一个音乐家最重要的就是音色与弹性速度,特殊的音色让你突出于众多音乐家之上,而弹性速度的运用,反映了对乐曲的观点,这两者的配合运用造就出伟大的音乐家;从这个观点出发,小提琴家米夏•艾尔曼可以说将这两点发挥到极限,造就他特殊的个人风格。
出生于1891 年的艾尔曼是典型的犹太人,他的家乡是乌克兰乡下的贫穷小镇,父亲是犹太教师(Melamed)也是个小商人,他的祖父是个克莱兹梅尔艺人(klezmer),以优美的小提琴音色著称。米夏早在三岁就展现了绝对音感的天赋,父亲一开始有些担心他对音乐的兴趣,因为音乐家在犹太社会中,地位不高,不过后来还是给了米夏一把迷你的小提琴,不到几个星期,米夏就无师自通,学会了几首乐曲,曾经听过祖孙俩演奏的人都说,米夏的琴音是继承自祖父。神童米夏很快地就在地方上小有名气,消息也传到当地的大地主─乌拉索娃女伯爵(Countess Urassova)的耳朵,当她听过米夏的演奏后,向他的父亲提议,由她出资买下米夏,提供他教育,并将他养育成基督徒。身为犹太教师的父亲一口回绝了提议,虽然女伯爵后来还是赞助米夏举行独奏会,但这穷乡僻壤无法让米夏的天赋成长茁壮,于是父亲决定将米夏带到人文荟萃的敖德萨(Odessa)。
位于黑海岸边的敖德萨是个国际性都市,气候宜人,交通方便,多瑙河在敖德萨南方注入黑海,藉此可以上溯罗马尼亚、匈牙利、捷克直到中欧的奥地利,自古以来就是黑海周边最繁荣的地区。这个城市孕育了许多杰出的音乐家,包括后来的密尔斯坦、欧伊史特拉夫、吉利尔斯(Emil Gilels)、莫伊塞维奇(Benno Moiseiwitsch)、李希特(Sviatoslav Richter)与史毕瓦柯夫斯基(Tossy Spivakovsky)等人都出身自这个城市,这么多的杰出音乐人才集中出现在同一个城市,的确是音乐史上仅见的现象。米夏的父亲在1897年时举家迁往敖德萨,米夏最初受教于当地的音乐教师费德曼(Alexander Fidelmann),不久后就进入帝国音乐学院,他进步神速,更经常为来访的小提琴名家演奏,西班牙小提琴大师萨拉沙替在听过米夏的演奏后,为他写了一封介绍信,信中陈述米夏具有不可限量的天份,只要他继续在巴黎、柏林或是圣彼得堡深造,不出几年必将成为全欧洲的骄傲。11岁的米夏与父亲拿着这封介绍信去见当时正在敖德萨渡假的小提琴名师奥尔(注),米夏演奏了帕格尼尼的第24号奇想曲以及韦尼奥夫斯基的第二号协奏曲,奥尔立刻认可了米夏的天赋,让他进入圣彼得堡音乐院。
米夏在圣彼得堡时曾为一些富有的艺术赞助人做私人演出,其中一位梅克兰堡大公(Grand Duke of Meklenburg-Sterlitz)送给他一把意大利Amati名琴,截至目前为止,米夏虽然进步神速,但还没有踏上国际的舞台。1903年,另一位天才神童,十岁的维希(Franz von Vecsey)在柏林举行首演并造成了轰动,出身匈牙利的维希也是姚阿幸的徒孙,这件事大大地刺激了奥尔,促使他决定在来年让米夏同样在柏林举行个人首演,与维希一较高下。1904年10月13日,米夏在正式演出前一天,先为祖师爷姚阿幸演奏,深受感动的姚阿幸只能说:「我无法以言语来形容我的感动」!隔天的正式演奏也受到观众的热切响应,艾尔曼跨出成功的第一步;几个月后的1905年,艾尔曼踏上英国的土地,在白金汉宫为英王爱德华七世以及西班牙国王阿丰索演奏,精湛的演奏让英国的评论家称呼他为「世上最伟大的小提琴家」。
1908 年12月10日,年方十七的艾尔曼在纽约的卡内基音乐厅举行美国首演,Victor唱片公司马上与他签订唱片合约,录制的音乐包含沙龙音乐,以及与世纪男高音卡罗素(Enrico Caruso)合作的专辑,借着唱片录音的传播力量,艾尔曼成为美国家喻户晓的小提琴家,到了1912年时,他已经与美国所有的重要乐团合作过,成功的事业促使艾尔曼举家迁往美国,后来在1923年归化为美国公民。在廿世纪之前,俄罗斯并没有出现什么杰出的音乐演奏人才,艾尔曼可以说是开路先锋,因为他在欧洲与美国的成功,为后来的俄罗斯音乐家奠定基础,进而占据了廿世纪古典乐坛的一大片版图。
Disc: 1:
01. Sonata for violin & piano No. 1 in F major, Op. 8: I. Allegro con brio
02. Sonata for violin & piano No. 1 in F major, Op. 8: II. Allegretto quasi andantino
03. Sonata for violin & piano No. 1 in F major, Op. 8: III. Allegro molto vivace
04. Sonata for violin & piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45: I. Allegro molto ed appassionato
05. Sonata for violin & piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45: II. Allegretto espressivo alla romanza
06. Sonata for violin & piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45: III. Allegro animato
07. Sonata for violin & piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13: I. Allegro molto
08. Sonata for violin & piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13: II. Andante
09. Sonata for violin & piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13: III. Allegro vivo
10. Sonata for violin & piano No. 1 in A major, Op. 13: IV. Allegro quasi presto
Disc: 2:
