Mischa Elman plays Schubert Serenade

[MrGer2295]

Mikhail [originally Moses or Moishe] (Mischa) Saulovich Elman - (January 20, 1891, Talnoye, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire – April 5, 1967), New York, United States) was a Russian violinist, famed for his passionate style and beautiful tone.

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[MrGer2295]

Elman was born in the small town of Talnoye near Kiev, modern-day Talne, Ukraine. His grandfather was a klezmer, a Jewish folk musician, who also played the violin.

Molto Bello!!! Thank you for sharing this video.

[MrGer2295]

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.

Molto Bello!!! Thank you for sharing this video.

[MrGer2295]

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.

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[MrGer2295]

Elman was still only a boy when Auer arranged for him to play with the famous Colonne Orchestra during their visit to Pavlovsk. Knowing Édouard Colonne's hatred of child prodigies, Auer did not tell him Elman's age when making the arrangements, and not until the famous conductor saw young Mischa waiting to go on the platform did he realize that he had engaged a child.

Molto Bello!!! Thank you for sharing this video.

[MrGer2295]

He was furious, and flatly refused to continue with the programme. Frantic attempts were made to assure him that Elman had the recommendation of Auer himself and was well capable of doing justice to the music, but Colonne was adamant, " I have never yet played with a child, and I refuse to start now," he retorted. So Elman had to play with piano accompaniment while conductor and orchestra sat listening.

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[MrGer2295]

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.

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[MrGer2295]

The Elman family moved to the United States, and Mischa became a citizen in 1923. 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. In 1943, he gave the premiere of Bohuslav Martinů's second concerto, which was written for him. Sales of his records exceeded two million.

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[MrGer2295]

A frequent accompanist in chamber works during Elman's early American career was Emmanuel Bay, who was born on exactly the same day as he was, January 20, 1891. But Elman also performed and recorded with Josef Bonime, Carroll Hollister 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.

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[MrGer2295]

Elman died on April 5, 1967 in 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.

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[MrGer2295]

Thereafter, he recorded for Decca/London and later the Vanguard label. Regrettably, Elman's discs have never been reissued on CD in a systematic manner (whereas almost every recording which his contemporary Jascha Heifetz made has been readily available on CD for years).

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[CknSalad]

elman is probably one of the more underrated violinists. he has a nice romantic, clean sound in his playing.

[Oistrakhfollower]

"Oistrakh? Well... not bad. But Heifetz is still better than him lol"-Mischa Elman

"Heifetz will never play like me... I am the only one can play perfectly" - Mischa Elman

Hey, Elman, listen to me.

Heifetz is better than you. Oistrakh is way better than you.

What a crazy old timer

[aimson]

@Oistrakhfollower Hah, at one point in his career, he was right. Elman was the greatest of his generation and regarded as a top player along with Kreisler and a few others. Unfortunately, then came Heifetz, who just rocked Elman's world. The whole world, in fact. Elman remained (and still remains) one of the few greatest violinists to touch a block of wood and I put him on the same level of genius as Enescu or Oistrakh. In Elman's idiosyncratic way, quite easily, too.

[LordMgls]

@aimson I don't see the point of calling simple instrument players genius. Wtf is a genius? Perhaps revolutionary composers like Wagner, who worked hard to produce incredibly original and modern masterpieces, by means of creating brand new techniques? But why the hell a violinist? He just played perfectly, and kept using the technique that was most suitable to him - which which was a natural ability he had. Where is the genius?? Come on, don't confuse genius with talent!! No offense, dude...

[knubir]

@Oistrakhfollower

Well this is a silly discusion!! They are all different and each of them had a special quality. Perfection is not always creating deep emotions. Yes Heifez was brilliant. Even "perfect". But. The perception of a performance or an interpretation will always be individual. Listen to Arthur Grumiaux Mozart violine concerts in special no 3. In the modern world some of us miss old charming caracters like Mischa and Fritz Kreisler.

[Aqene1000]

my 93 year old mother in law just got me into this !

What a Gem ,

[paulostroff99]

Awesome!  TY.

[65attila]

His tone is cello-like and the style is so beautifully song - like.

[vicecitymayor]

Just went through Isaac Stern, Joshua Bell, and some other guys playing this song and none of them can compare.

[dqgoldin]

@vicecitymayor And what did you think of the one by Stanislav Antonevich?

[dave07jeje]

awesome....

[areneth]

I love this!

[2musiclover]

Absolutely fantastic!! Not words in my vocabulary to express the feeling it gives me goosebumps!!

[monkgroupie]

just magic. wow...

Elman is one of my favorite musicians, with his deep velvet sound. I know this is silly, but I listen to this and I feel as if he knew things about my heart that even I don't understand.

