Erika Morini
Erika Morini (January 5, 1904 - October 31, 1995) was a Jewish Austrian violinist.
Family and Life
Morini was born in Vienna, and received her first instruction from her father, Oscar Morini (originally spelled Oser or Ojser), who was the director of his own music school in the Imperial capital Vienna, and completed her studies under Otakar Ševčík. Hers was a case of remarkable precocity.
Her mother was Malka Morini, née Weissmann (her father was born at Czernowitz). She had five siblings:
- Alice Morini, pianist
- Stella Morini, violinist
- Haydee Morini, dancer
- Frank Morini, art dealer
- Albert Morini (born 1902), impresario concert manager
When she made her début in 1916, with the Leipzig Gewandhaus and Berlin Philarmonic orchestra,under 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 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. She resided in New York after 1938, and began spelling her first name Erica. She made her first visit to London in 1923.
Along with the Guadagnini violin, Morini also played a Davidoff. The instrument, a Stradivarius from the year 1727, was named for the Russian cellist Karl Davydov. Morini’s father had purchased it for her in Paris in 1924.
She retired in 1976 and died in New York City, in October 1995.
Shortly before her death, as she lay in the hospital at the age of ninety-one, the instrument (as well as paintings, letters, and her scores, complete with fingerings and other valuable notes) were stolen from her apartment on New York’s Fifth Avenue. Morini was suffering from heart disease and, in an effort not to excite her, the break-in was kept a secret. As of March 2012, the crime remains unsolved.[1][2]
Morini is believed to be the last surviving classical musician 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, Brahms and Tchaikovsky.[3]
Despite her phenomenal concert reviews and numerous prizes and awards—she received honorary doctorates from Smith College, Massachusetts, in 1955, and from the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston, in 1963, while the City of New York honored her lifetime achievement with a gold medal in 1976—and despite the respect in which she was held, Morini was soon forgotten.[4]
External links
- Erika Morini
- "quasi una fantasia - Juden und die Musikstadt Wien", p.131 (English version)
References
- ^ Bio Morini - Arbit Records
- ^ Erika Morini - Audaud.com
- ^ Erica Morini, 91, Subtle Violinist Who Explored Concerto Range. The New York Times Obituary. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ^ Jewish women - Erika Morini
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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