paganini in Italy, probably between 1817 and 1818. The concerto reveals that Paganini's technical wizardry was fully developed...
, with Dimitri Mitropoulos conducting the New York Philharmonic. He was aged only 15. (He had also appeared at Carnegie Hall in January 1950, when aged only 13, as soloist with the National Orchestral Association, under the direction of Léon Barzin
Leon Barzin
Léon Eugene Barzin was a Belgian-born American conductor and founder of the National Orchestral Association , the oldest surviving training orchestra in the United States...
.)
He first appeared in London on 13 December 1954, still aged only 18, playing the Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
Concerto in D
Violin Concerto (Tchaikovsky)
The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1878, is one of the best known of all violin concertos. It is also considered to be among the most technically difficult works for violin.-Instrumentation:...
at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
with the BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
.
Michael Rabin recorded concertos by Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
, Glazunov
Alexander Glazunov
Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer of the late Russian Romantic period, music teacher and conductor...
, Paganini (No. 1 in D major; 2 recordings), Wieniawski
Henryk Wieniawski
Henryk Wieniawski was a Polish violinist and composer.-Biography:Henryk Wieniawski was born in Lublin, Congress Poland, Russian Empire. His father, Tobiasz Pietruszka, had converted to Catholicism. His talent for playing the violin was recognized early, and in 1843 he entered the Paris...
(No. 1 in F-sharp minor
Violin Concerto No. 1 (Wieniawski)
Violin Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 14, by Polish violin virtuoso Henryk Wieniawski was first performed on October 27, 1853 in Leipzig. The score is dedicated to King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia.- Structure and style :...
, No. 2 in D minor
Violin Concerto No. 2 (Wieniawski)
Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22, by the Polish violin virtuoso, Henryk Wieniawski, may have been started in 1856, but the first performance did not take place until November 27, 1862, when he played it in St. Petersburg with Anton Rubinstein conducting. It was published in 1870, inscribed...
), and Tchaikovsky, as well as Bruch
Max Bruch
Max Christian Friedrich Bruch , also known as Max Karl August Bruch, was a German Romantic composer and conductor who wrote over 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin repertoire.-Life:Bruch was born in Cologne, Rhine Province, where he...
's Scottish Fantasy
Scottish Fantasy
The Scottish Fantasy in E-flat major, Op. 46, is a composition for violin and orchestra by Max Bruch. Completed in 1880, it was dedicated to the virtuoso violinist Pablo de Sarasate.It is a four movement fantasy on Scottish folk melodies...
and the Paganini Caprices
24 Caprices for Solo Violin (Paganini)
The 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 was written by Niccolò Paganini between 1802 and 1817 and published in 1819. They are also designated as M.S. 25 in Maria Rosa Moretti and Anna Sorrento's Catalogo tematico delle musiche di Niccolò Paganini, which was published in 1982...
for solo violin. He recorded the Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
Sonata in C major for solo violin and the Third and Fourth sonatas for solo violin
Six Sonatas for solo violin (Ysaÿe)
Eugène Ysaÿe's Six sonatas for solo violin, Op. 27, is a set of sonatas for unaccompanied violin written in July 1923. Each sonata was dedicated to one of Ysaÿe’s contemporary violinists: Joseph Szigeti , Jacques Thibaud , George Enescu , Fritz Kreisler , Mathieu Crickboom , and Manuel Quiroga...
by Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe
Eugène Ysaÿe was a Belgian violinist, composer and conductor born in Liège. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tzar"...
, as well as virtuoso pieces, including an album with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the Hollywood Bowl....
.
Rabin played in a bel canto
Bel canto
Bel canto , along with a number of similar constructions , is an Italian opera term...
style. He performed for many years on the "Kubelik" Guarnerius del Gesu
Giuseppe Guarneri
Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri, del Gesù was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri house of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his instruments, and he has been called the finest violin maker of the Amati line...
of 1735. He toured widely, playing in all the major cities of the U.S., Europe, South America and Australia. He even appeared on a 1951 episode of the variety television series "Texaco Star Theatre". During a recital in Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, he suddenly fell forward and momentarily lost his balance, and this was the beginning of a neurological condition which was to affect his career adversely. He died prematurely at the age of 35 from a head injury sustained in a fall at his New York apartment.