Lost violin stars of the Soviet Union

Elisabeth Matesky says:

Reply to superb Simon Scott!

As my friend, Simon Scott wrote, Poliakin, (with whom I’m quite familiar through my great Russian born ‘third’ teacher, London’s Sascha Lasserson, who always
spoke glowingly about Miron Poliakin’s magnificent playing) was a ‘Great’ (my words continuing here) gone astray by Names Crazy early Twentieth Century Violin ‘Historian’s’ ~

Lasserson, hailed as London’s Greatest Violin Pedagogue, and Authentic Auer
Assistant in the fabled Leopold Auer St. Petersburg class, became known to me through his great admirer, Jascha Heifetz, w/ whom I was honoured to study as
one of Mr. Heifetz’s original 7 Violin Master Class, USC, pupils (all our half hour films are available on YouTube) ~ That said, in complete agreement with Simon
Scott, a very discerning violinist with a sensitive ear, I would Never cross such a
line stating Poliakin was “much finer than Milstein” (re Glazounow’s Violin Con. ) ~ Whoa! The Milstein Glazounow was his early-on ‘Trademark’ Violin Concerto which was No accident! As Mr. Milstein’s 1st private artist-pupil in London at his
Chester Square home, (and for 2 ‘tutorial’s’ a week of no less than 3 to 4 + hours each time for over 3 & 1/2 years), please know his personae, both as an artist & person were/are well known to me. His unique instinct for sometimes starting a single note without vibrato was in harmony w/Nathan Milstein’s real life personae + a Franco Belgium influenced beauty fused w/his Russian temperament style ~

Starting the opening Eb of the Prokofiev Second Violin Concerto slow movement is an example of the ‘Milstein Sound’ & inherent personality to not give too much vibrato too soon ~ Allowing listener’s & Prokofiev’s preamble theme to grow from its root & deeply into the root intonation of the Eb, he then widens it & its musical suggestive message with vibrato! This is Nathan Milstein’s distinctive signature if ever there was one which is definitive and instantly recognisable! (With respect to the contributor writing of Poliakin, I fear he had no distinct sound signature …)

‘Testifying’ that Poliakin was “much finer than Milstein” seems akin to throwing dark mud on the indescribable painting, the ‘Mona Lisa’ ~ A possibly wild over -reaction to words of Mr. Lebrecht’s Title, ‘Lost Violin Stars of the Soviet Union’, perhaps, & certainly well intended, yet to many, an artistic ‘sin’ against a Great
Giant Violin Master, Nathan Milstein, w/ an unheard of Violinist Playing Lifespan
of over 72 years with such extraordinary technical mastery & a painted coloured palette of phrasing for every work Milstein’s hands spun their web of wizardry in and around, defies the statement, Poliakin ‘is much finer than Milstein’ whether it
be the Glazounow, Beethoven, both Prokofiev Violin Concerti, Saint Saens’ #3 in b minor, Chausson Poeme, Dvorak or Goldmark Violin Concerto’s, + NM’s Bach! Even though Sascha Lasserson (an unheralded Violin Star of the pre-Bolshevik Revolution +) who spoke glowingly of Poliakin, & never questioned Poliakin’s violin prowess, would make such a remark! Nor do I believe this idea was ever in Lasserson’s thoughts nor Auer’s, Heifetz, Seidel, Zimbalist, Elman & Co. ~

As a Sage of Music once wrote, “One cannot teach that which one cannot do!” It
is time to take one’s leave in respect for kindness & courtesy sake, for all beings are given ‘inalienable’ rights to express individual opinion on the soil inhabited ~

Sincere compliments to Norman Lebrecht for creating such an intriguing subject of discussion with Goodwill to all …

E. Matesky