Biddulph Recordings

10/01/2024

Rondo - Das Klassik- und Jazzmagazin.

27/11/2023

Our latest release: Heifetz plays JS Bach. Out now on all streaming platforms.

Listen in the app designed for classical.

16/11/2023

Jascha Heifetz recorded J. S. Bach’s six sonatas and partitas for violin in 1952. Although he had been making records since 1917, it was not until 35 years later that he committed his interpretations of these masterpieces to disc. The Russian violinist’s long-awaited traversal of these works were greeted with unanimous praise upon their release, and Gramophone magazine described Heifetz’s legendary performances as “practically as good as the music itself”. Restored from pristine copies of the original LPs, these legendary performances display a clarity and presence that can only be described as revelatory. Also included in this 2-CD set are Heifetz’s only recordings of J. S. Bach’s two solo violin concertos, accompanied by the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Alfred Wallenstein. Available from 17 November on all streaming platforms.

Jascha Heifetz recorded J. S. Bach’s six sonatas and partitas for violin in 1952. Although he had been making records since 1917, it was not until 35 years later that he committed his interpretations

24/10/2023

Classical Explorer reviews our recent Nathan Milstein release!

Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and Bruch (no. 1) Violin Concertos on one disc ... what more could you want? That question becomes more pertinent still when the soloist is one Nathan Milstein. It is down to the excellent record company specialising in historical re-releases, Biddulph to provide this dream....

24/10/2023

Our latest Mischa Elman release is out now. Link below 🎻

Album · 2023 · 15 Songs

17/10/2023

Mischa Elman was born in the Ukraine in 1891 and was a pupil of the legendary Leopold Auer in St Petersburg. Along with Heifetz and Milstein, Elman is regarded as one of the giants of violin playing in the 20th century. According to Joseph Szigeti, Elman embodied ‘a playing of a fire, an elegance, a rhythmic incisiveness which I had never even imagined’. The two major works on this CD show off different facets of Elman’s playing from the early 1950s. Mozart’s Violin Sonata in B-flat, K.454, reveals the violinist’s luscious approach to the Classical repertoire, and Paganini’s renowned Caprice No.24 displays his brilliance as a violin virtuoso. The CD also includes a selection of short encores that capture Elman’s inimitable style and unique charm, and ends with four beloved songs in which Elman plays violin obligato accompaniment to the American tenor Jan Peerce and mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens.

Out on 20th October. Click below for a preview!

Mischa Elman was born in the Ukraine in 1891 and was a pupil of the legendary Leopold Auer in St Petersburg. Along with Heifetz and Milstein, Elman is regarded as one of the giants of violin playing i

06/10/2023

Out now!! Kathleen Parlow, a student of Leopold Auer and a fabulous violinist on a level with the greats of the early 20th Century. Link below! 😍

Kathleen Parlow · Album · 2023 · 40 songs.

03/10/2023

https://on.soundcloud.com/DSvu8

NEW RELEASE on 6th OCTOBER! Preview listen via the Soundcloud link above. The Canadian-born violinist Kathleen Parlow was one of the most exceptional violinists at the beginning of the 20th century. A brilliant child prodigy, who had performed before King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace at the age of 14, Parlow was a student of the legendary Leopold Auer, who was so enamored of her playing that he referred to her as ‘Mischa Elman in a skirt’. While a still a student, Glazunov, the director of the St Petersburg Conservatory, recommended that she give the Belgian premiere of his Violin Concerto. While still in her teens, Parlow’s performed with such legendary conductors as Thomas Beecham and Bruno Walter, and was the dedicatee of the Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen’s Violin Concerto. Throughout the 1920s, Parlow gave several world tours, travelling as far afield as the Middle East, India, China, Korea and Japan. However, before she turned 30, she had had enough of life as a travelling virtuoso and decided to retire from giving concerts. She returned to Canada, and she made a career teaching until her death in 1963.

This 2-CD release features all of the commercial recordings Parlow made for the HMV and American Columbia record labels. Her first records were made at the age of 19 for HMV in which she was guaranteed a special ‘artist royalty’ of 10%, a figure that matched what the company paid the famed coloratura soprano Luisa Tetrazzini. Parlow’s records for the Columbia Record Company in New York were made between 1912-16, and first brought out alongside those of none other than the legendary Eugene Ysaÿe.

