Elman

Ziggy Elman played trumpet beautifully and made lasting, significant contributions to the ripening of jazz and swing during the months immediately preceding the Second World War. As if to illustrate the point, this first segment of Elman's chronology contains his Bluebird recordings dating from December 28, 1938, through December 26, 1939. During this period, the trumpeter's band invariably consisted of two alto and two tenor saxophones with piano, guitar, bass, and drums. Over the course of 12 months a series of fine players passed through Elman's band. Among them were saxophonists Arthur Rollini, Babe Russin, Hymie Schertzer, Toots Mondello, and Jerry Jerome, and pianists Jess Stacy, Milt Raskin, and Johnny Guarnieri…

Mischa Elman was born in Ukraine in 1891 and was a pupil of the legendary Leopold Auer in St Petersburg. Along with Heifetz and Milstein, Elman is regarded as one of the giants of violin playing in the 20th century. According to Joseph Szigeti, Elman embodied ‘a playing of a fire, an elegance, a rhythmic incisiveness which I had never even imagined’. The two major works on this CD show off different facets of Elman’s playing from the early 1950s. Mozart’s Violin Sonata in B-flat, K.454, reveals the violinist’s luscious approach to the Classical repertoire, and Paganini’s renowned Caprice No.24 displays his brilliance as a violin virtuoso. The CD also includes a selection of short encores that capture Elman’s inimitable style and unique charm, and ends with four beloved songs in which Elman plays violin obligato accompaniment to the American tenor Jan Peerce and mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens.

Misha Elman was one the most sublime exponents the violin ever had. His accurate intonation, balance and deep lyricism never falls in common places. His signature keeps a narrow relationship with expression. Superb. Many brilliant stars of the instrument should listen him. For many he is outdated but it's an easy way for eschewing about the real essence and purpose of the music.

Today we take high fidelity sound quality for granted, but how did it start? When was the moment when compressed and scratchy sound gave way to natural, realistic sound that captured the whole picture of a performance? Decca Sound ‘Mono Years’ seeks to answer that question and shows how, 70 years ago, amidst war-time privations, a small team at Decca made technological breakthroughs that brought hi-fi to the world. This latest cube explores Decca’s earliest high-fidelity history, and restores some restores critically acclaimed albums from ensembles such as the Trio di Trieste, Quintetto Chigiano and Griller Quartet which have not been available since their original LP release more than sixty years ago. An equally impressive array of soloists includes pianists Clifford Curzon, Julius Katchen, Friedrich Gulda and Moura Lypmany and violinists Ruggiero Ricci and Alfredo Campoli. Several generations of cellists are represented with recordings by Pierre Fournier, Maurice Gendron and Zara Nelsova.