Michael Rabin was an American violin virtuoso, who was born on May 2, 1936, and died tragically young at the age of 35 in 1972. Rabin was born to an immigrant family of violinists in New York City. His father, George Rabinowitz, was a Polish-born violinist who performed in vaudeville shows as “George Rabinoff”, and his mother was Hungarian-born violinist Isabelle “Bertha” Weinstein.
At a very young age, Rabin began to study the violin with his parents. He made his professional debut at the age of 11 with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. He then performed with other major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
His international career began at age 13, when he won the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium. Rabin continued to tour, perform and record with orchestras around the world in his later years, and was often praised as one of the most prodigious violin prodigies of the 20th century.
Rabin’s playing was characterized by a crystalline clarity, technical brilliance, and bold artistry. He was regarded as a child prodigy who developed into a mature musician of extraordinary sensitivity. His technique and tonal quality were often compared with Yehudi Menuhin, Nathan Milstein, and Jascha Heifetz.
Unfortunately, Rabin’s life and career came to a tragic end after a head injury sustained by a fall inside a New York City apartment building on January 19, 1972. His loss was deeply felt in the classical music world, and his recordings have remained popular among violin enthusiasts ever since.
Some of Rabin’s most noteworthy recordings include his interpretation of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with Sir Adrian Boult and the Philharmonia Orchestra, his renditions of the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Charles Munch, and his performance of Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen with the Hollywood Bowl.