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Michael Rabin
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{{Short description|American violinist (1936–1972)}} {{For|the Israeli computer scientist|Michael O. Rabin}} '''Michael Rabin''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|eɪ|b|ɪ|n}} {{respell|RAY|bin}}; May 2, 1936{{spaced ndash}}January 19, 1972) was an American [[violin]]ist. He has been described as "one of the most talented and tragic violin virtuosi of his generation". ==Biography == Michael Rabin was of [[Romanian people|Romanian]]-[[Jew]]ish descent. His mother Jeanne was a [[Juilliard School|Juilliard]]-trained pianist, and his father George was a violinist in the [[New York Philharmonic]]. He began to study the violin at the age of seven. His parents encouraged his musical development. After a lesson with [[Jascha Heifetz]], 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. His Carnegie Hall debut took place in January 1950, at the age of 13, as soloist with the National Orchestral Association, playing [[Henri Vieuxtemps|Vieuxtemps]]' [[Violin Concerto No. 5 (Vieuxtemps)|Concerto No. 5]]<ref>{{cite journal|last=Althouse|title=American Record Guide|date = March–April 2010|pages=248–249}}</ref> under the direction of [[Léon Barzin]]. Subsequently, he appeared with a number of American orchestras before his [[Carnegie Hall]] debut on 29 November 1951, at the age of 15, in the [[Niccolò Paganini|Paganini]] [[Violin Concerto No. 1 (Paganini)|D major Concerto]], with [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]] conducting the New York Philharmonic. His 1958 recording of this concerto is considered by many to be the most impressive recording of this work, and the recording itself is notable for the fullness of tone. His first London appearance took place on 13 December 1954, at age 18, playing the [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]] [[Violin Concerto (Tchaikovsky)|Concerto in D]] at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] with the [[BBC Symphony Orchestra]]. Rabin recorded concertos by [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]], [[Alexander Glazunov|Glazunov]], Paganini (No. 1 in D major; 2 recordings), [[Henryk Wieniawski|Wieniawski]] ([[Violin Concerto No. 1 (Wieniawski)|No. 1 in F-sharp minor]], [[Violin Concerto No. 2 (Wieniawski)|No. 2 in D minor]]) and Tchaikovsky, as well as [[Max Bruch|Bruch]]'s ''[[Scottish Fantasy]]'' and the Paganini [[24 Caprices for Solo Violin (Paganini)|Caprices]] for solo violin. He recorded the [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]] Sonata No. 3 in C major for solo violin, and the Third and Fourth [[Six Sonatas for solo violin (Ysaÿe)|sonatas for solo violin]] by [[Eugène Ysaÿe]], as well as other virtuoso pieces, including an album with the [[Hollywood Bowl Orchestra]]. <!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Michael Rabin 1966 touring Southern Africa.png|thumb|right|Michael Rabin 1966 tour of Southern Africa. Photo dedicated to tour organiser Hans Adler.[http://classicalmusicianstoza.blogspot.ca/2014/06/michael-rabin-american-violinist.html] ]] --> Rabin played in a [[bel canto]] style. For many years, he played the "Kubelik" [[Giuseppe Guarneri|Guarnerius del Gesù]] of 1735. He toured widely, playing in all major cities in the U.S., Europe, South America, Southern Africa,<ref>[http://classicalmusicianstoza.blogspot.ca/2014/06/michael-rabin-american-violinist.html Michael Rabin 1966, touring Southern Africa]</ref> 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 lost his balance and fell forward. This was an early sign of a [[neurological]] condition which was to limit his career from then on. His death, at 35, resulted from a fall in his apartment in New York City.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p3nym BBC Radio 3 – "The Life and Genius of Michael Rabin", 11 December 2012]. Accessed 16 May 2015</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{refbegin}} * ''Michael Rabin: America's Virtuoso Violinist'', by [[Anthony Feinstein]] (2005) * Played the violin solos in the 1954 MGM film 'Rhapsody' starring [[Elizabeth Taylor]] * CD program notes, Paganini Caprices Op. 1 for unaccompanied violin, Michael Rabin, EMI Classics {{refend}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Rabin, Michael}} [[Category:1936 births]] [[Category:1972 deaths]] [[Category:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent]] [[Category:American male classical violinists]] [[Category:Juilliard School alumni]] [[Category:Jewish violinists]] [[Category:Accidental deaths from falls]] [[Category:Jewish classical violinists]] [[Category:20th-century American male musicians]] [[Category:20th-century American classical violinists]]
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