25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No one better, reissue this please!, August 8, 2003
This review is from: Michael Rabin 1936-1972 (Audio CD)
At the time I am writing this review there are 5 buyers waiting to buy this box.
I submit that no one recorded Paganini Caprices and Perpetual Motion better, no one recorded a better flight of the bumble bee, no one recorded Winiawski Concertos 1 and 2 better, no one played a better Zigeunerweisen, no one played a better Saint Saens Intro Rondo, and especially the Glazunov was never played better.
These pieces are without a doubt the most exciting of all music written for the violin and Rabin plays with such color and expression combined with rediculous virtuosity and an undeniable sence of conviction, he is basically the definition of a true prodigy and is the violinist I have been comparing all others to for over 20 years. Without a doubt he was one of the greatest soloists the world has ever known.
If anyone out there is listening, please reissue this cd box. It is an essential part of any musician or collector's library. How sad that this is terribly hard to purchase anywhere.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the greatest violinists of the recorded era., May 3, 2002
This review is from: Michael Rabin 1936-1972 (Audio CD)
Michael Rabin was an incredible violinist -- equal or superior to all other violinists of the recorded era. Although Heifetz is generally regarded as the greatest violinist of the 20th century, Rabin was fully equal to him in technical prowess and surpassed him in artistry. Unfortunately, Rabin died before his 36th birthday and had stopped performing on a regular basis by his mid-twenties. Whether he would have resumed his career had he lived longer we will never know. The recordings in this collection represent virtually all of his studio recordings for EMI made over a period of only a few years. But what masterpieces they are! In only a few years of studio recording Rabin created a legacy of masterpieces that violinists whose careers spanned decades have not exceeded. If you love the violin, please get this set of CDs if it is still available. If it is no longer available, please get one of his other recording -- perhaps his legendary recording of the Paganini caprices. But, by one means or another, listen to this great artist.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must-own, Rare and Precious CD Set!, October 24, 2003
This review is from: Michael Rabin 1936-1972 (Audio CD)
This is my most favorite CD, I treat it not only as a rare CD set, but also treasures.
Michael Rabin, borned 1936 in a family of musicians, showed great talent when he was just one year ole: he was able to beat perfect time. This talent kept growing and became conspicuous when Rabin is five years old: he once attracted by the violin that hung in his doctor¡¯s clinic office and picked it up immediately, playing and refusing to returned it. What¡¯s amazing is that he was never regularly trained and he was just learning piano at that time. His father(a violinist in the New York Philharmonic) seized this chance and began to teach his son¡ªlittle Rabin to play violin. Later Rabin became student of Ivan Galamian, who also the teacher of Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman.
Rabin¡¯s playing style can be described as ¡°graceful and beautiful¡±, it is not the normal meaning, you can hear Rabin¡¯s own special ¡°grace¡± and ¡°beautiful¡±, which can not be imitated by other violinist: Heifetz¡ªno! Milstein¡ªno! Grumiaux¡ªno!
What¡¯s more attracted is that Rabin¡¯s playing mixed a feeling of innocent and artless that is lacked in any other violinist. Rabin was not sophisticate; his playing was direct and emotional, with unflagging enthusiasm.
Despite his great artistic appeal, Rabin had astounding skill on controlling violin. His playing of Paganini was a classic in violin recording archive. His skill is now disseminated to be ¡°god like¡±. After you have heard his stereo recording of Paganini¡¯s Violin Concerto No.1, you will find other violinists¡¯ playing so ¡°naive¡±, lack of enough skill and artistic talent.
It¡¯s a pity that Michael Rabin never enter the recording studio after 1960, all of his legendary recording ended at 1960, which make this EMI 6CD set so precious and rare today. Almost all of Rabin¡¯s recording gathered within EMI, and this 6CD set including all of it. Rabin was reported to be involved in chronic drug using, and has unusual neuroses, including a fear of falling off the stage. None of this affected his performance in concerts in the 1960¡¯s¡ªbut just live concerts, not any recording after 1960. Michael Rabin died at 1972, some days before his 36th birthday. The cause of his death is: Rabin slipped on the floor that day and had his head strike on a chair. A sudden death and a sudden grieve!
Though there are about half of the recordings in mono, and another in stereo, all of Rabin¡¯s EMI-Capitol (EMI¡¯s USA branch) recordings have astonishing sound quality, especially the stereo ones. Many of my friend claimed that they had never heard a violin recording had so a good sound quality. Very few recordings (Paganini No.1, Wieniawski No.2 and three encores from the original LP ¡°The Magic Bow¡±) was published by Germany local EMI in 1989 (which is only sold in Germany, not internationally). This 6CD set is considered the first choice for experiencing Rabin¡¯s playing, because it¡¯s sound quality is the best (though the Paganini, Wieniawski, three Encores¡¯ digital remastering is said to be exactly the same as 1989 , I compare it and find that actually the 1991 6CD complete version is better, in my opinion), think about that many (about 5/6 ) of Rabin¡¯s recording is the first time appear on this 6CD set! So if somebody haven¡¯t owned this 6CD set, try to find it. You will be deeply impressed and even treat this EMI 6CD set to be the ultimate violin CD in your recording collection archive.
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