Bloch:
Violin Sonata no.1 in A minor
Brahms:
Violin Sonata no.1 in G major op.78
Schubert:
Violin Sonata in A major D574 "Duo Sonata"
Schumann:
Violin Sonata no.1 in A minor op.105

More people have probably heard the luscious violin tone of Louis Kaufman than that of any other violinist. Playing the violin solos in such films as Gone with the Wind, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, Pinocchio, and Casablanca, Kaufman's violin playing exemplifies the vividly evocative sound of Hollywood's 'Golden Age'. Born to Romanian-Jewish parents in Portland, Oregon, in 1905, Kaufman studied with Franz Kneisel, and began his professional career as the violist in Sascha Jacobsen's famed Musical Art Quartet. After the quartet disbanded in 1933, Kaufman resumed his career as a violin soloist. He made the premiere recording of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, as well as many contemporary works by composers such as Carmago Guarnieri, Quincy Porter, Aaron Copland, Bohuslav Martinu, William Grant Still, and Richard Rodney Bennett. The three sonatas on this CD showcase Kaufman in Romantic sonatas from the Austro-German tradition. Although his luscious sound is very much in evidence, Kaufman's readings display great elegance and refinement.