Toscha Seidel - American Columbia Recordings (1918-21) (Remastered 2026) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Romance from Violin Concerto No.2
02. Nocturne in E minor, op.72 no.1
03. Caprice viennois, op.2
04. Serenade from Schwanengesang
05. Traumerei, op.15 no.7
06. Eili, Eili
07. Orientale, op.50 no.9
08. Humoresque, op.101 no.7
09. Zigeunerweisen, op.20
10. Andante cantabile from String Quartet No.1
11. Hejre Kati, op.32
12. Madrigale
13. Meditation
14. Valse bleue
15. I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles
16. Canzonetta, op.6 no.1
17. Hungarian Dance No.1
18. Canzonetta from Violin Concerto
19. Polish Dance
20. Liebesfreud
21. Serenade espagnole, op.150

Together with Jascha Heifetz, Toscha Seidel was one of the star pupils of the legendary music teacher Leopold Auer in St. Petersburg. Described by Auer himself as 'the angel' (Heifetz) and 'the devil' (Seidel), these two superstar violin virtuosos often performed together in Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Double Concerto'. After emigrating to New York in the wake of the Russian Revolution, Toscha Seidel made his American debut at Carnegie Hall in 1918. Immediately after this triumphant success, the youthful Seidel received an exclusive contract with the Columbia Record Company to compete with Heifetz on the Victor label. Although Seidel was described as 'transcendent' by the New York Times and 'unforgettable' by the New York Tribune, he never achieved the fame of his fellow students at Auer. The respected violinist and pedagogue Carl Flesch wrote in his memoirs: 'The quality of [Seidel's] sound is one of the finest I have heard in my career. His technique is also outstanding, which is why I consider it an injustice of fate that he is not regarded as the third in the triumvirate with Heifetz and Elman' This album contains Toscha Seidel's first recordings for the American Columbia label, including such well-known favorites as Johannes Brahms' First Hungarian Dance, Antonin Dvorak's Humoresque and Pablo de Sarasate's Gypsy Tunes. Although no complete concertos were recorded at the time Seidel made his first records, he plays the soulful Canzonetta from Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto and the Romance from Henryk Wieniawski's popular Second Concerto on this album.