[dmmc1043]

i love his arrangement of the piece, i first heard it by perlman performing it on a pbs special.. do you know if anyone else recorded this arrangement of the serenade? thanks

[egauthre]

Lord this is beautiful beyond words, expression and feeling...

[zerotillo]

que maravilla DIOS mio.

[agenttexx]

I disagree with you Chuckles. For a musician and a composer, it is in their blood and they will feel the need to express this somehow. While he may not have been famous today, Bach would still have found a way to play his music.

[grabagoodone]

Elman played everything slower, plus those shifting. He was tring to making some sound he knew he was not able to.

[FR665XN]

What a pity the recording isn't better. But I think it's too slow.

[Zimologist]

Spectacular/.

[gluejay]

With this tune (music) I could fall in love with anyone beside me!!

[metztli928]

@gluejay

i agree completely!

[MrDouglasfairbanks]

it drips like oil from a can!

[MrDouglasfairbanks]

are you asleep?

wake up!

[dahlia05hotmail]

Heartwarmingly beautiful.

[MrDouglasfairbanks]

what a unique sound.

it sounds like a tea kettle on drugs!

[Julian9ehp]

Carl Sandburg praised Elman in the poem "Bath."

[almiramerico]

From Wikipedia:

Mikhail Saulovich 'Mischa' Elman (January 20, 1891 April 5, 1967) was a Ukrainian-born violinist, famed for his passionate style and beautiful tone. He was born in the small town of Talnoye near Kiev and died on April 5, 1967 in New York City.

[ckkck]

mischa elman was a great violin player!

[justwarren]

My father, now 86, dated his daughter, Nadia many many years ago. Then my father married my mother. Perhaps if things had turned out differently my 10 year old would be a better violinist!

[dmmc1043]

if things had turned out differently, you wouldn't exist!!!

[animefreakz91]

Yes I believe, Heifetz, Elman and a few more are what Musicians nowadays should really look up to.

[pligana]

very beautiful

[Dblecheezburger]

Elman is on violin, but who is playing piano?

[eden12345]

this is the original version or its an arrangement?

[pequenobaluarte]

Belíssimo!

[Pereimia]

Интересно,исполнитель жив или уже умер?

[thermokipiatsi]

αχ...θα κλαψω..τι μουσικη!

[dlacker]

wasn't Elman Ukrainian?

[da19lila38]

I meant not nationality(which has never  been a problem with me) but school and place of birth. Next time I'll be more cautious when placing a public comment not to arouse unnecessary dispute .Enjoy!

[vstasov]

You said nothing offensive or wrong, da19lila38. There is a long tradition of Russian Jewish violinists. Google that term and check out the lengthy list of names. Especially considering the small Jewish population, the number of great violinists of this lineage is impressive.

[da19lila38]

That's it! It's very close to what I heard on vynil. Incomparable, penetrating"Elman sound". Thanks, aimson! BTW most of the world - renown violinists had "russian" roots.

[aimson]

But did not identify as Russian... Interesting isn't it? Kogan was perhaps the only major violinist (plus maybe Oistrakh) that did. Certainly not Heifetz or Milstein, who hated Russia. Probably because they were Jewish.

[atombomb67]

But both Kogan and Oistrakh were Jewish as well, were they not? Elman was, too.

[goroundit123]

yes...and menuhin and heifetz and perlman...and kreisler

[ProkofievRules]

@aimson

Not sure about Oistrakh. He was born in Odessa, which is way into Ukraine, however, many people in Odessa speak, and identify themselves as being, Russian. Hard to say really.

[paulostroff99]

@aimson -So were Oistrakh and Kogan Jewish,as were Menuhin,Seidel,Elman,Shaham,Ra­bin,Stern,Szeryng,Hassid,Perlm­an,,Zuckerman,Hirshhorn,Menuhi­n,and scores of others.

[politicopol]

@paulostroff99 ...not to forget...Boris Goldstein...Josh baby...Ida Haendel...Sarah Chang :)

[ichbinschon24]

@aimson

Well, Kogan and Oistrach were Jewish too.

[ahsb4]

For some reason i feel violinists from back then had a different type of passion...

[DualThunder]

I completely agree.

Its the cultural change, and the evolution the world has undergone since last century. I think it will be a while until we find that "spark" again.

[Kurtyoungblood]

That's like saying Bach's genius was society's achievement.

[DualThunder]

partly. if you know about musical anthropology and ethnomusicology, it is true that 'genius' and/or creativity is not solely achieved by the person in question, but also because of the influences surrounding them, ie. society at the time.

