Michael Rabin’s short life and career are one of the saddest stories in the history of classical music. Fortunately, he left behind enough splendid recordings – for Columbia Masterworks and Capitol/Angel/EMI – that document the extravagant praise his playing received during his all-too-brief life.
Rabin made frequent appearances on the radio, in particular on a staple of American radio, “The Bell Telephone Hour”. For several decades privately issued copies of many of his appearances have circulated among collectors – often in poor sound. For the first time, Parnassus Records is making available all of Rabin’s Telephone Hour appearances in two volumes – over four hours of music – restored and remastered from the best available sources by Urlicht AudioVisual, in performances that capture not only Rabin’s staggering technical powers but spontaneity not often captured in the recording studio. Rabin is accompanied by the Bell Telephone Hour Orchestra led by one of his most trusted and versatile artistic collaborators, conductor Donald Voorhees.
This release will be a “must-have” for classical violin fans worldwide.
“[T]he loss of this great talent continues to be felt: his teacher Galamian, who instructed many fine violinists, spoke of Michael Rabin as his most treasured pupil, ‘an extraordinary talent – [with] no weaknesses, never.’ The Parnassus transfers, courtesy of audio restoration by Gene Gaudette, are superb.”
-Gary Lemco, Audiophile Audition
“These were Rabin’s great years, when his instrumental dexterity was matched by his intellectual-expressive control and everything was warmed by his tonal sweetness and clarity.”
-Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International
