WESTMINSTER LP XWN 18594: ERICA MORINI - Tartini Devil's Trill Sonata, etc - USA

$

500

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Background -

Morini was born in Vienna, and received her first instruction from her father, Oscar Morini (originally spelled Oser or Ojser, family name Moritz), who was the director of his own music school in the Imperial capital Vienna, and completed her studies under Otakar Sevcik. Hers was a case of remarkable precocity.

When she made her début in 1916, with the Leipzig Gewandhaus and the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, under Arthur Nikisch, the critics made no allowance for her youth, but spoke of her work as the equal of that of the most famous of the younger generation of violinists. Her American début at the age of seventeen in New York (January 26, 1921) was one of the musical sensations of the year, and since then she performed in the United States often, both in recital and with the foremost Orchestras. Shortly after her New York début, she was presented with the Guadagnini violin which had been owned by the celebrated American Violinist Maud Powell, who had died in 1920. In March 1921, Morini made her first recordings for the Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, New Jersey, accompanied on the piano by her sister, Alice. She resided in New York after 1938, and began spelling her first name Erica. She made her first visit to London in 1923.

On the boat ride from Europe to New York, Erica and her cousin Louis played violin and clarinet together for the first class passengers, and were allowed to stay in first class on account of their popularity.

Along with the Guadagnini violin, Morini also played the "Davidov" Stradivarius violin from the year 1727, named for the Russian cellist Karl Davydov. Morini’s father had purchased it for her in Paris in 1924 for $10,000.

Morini retired in 1976 and reportedly never played the violin again.

Morini's valuable Davidov Stradivarius (as well as paintings, letters, and her scores, complete with fingerings and other valuable notes) were stolen from her New York City apartment shortly before her death in October 1995, at the age of 91. She had been hospitalized with heart disease and was never told of the theft. The crime remains unsolved.

Morini is believed to be the last surviving recording artist who made acoustic Red Seal Records for the Victor Talking Machine Company. Four months after her death, Erica Morini was described in the journal The Strad as the “most bewitching woman violinist of this century.”

She was particularly admired for her performances of the concerto repertory, especially the concertos of Ludwig Spohr, which she helped restore to popularity. She also played and recorded the great concertos of Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.

Morini was honored with numerous awards and prizes. she received honorary doctorates from Smith College, Massachusetts, in 1955, and from the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, in 1963. The City of New York honored her lifetime achievement with a gold medal in 1976. Despite the respect in which she was held, Morini is largely forgotten today.

• LP made by WESTMINSTER Records, in the USA

• LP released in the 1950s (first pressing / first issue)
  

• LP is recorded in MONO (only every available in MONO)

• Record Catalog Number: XWN 18594

• Record Labels are primarily dark BLUE (almost black) with silver lettering

Erica Morini / Leon Pommers

Tartini -

Sonata in G minor (Devil's Trill)

Variations on a Theme of Corelli

Sonata in G minor (Didone Abbandonata)

Performers -

The LP jacket is in excellent plus, almost near mint minus condition! The jacket is tight and clean, with NO seam splits, with just a bit of shelf wear at the  seams and corners (see pics). The colors on the jacket are sharp, but there is a little bit of discoloration due to the heavy use of WHITE as the predominant color used on the jacket. Considering the age of the LP, the jacket is in superb condition (see pictures with this listing as they are of the actual item). 

A Short Note About LP GRADING -

• Mint = Only used for sealed items.
• Near Mint = Virtually flawless in every way.
• Near Mint Minus = Item has some minor imperfections, some audible.
• Excellent = Item obviously played and enjoyed with some noise.
• Very Good Plus = Many more imperfections which are noticeable and obtrusive.

For best results, always thoroughly clean your LPs before playing them.

LPs can be audiophile quality pressings (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).