25/09/2023

Nathan Milstein’s violin. Made by Antonio Stradivari in 1716, Milstein acquired it in 1945 and played it until his death in 1992. The Milstein family sold the violin in 2006. Other photos are from the time of recording the three concertos with the conductor William Steinberg and the Pittsburg Symphony orchestra.

https://bit.ly/3PfWAb7

14/09/2023

Nathan Milstein (1904-1992) is acknowledged as one of the giants of violin playing in the 20th century. His playing epitomized elegance, yet his interpretations could be passionately intense when called for. Milstein’s immaculate technique was achieved through the utmost ease, allowing him to concertize well into his 80s, longer than any other violinist before or since. This CD brings together the Mendelssohn, Bruch No.1 and Tchaikovsky concertos, three of most popular 19th-century violin concertos ever written. Milstein’s first recordings of these three concertos were brought out on 78-rpm discs, but the ones on this CD are his second recordings originally issued on mono LPs recorded in 1953. Because they were supplanted only a few years later by his stereo re-makes, they are the least well-known versions of Milstein’s interpretations.
Nevertheless, they capture the violinist at the peak of his violinistic prowess.

Album · 2023 · 9 Songs

11/07/2023

Our July release features until now unheard recordings by the great Mischa Elman.

Album · 2023 · 15 Songs

07/07/2023

Eric Shumsky tells the story of his father’s beloved Enrico Rocca violin-

‘At the Berkeley recital he played a violin made in 1905 by Enrico Rocca (the son of the illustrious Giuseppe Rocca). This violin came into my father’s possession quite by accident, as he already had a lovely Strad known as the ‘Duke of Cambridge, ex-Rode’ from 1715, which he adored. My father always entrusted the luthier René Morel at Jacques Français the to make any adjustments on his Strad. Morel and Dad were first introduced by my uncle William Carboni, my mother’s brother, who was a violist but also a fine violin maker who had worked under the legendary Simone Sacconi in the Wurlitzer shop and later at Jacques Français. Morel loved my father’s ability to be able to extract the best sound possible from any instrument, and often had Dad trying out this or that violin at the Français shop in the Old Carnegie Hall building.
One day in 1977 Morel called and said: ‘Oscar I have a great violin for you to try; please come in and play it as I know you will love it!’ It was the Enrico Rocca.
When my father next dropped into the shop, he tried it and immediately fell in love with it. The Rocca was very different from the Strad, and my father would switch between them, depending upon his mood. Although he adored the Strad, it could be
temperamental, and whenever this happened he would decide to play the Rocca instead. He played so beautifully on the Rocca that many people really couldn’t tell the difference. I remember once when Dad played in Basel, Switzerland, a very fine Swiss violinist by the name of Hansheinz Schneeberger absolutely beamed! He memorized the specifications on my father’s 1715 ‘Rode’ Strad and went on and on
about only with such a Strad could he have sounded like that. When Dad showed him the Rocca, he was completely shocked and practically fell on the floor! My father always got a kick out of this as he prided himself upon being able to realise the maximum potential out of any violin.
And he felt the same way about the music he played. Dad gave his all to any piece he performed. Besides the standard works of the violin repertoire, he championed such forgotten gems as the Viotti 22, Spohr 8 ‘Gesangszene’,
Vieuxtemps 2 and Goldmark concertos, and played them like no one else. Whether it be Beethoven’s monumental ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata or the rarely-heard Bach Sonata in E minor with the piano accompaniment realized by Alexander Siloti, he played them to perfection. And he had a special affinity for the little pieces by Kreisler, whom he
admired as a violinist most of all. I am delighted that this recital, including three major works that my father never recorded commercially, is now being made available to the public.

27/06/2023

Oscar Shumsky & Robin Sutherland perform at Berkeley in a recital which was recorded and unreleased until now. Links on our page 🎻🎉

23/06/2023

Out today from Biddulph Recordings: Oscar Shumsky live at Berkeley! Link below and further links/photographs to follow.

