EUGÈNE YSAŸE 1912-1914 COLUMBIA RECORDINGS CDR

 

EUGÈNE YSAŸE (LIÈGE, BELGIUM, JULY 16, 1858 — BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, MAY 12, 1931)

was a Belgian violinist, conductor, and composer, the foremost interpreter of the string works of French and Belgian composers of his time.

 

After a year as conductor of an orchestra in Berlin, Ysaÿe toured Norway, Russia, and France. From 1886 to 1897 he was professor of violin at the Brussels Conservatory. In 1894 he began in Brussels a series of orchestral concerts that introduced much new music. In the same year he founded the Ysaÿe Quartet, to which Claude Debussy dedicated the string quartet he wrote. From 1918 to 1922 Ysaÿe was conductor of the Cincinnati (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra.

Ysaÿe’s playing was known for its virtuosity, expressiveness, and intensive use of vibrato. He inspired works by César Franck (who influenced his early style), Camille Saint-Saëns, Vincent d’Indy, and Gabriel Fauré. Among his own best compositions are six sonatas for unaccompanied violin, containing novel chordal and pizzicato effects. He also wrote eight violin concerti, chamber works, and an opera in Walloon dialect, Piér li Houïen (1931; “Peter the Miner”).

TRACKLIST

Die Meistersinger von Nurunberg (Wagner) Prize Song Columbia 36513 12/24/1912

Piece Pittoresque No.10: Scherzo-valse (Chabrier) Columbia 36514 12/24/1912

Abendlied, Op. 85, No. 12 (Schumann) Columbia 36515 12/24/1912

Mazuruka In B Minor, Op. 1, No. 3: Lointaine Passe (Ysaÿe) Columbia 36516 12/24/1912

Berceuse, Op.16 (Faure) Columbia 36519 12/27/1912

Violin Concerto in E Minor, Op. 64 III. Finale Allegro molto vivace (Mendelssohn) Columbia 36520 12/27/1912

Mazurukas, Op.19: No. 1 In G Major, Obertass (Wieniawski) Columbia 36521 12/27/1912

Mazurukas, Op.19: No. 2 In D Major, Dudziarz (Wieniawski) Columbia 36521 12/27/1912

Reve d’Enfant, Op. 14 (Ysaÿe) Columbia 36522 2/1/1913

Rondino, Op. 32, No. 2 (Vieuxtemps) Columbia 36523 12/30/1912

Hungarian Dance No.5 In F-Sharp Minor (Brahms) Columbia 36524 12/30/1912

Caprice Viennois, Op. 2 (Kreisler) Columbia 36525 12/30/1912

Albmblatt In G (Wagner) Columbia 36526 12/30/1912

Ave Maria, D.839 (Schubert) Columbia 36907 3/9/1914

Humoressque In G-Flat Major, Op.101, No. 7 (Dvorak) Columbia 36908 3/19/1914