The composers on this recording, Fritz Kreisler, Efrem Zimbalist, and Eugène Ysaÿe, were drawn to create 'serious' works that went beyond mere solo violin showpieces.
Composer Biography
Efrem Zimbalist, a violinist and composer, was considered the intellectual of the group of students taught by the fabled Leopold Auer, which also included Mischa Elman and Jascha Heifetz.
Composer Biography
Eugène Ysaÿe, a giant of a man both artistically and physically, was looked up to by violinists like Kreisler, Zimbalist, Elman, and Heifetz as 'notre maître à tous' (the master of us all).
Composer Biography
Fritz Kreisler, a renowned violinist, once confessed to passing off his own short encore pieces as arrangements of works by early masters, claiming he unearthed them in European monasteries.
Performer Biography
Efrem Zimbalist and his wife, soprano Alma Gluck, had the first Victor record release to sell a million copies in its first year with their recording of 'Old Folks At Home'.
Composer Biography
Fritz Kreisler, Efrem Zimbalist, and Eugène Ysaÿe were not only colleagues but also friends, living in a time when individuality was appreciated.
Cultural Impact
After Eugène Ysaÿe's death, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, an amateur violinist who studied with him, established an international competition in his name, which continues today as the Queen Elisabeth competition.
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