Album · 2023 · 16 Songs

20/06/2023

New release on 23rd June!! 🎉🎉🎻🍾🥂 Click on the link below for a preview. This recording features a selection of works performed by the great American violinist Oscar Shumsky from a remarkable ‘live’ concert recorded at the University of Berkeley in 1980. Partnered by the pianist Robin Sutherland, this recital includes three major violin works never recorded commercially by Shumsky. As well as the immense and powerful Violin Sonata No.9 by Beethoven, known as the ‘Kreutzer’, this Crecordingincludes two rarely heard works: Prokofiev’s Solo Violin Sonata and J. S. Bach’s Partita in E minor with a pungent piano accompaniment by Alexander Siloti. Also included are the virtuosic ‘Devil’s Trill’ Sonata by Tartini, as well as two encores: Beethoven’s expressive Romance No.2 in F and the delightful Rondo from Mozart’s ‘Haffner’ Serenade.

This recording features a selection of works performed by the great American violinist Oscar Shumsky from a remarkable ‘live’ concert recorded at the University of Berkeley in 1980. Partnered by the p

05/06/2023

Sir Henry Wood shakes hands from the podium with his good friend Sergei Rachmaninoff. Albert Hall 1938

02/06/2023

Today is release day! 🎉This CD features two orchestral masterpieces by Rachmaninoff in their first recordings. The Symphony No.3 and The Bells were made from live broadcasts made in 1937 by Sir Thomas Beecham and Sir Henry Wood respectively. Not only are these the first recordings of these two full-scale works, they are the only recordings of Rachmaninoff ever made by either conductor. In his prime when he made this British premiere recording with the LPO, Beecham gives a luscious account of Rachmaninoff’s third and final symphony.

Rachmaninoff’s choral symphony The Bells is based on Edgar Allen Poe’s haunting poem and was a personal favourite work by the composer himself.
Wood’s stirring performance with the BBC Symphony features three notable British singers Isobel Baillie, Parry Jones, and Roy Henderson.

Album · 2023 · 7 Songs

01/06/2023

In the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninoff’s birth, we will tomorrow, release two important historical premiere recordings from 1937. More info and links below.

This CD features two orchestra masterpieces by Rachmaninoff in their first recordings. The Symphony No.3 and The Bells were made from live broadcasts made in 1937 by Sir Thomas Beecham and Sir Henry W

30/05/2023

As for the violin heard throughout these recordings, Eudice Shapiro used a violin by Peter Guarneri of Venice, circa 1750. Shaprio recalled in an interview:

It belonged to a colleague of mine who came here from Vienna – the first violinist of the original Guarneri Quartet (not the Guarneri Quartet of today). He was a Russian man who came here to retire. Daniel Karpilowsky was his name. I was at the RKO studios as concertmaster then. He was playing in the orchestra because he knew the conductor Constantin Bakaleinikoff. Karpilowsky said, ‘My violin is not being played. Don’t you want to play it a little bit.’ He had another cheapy that he was playing in the orchestra. I said, ‘Sure, bring it.’ After he brought it to me and I said, ‘You can't have it back. It's mine.’ I knew in five minutes that this was my love. I just fell in love with it. I had a 1688 Stradivarius at the time, the “Derenberg”, a very early one which isn't as precious as the later ones. I gave Karpilowsky the Strad and he gave me the Guarneri. We just exchanged. He was ripe for selling it, and, as a matter of fact, I think he was perfectly willing to trade because it would be easier to sell a Stradivarius than a Peter Guarneri.

19/05/2023

Very excited to announce our new release today of Eudice Shapiro performing works by Brahms, Bloch, Bartók, Milhaud & Stravinsky.

Album · 2023 · 39 Songs

20/04/2023

"To dear Peter who looks after not only the violins but the violinists and his music. All my thanks." - Yehudi Menuhin.

This precious signed photo of the great violinist was given to our founder, Peter Biddulph. A nice slice of history!

14/04/2023

3 more days to our NEW CD release!🎉 Eudice Shapiro studied with Gustave Tinlot at the Eastman School of Music and with Efrem Zimbalist at the Curtis Institute of Music.

She was the first female concertmaster in any studio orchestra, and by March 1943 was concurrently con- certmaster at Paramount.

Throughout her 17 years as a faculty member at the USC Thornton School of Music, her colleagues included cellist Gregor Piatigorsky, violist William Primrose and violinists Jascha Heifetz and Midori Goto.