01. Sonata for violin & piano No. 2 in A major (’Thun’), Op. 100: I. Allegro amabile
02. Sonata for violin & piano No. 2 in A major (’Thun’), Op. 100: II. Andante tranquillo - vivace
03. Sonata for violin & piano No. 2 in A major (’Thun’), Op. 100: III. Allegretto grazioso (quasi andante)
04. Sonata for violin & piano No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108: I. Allegro
05. Sonata for violin & piano No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108: II. Adagio
06. Sonata for violin & piano No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108: III. Un poco presto a con sentimento
07. Sonata for violin & piano No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108: IV. Presto agitato
08. Sonata for violin & piano in A major, M. 8: I. Allegretto ben moderato
09. Sonata for violin & piano in A major, M. 8: II. Allegro
10. Sonata for violin & piano in A major, M. 8: III. Recitativo - Fantasia
11. Sonata for violin & piano in A major, M. 8: IV. Allegretto poco mosso
Disc: 3:
01. Violin Sonata in D major, Op.1/13, HWV 371: I. Adagio
02. Violin Sonata in D major, Op.1/13, HWV 371: II. Allegro
03. Violin Sonata in D major, Op.1/13, HWV 371: III. Larghetto
04. Violin Sonata in D major, Op.1/13, HWV 371: IV. Allegro
05. Sonata for violin & piano No. 5 in F major (’Spring’), Op. 24: I. Allegro
06. Sonata for violin & piano No. 5 in F major (’Spring’), Op. 24: II. Adagio molto espressivo
07. Sonata for violin & piano No. 5 in F major (’Spring’), Op. 24: III. Scherzo (Allegro molto) e Trio
08. Sonata for violin & piano No. 5 in F major (’Spring’), Op. 24: IV. Rondo (Allegro, ma non troppo)
09. Sonata for violin & piano No. 9 in A major (’Kreutzer’), Op. 47: I. Adagio sostenuto - Presto
10. Sonata for violin & piano No. 9 in A major (’Kreutzer’), Op. 47: II. Andante con variazioni
11. Sonata for violin & piano No. 9 in A major (’Kreutzer’), Op. 47: III. Finale: Presto
Disc: 4:
01. Slavonic Fantasie for violin & piano in B minor (arranged from themes by Dvorák)
02. Song Without Words for piano No. 25 in G major, Op. 62/1
03. Cubanaise, for violin & piano
04. Liebesleid (Love’s Sorrow), for violin & piano
05. Tango, for violin & piano
06. Airs Tziganes for violin & piano
07. Canto amoroso for violin & piano
08. Dudziarz (Le ménétrier), mazourka caractéristique for violin & piano in D major, Op. 19/2
09. From San Domingo, for violin & piano
10. Z domoviny (From the Homeland), pieces (2) for violin & piano, JB 1:118: No. 2. Andantino
11. Work(s): Passacaglia
12. Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068: Air
13. Hebrew Melody for violin & orchestra, Op.33
14. Baal Shem: 3 pictures of Hassidic life, for violin & piano (or orchestra): No. 2. Nigun