[Kurtyoungblood]

That is silly. There is no collective mind or societal mind or anything like that. When Bach wrote a fugue, society had nothing to do with how good it was. Think about it. Only one, one, mind wrote that fugue. He may have been influenced by society or culture which I'm sure he was, but that in no way makes society responsible for Bach's genius. BACH is the composer of HIS music for a reason. Ever seen,

"Composer - Brahms/Society..."

No, and for good reason.

[DualThunder]

hello, i said society PARTIALLY influences a person (bach in this case).

And society and environment has a bigger impact than you think.

Think about it, if bach was born into a family that was not musical, nor could afford lessons, or was born into a town where music making was not affluent, then bach would have never have nurtured his 'genius' in the first place. Societal stimuli is crucial. If bach was not religious, his compositional output would be significantly different.

[DualThunder]

also, i didnt say that there is a 'collective/societal mind'. When i said that 'genuis/creativity is not solely achieved by the person' i wasnt refering to society as a collection of people. Rather as an external stimuli in collaboration with the person. So society could involve certain people, but also includes factors that will influence the artists, for example current events, childhood memories and other life experiences, living conditions, parenting, social skills and development. etc.

[esk848]

For the sake of the argument, society actually does and did play a large role in how a composer wrote or thought out their pieces. Place Bach in Wagner's time and see if he produces the same works. Chances are he would be more apt to take harmonic liberties as Wagner did.

Btw- That was just one example. There are other good reasons that can explain societal impact on the compositions of composers. Another example being what LSD and cocaine did for much of the music of the 60's and 70's.

[tombrenttomb]

@Kurtyoungblood really? no collective mind or societal mind or anything like that? well then how the HELL do you explain youtube?

and not only that, as a musician, i play guitar. its the age/society we live in. if i was born in bach's time i would be playing the violin or some shit.

[Chuckles543]

That's not what they're saying at all. Bach's genius is his self's, but the genius was enabled by society; if he was born today, he would not have composed. Rather, he would be playing video games and watching TV.

[NanSop]

and doing music....music is embraced by society today too....everything vibrates...there's music everywhere....

[alifefullofmusic]

@NanSop

sorry to disagree with you, but today there is electronoc noise that vibrates - not music

[metztli928]

@alifefullofmusic

he was talking about the vibrato on the violin

[excellentsourceof]

@Chuckles543 i don't know why you think you can speak for a dead guy.

[Chuckles543]

@excellentsourceof I'm merely stating the obvious; kids these days are much less likely to compose than way back when. How many kids do you know who play video games? Now how many kids do you know that compose music...

[Figga1949]

Very good...Congratulations.

[barbos111]

Incredible...

Thank you!

[3NUNS]

note the portamento

[dahlia05hotmail]

Wonderful sentimental interpretation. Very moving.

[variousweetie]

This guy likes playing slow, that's the only way he shows off I think.

[mudidopolo]

It has nothing to do with showing off, think more!

[Adrillius]

Wonderful !!!

[xiaoleideng]

I just uploaded Zigeunerweisen played by Mischa Elman. If you like this Serenade, you might like that too.

[chichinno]

?????????? You can't compare in any point Schubert to Sarasate. -_-

[EnvyPerse]

I agree hehehe....

Schubert is often very mild... Sarasate is often aggresive...

[Tube4ns]

Mischa Elman(Mikhail Saulovich), with his unrivaled tonal splendour, is considered one of the foremost violinists of the 20th century.

[elparrot]

*thanks for posting it! :)

[elparrot]

I love youtube, I might never have heard this otherwise! love this song

[mexindian1]

Such expressive and sensitive playing - not self-conscious at all. What a wonderful artist he was.

[ritorey]

What happened? There's no playback. Don't want to miss this one.

[milsteinelman]

Hi Xiaoleideng can you kindly where I can find the book "Mischa Elman & Romantic Style"? I am assuming that you are a Chinese in ethnity by your username and am wondering if I can ever find this book in China

[xiaoleideng]

well, I borrowed it from library in UBC ( a college in Canada). I scanned the last section from the book though. The last speech Mr Elman gave to the public before he passed away. A true inspiration to me. I can scan you those pages if you want.

[xiaoleideng]

I am reading a book about Mr. Mischa Elman and his generation. I would really like to hear some major pieces from Elman, since the book says he put a lot of modification to those pieces.

[aimson]

Yeah, most of what I have are short romance pieces and encores. However, I did listen to his Tchaikovsky concerto the other day and it was very very interesting. Remember, he was the first violinist to make the concerto famous (and playable), before Heifetz took over that is.

[xiaoleideng]

I am half way through the book" Mischa Elman and romantic style". Although it only represents a point of view from Mr Joseph and family members of Mr Elman, I felt that Mischa' art is hold back by the the business. It is sad to read that Mr Elman cannot record any major pieces around 193x due to some issues. From what I'v read and heart, I felt that Mischa is underrated and it is a pity that we cannot really find any of his major works today.

