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Background -

This is a very rare STEREO LP pressing on the CAPITOL record label (SP 8534). The LP was made in CANADA, issued in 1960. The record jacket is in near mint minus shape with NO seam splits, NO writing, only a bit of light shelf wear along the seams and corners, and has a small cut out hole at the front, top, left corner. The vinyl itself appears in near mint minus overall shape, with a few light spider marks (these are caused by sliding the LP in and out of the inner sleeve - most of the time these types of marks don’t sound, but it really depends on the sensitivity of your audio gear). 

Michael Rabin managed to be one of the most talented and tragic violin virtuosi of his generation. Hailed as a child prodigy, his talent matured gracefully into an adult level, but he failed to follow in his emotional  growth, resulting in a cutting short of his career. He never reached the age of 36, yet remains one of the most fondly remembered of virtuoso violinists for listeners and fellow musicians such as Pinchas Zukerman, with whom he shared a teacher.

Rabin's father was a violinist in the New York Philharmonic, and his mother a Juilliard-trained pianist. When he was a year old, Rabin was able to beat perfect time, and at three he demonstrated his possession of perfect pitch; by five he was studying the piano, and not long after, while visiting a doctor whose hobby was the violin, Rabin took up a miniature version of the instrument that was in the office and began tuning and playing it, refusing to return it. His father began teaching him the instrument soon after, but before their fifth lesson, the elder Rabin realized that his son's musicianship exceeded his own. Ultimately Rabin studied with Ivan Galamian, the future teacher of Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman.

Rabin made his first professional appearance in 1947, at age ten, with the Havana Philharmonic under Artur Rodzinski, performing the Wieniawski Concerto No. 1. He made his recording debut two years later, on the Columbia Masterworks label, with a set of 11 of Paganini's Caprices for solo violin. The following year came Rabin's Carnegie Hall debut, at age 13, with the Vieuxtemps Concerto No. 5, in a performance that had him hailed in The New York Times as "already an accomplished artist...play[ing] with real grace and beauty of tone." No less a figure than the conductor George Szell declared Rabin the greatest violin talent that had come to his attention in the previous 30 years, and Dimitri Mitropoulos called Rabin "the genius violinist of tomorrow."

In the 1950s, Rabin signed with Capitol-EMI, for which he recorded the most important part of his legacy, including the Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1, the first and second violin concertos of Wieniawski, and the Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, and Glazunov concertos. At the end of the 1950s, Rabin suddenly cut short his recording career, for reasons that were never clear. He continued to perform regularly in concerts around the world, and even made broadcast recitals during the 1960s revealed his talents undiminished. There were accounts of his emotional instability, and an unstable personal life -- he had a rough time adjusting to the change from child prodigy to adult virtuoso, though his talent showed no signs of abatement; during the late '60s there were stories of chronic drug use; he also displayed some unusual neuroses, including a fear of falling off the stage, but none of that should have affected his recording career while leaving his concert career intact. In any case, Rabin never entered a recording studio again after 1959, and in 1972, while still in the prime of his life died in a fall when he slipped on a parquet floor and struck his head on a chair.

Rabin's legacy on record is principally concentrated in EMI's catalog. The complete Paganini 24 Caprices for solo violin are available as a single CD, while the rest of his output has been released in a six-CD set, containing virtually all of his concerto recordings. They remain seminal recordings of each of the pieces. - Bruce Eder.
The story of violinist Michael Rabin is as colored and tragic as any other in the stressful life of a child prodigy turned adult. His public performances began while still a young boy, and his first foray into the recording industry came at just 14 years of age with a set of the Paganini caprices. As he became an adult, his playing became unreliable and inconsistent, and he developed a host of idiosyncrasies, not the least of which was a fear of falling from the stage. In a cruel twist of fate, he actually did die at the age of 36 from a fall, though not from a stage. He ended his recording career far earlier than his public performances for reasons unknown. The present recordings of Wieniawski's Second and Paganini's First violin concertos represent the last time Rabin was to enter a recording studio. Listeners who were heretofore unfamiliar with Rabin's playing may wonder what all the hype was about. Such skepticism comes to an immediate halt upon Rabin's first entrance in the Wieniawski concerto. Not only is his tone incredibly rich and deep, but his capacity for pyrotechnic feats in both the left and right hands is virtually unparalleled. This not entirely common union of technical command with beauty of sound makes for one gripping and engaging track after another and is certainly worthy of a place in virtually any collection. - Mike D. Brownell
LP made by CAPITOL Records, in CANADA
LP released in 1960, rainbow record labels
LP is recorded in STEREO Record Catalog Number: SP 8534
This listing is for a very rare, out of print LP title - an OPENED and in near mint minus overall condition LP PRESSED and ISSUED by CAPITOL Records of a highly collectible title featuring -

Michael Rabin / Eugene Goossens // Paganini / Wieniawski

LP Title -

Michael Rabin - Paganini, Wieniawski

Track Listing -

Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 In D Major, Op. 6
A1. Allegro Maestoso - 16:48
A2. Adagio Espressivo - 5:19
A3. Rondo - Alegro Spiritoso - 5:43

Wieniawski: Violin Concert No. 2 In D Major, Op. 22
B1. First Movement : Allegro Moderato / Second Movement : Romance - Andante Non Troppo - 17:37
B2. Third Movement : Allegro Con Fuoco - Allegro Moderato - 6:00
Performers / Credits / Other Information -
• Composed By – Wieniawski (tracks: B1, B2), Paganini (tracks: A1 to A3)
• Conductor – Sir Eugene Goossens
• Orchestra – The Philharmonia Orchestra
• Violin – Michael Rabin
• Rainbow circle label 
• Printed in Canada 
• Cover Photo Printed in USA
• 1960 Canadian First-Press Stereo. Same label design as USA Pressing, except the silver vertical line on the label is replaced by a line of text that says 'Mfd. In Canada by Capitol Records of Canada, LTD. Registered Used'.
CONDITION Details: The LP jacket is in excellent plus to near mint minus overall condition. The jacket is tight and clean, with NO seam splits, NO writing on the cover, just some light shelf wear along the seams, spine and corners, nothing serious. It does have a small drill hole at the front, top, left corner. The corners are solid. The colors on the jacket are sharp, vibrant and clean - see our pictures with this listing as they are of the actual item.
The LP is in near mint minus overall condition! There are NO serious marks on the vinyl, perhaps just a couple of very light spider marks (caused by sliding the LP in and out of the inner sleeve) and perhaps a finger print or two. Most of the time, spider marks are not audible, but it really depends on the sensitivity of your audio gear. Considering the vintage of this LP, the vinyl looks superb. However, this is not a new audiophile LP....some extraneous sound is inevitable and should be expected for a vintage LP. This LP retains much of the original gloss and sheen! There are NO serious spindle marks on the record labels either.
A Short Note About LP GRADING - Mint {M} = Only used for sealed items. Near Mint {NM} = Virtually flawless in every way. Near Mint Minus {NM-} = Item has some minor imperfections, some audible. Excellent {EXC} = Item obviously played and enjoyed with some noise. Very Good Plus {VG+} = Many more imperfections which are noticeable and obtrusive.

For best results, always thoroughly clean your LPs before playing them, even for brand new items.

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).

Do not let this rarity slip by!