Regarded today as one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, the Ukrainian-born Mischa Elman. Elman made his first records at the age of 15, and at the age of 19 – following his triumphant Carnegie Hall début – he made his first recordings for The Victor Talking Machine Company. Elman – along with Kreisler and Heifetz – made up the triumvirate of violinists that dominated record sales in the 1920s and 30s.

This 2-CD set features all of the electrical recordings Elman made between 1926–32. These vividly showcase the violinist’s fabled tone and inimitable rubato. Among the many solo pieces featured in this set are such perennial favourites as Schubert’s Ave Maria, Dvořák’s Humoresque, Bach’s Air on the G String and the Méditation from Massenet’s Thaïs. Elman also recorded such rare but charming gems such as Riccardo Drigo’s Serenade from his ballet Les Millions d’Arlequin, Frantisek Drdla’s Sehnsucht (‘Longing’), Rudolf Friml’s Au soir (‘At Evening’), and the Serenade by Harry Waldo Warner, an English violist who was one of the founding members of the London String Quartet. And Elman offers a delightful contribution of his own in the form of his piquant Tango. Whether it be the childlike simplicity of Beethoven’s Minuet in G or the haunting Valse triste from Sibelius’s incidental music to Arvad Järnefelt’s play Kuolema – these early electrical recordings of little miniatures vividly displa y Elman’s unique artistry.

In addition to short solo works Elman is featured playing first violin in his eponymous string quartet. This includes all four movements of Haydn’s D minor Quartet, known as the Quinten (‘Fifths’), as well as the Haydn ‘Emperor’ Hymn and Tchaikovsky’s soulful Andante cantabile. Also featured in this set are several short encore pieces Elman made in London for HMV (‘His Master’s Voice’). These include a nocturne by Chopin, Mendelssohn’s beloved O for the Wings of a Dove, Ysaÿe’s haunting Rêve d’enfant and César Espejo’s brilliant Airs tziganes.