[paulostroff99]

@aimson-Did you ever hear of Auer or Joachim-just to name but two others.There were many others.

[paulostroff99]

One of the all time great violinists.

[joinmydeath]

I love this piece!!!

[s2020b]

hey aimson, i have a kool story about elman. He watched Yashah Hafetz's firt concert (at carnegy hall in new york in the 20s) together with a pianist by the name of leopold godowsky. 10 minutes into the concert, sweating, elman asked godowsky if its hot, goowsky said for pianists no, only for violinists

[paulostroff99]

s2020b-Great,and probably true story!

[lasiht]

Bello y conmovedor haber encontrado esta Serenade de Franz Schubert que me acompaña desde siempre en mi corazón,

Alguien sabe donde encontrar su letra?

La recuerdo , pero no íntegra, si ven mi pedido acá, espero que me ayuden a encontrarla, es muy bella también tanto como sus acordes tan intensos para mi!!!

Un saludo, gracias.

Teresita.

[ColinMeloy91]

Amazing this guy is such an inspiration.

[deedee9189]

Just loved it. Very expressive. Hope I might do as well some day. At least something to work for. Thanks for putting it on. Dale

[seahyimin]

the feeling is still preserved perfectly

[saveMe82]

i wish i could play d violin like tt..haizzzz..lovely song...but d violin sounds a little bit off...

[classicfairy]

Beautiful!!

[Ernest0o0]

at least he has proper posture in this picture post

unlike his actual playing which he struggles to get to the higher postitions!!!

[paulroman13]

Reminds me of the good old 33rpms. Beautifully done although we can't help it to be scratchy.

[fx5950xt]

^_^ , LOVE IT AND GIVE IT 5 Star , ok!?

[DualThunder]

aimson another great vid. thanks a lot :)

[trevorpinnocky]

fantastic....it's wonderful to hear one the greatest violinist known for having a 'full and sumptuous tone, marked with romantic style vibrato'. contrast his vibrato to that commonly used today anywhere, everywhere, and elsewhere. the next generation will call us old fashioned and our vibrato will be a major point of contention. i can't wait. : )

[itzduhdonna]

absolutely beautiful...<3

[variousweetie]

Too much showing in the playing. Eolman was always trying to get max sounding beuty from his limited techniques.

[orjus]

Elman had a very good technique ,but it was the old world

way of playing--slides etc. his tone was not to be matched by anyone except Kreisler,-then Heifetz came along -and every dodo bird since wants to be a Heifetz

much to the determent of the instrument . Fast and

accurate is the norm -color of sound is long gone .

.

[waistoi]

Very true. I think the old masters were much more obsessed with tones than accuracy. Kreisler's recordings have slips here are there. But that's not a concern at all; his tone was unmatched.

[spind]

That's just dumb

[spind]

The comment refers to Variousweetie's remark below, not anyone else. Sorry.

[montybloom]

wow this owns most original vocal renditions of the same lieder... so sexy

[rrddhh]

this piece is so emotional. elman is definately one of the best!

[arielpesach]

So beautiful! And my compliments to aimson, sherom and lourak for your comments. Also I love all these encores, and for the musical education of young violinists these encores give them all their paletts of coulours in musical expression.

[aimson]

Your welcome! I will never forget the time my teacher made all of his students (including the more advanced ones) to stop working on all concertos. Instead, for the next 3 months, masterclasses consisted of listening to Kreisler, Beethoven romances, and other beautiful encore peices. For once, technique and perfection took a backseat to individual expression of emotion and musicianship.

[violinpro]

Who was your teacher? Write me on violinpro, send me a message.

[sherom]

I agree with you %100. The encores died off with Heifetz & Kreisler. Perlman is one of the few violinist and most recently Joshua Bell who still try to pay tribute to the neglected encore pieces. There has been violinist in the past and present who record the same violin concerto's , such as the Beethoven, the Mozart, & Tchaikovsky, Etc. two to three times, give me a break. Bring back those Encores instead, that contain those beautiful melody's and that the average music lover can appreciate.

[lourak]

I heartily agree with both of you gentlemen.

[rsjacobson]

Most of the fine violinists today, including Perlman, have discs just of the short pieces. Perlman loved them and his encores were always looked forward to by his audiences every time I was fortunate to see him.

[sherom]

Beautiful playing. Elman at his best here!

[aimson]

One of the things I really "miss" about the earlier violinists is that they played more short romantic peices. Nowadays, people only seem to care about who plays Tchaikovsky Concerto or Bach Chaconne the "best." To me, the true humanity of violin comes from violinists like Elman and beautiful little peices like the Shubert Serenade.