The meteoric career of Ossy Renardy and its tragic denouement could stand as a paradigm of gilded youth, silenced.
Born Oskar Reiss in Vienna in 1920 a peripatetic, essentially untutored, boyhood career saw him starring in variety shows alongside showmen and strongmen until, like the Czech virtuoso Příhoda, he was discovered in Italy and a career was launched. He made a New York debut at the age of eighteen and in anticipation of the centenary of Paganini’s death he played the 24 Caprices at Carnegie Hall. The impact must have been substantial because the following year he was asked to record them, the first integral set ever committed to disc, albeit in David’s anachronistic piano accompanied version. From then his career was American based and after war service he resumed touring in 1947. He died in a car crash in 1953 having shortly before re-recorded the Caprices.
”Violin Recital”
César Franck: Sonata in A major
Maurice Ravel: Violin Sonata
Eugene List, (piano)
Recorded (1953)
”Caprices” Volume I. nos.1-12
Niccolò Paganini 12 Caprices With piano accompaniment
Eugene Helmer (piano)
Recorded (1953)
J.S. Bach ”Two sonatas for solo violin”
No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
No. 3 in C major, BWV 1005
Recorded (1952/1951)
”The Great Violinists, Volume XVIII”
1. Niccolò Paganini: Twenty Four Caprices op.1
arr. Violin and Piano Ferdinand David
2. Alexsander Zarzycki: Mazurka op.22
3. Antonín Dvořák: Ballad in D minor op.15
4. Heinrich Ernst: Hungarian Airs op.22
5. Pablo de Sarasate: Adios montanos mias op.37
6. Pablo de Sarasate: Danzas Espanolas No.6 op.23
7. Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata No.8 in E minor
Walter Robert (piano)
except the Corelli - Leo Taubman (piano)
Recorded (1940)
Ossy Renardy, violin ‘Carrodus’ (Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù) 1743.
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