Felix Slatkin
Among the most consummate of studio musicians, Felix Slatkin achieved fame for his violin performance, directing recordings of both standard symphonic fare and appealing arrangements of light music, and for being the leader of a string quartet fondly remembered as one of the finest of its time. Through his affiliation with Capitol Records, he and his wife, Eleanor Aller (cellist with Slatkin's Hollywood String Quartet), were afforded the economic base to pursue performance in areas notoriously unprofitable. Slatkin's death from a heart attack in 1963 caused genuine upset in the Hollywood/Los Angeles studio music world: by that time, he had become all but irreplaceable.
Slatkin began his music studies when he was six years old in St. Louis with Sylvan Noack. Later, he worked for a year with violinist Isadore Grossman before winning a scholarship to the Curtis Institute of Music at age ten, where he studied violin with Efrem Zimbalist and took conducting classes with Fritz Reiner. Although he began to acquire a positive reputation as a soloist with major orchestras, he elected to join the St. Louis Symphony when he was 17, soon becoming assistant principal and forming a chamber ensemble of young musicians. In 1935, he won a competition whose first prize included a guest performance with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra. During this period, he met his future wife. After his Hollywood appearance, Slatkin decided to move to Los Angeles and take up the role of studio musician. He was hired as principal violinist of the 20th Century Fox Orchestra, beginning an involvement with the Southern California music milieu that would last the rest of his life (by that time, many prominent composers and solo artists had made their home in the area). In 1939, Slatkin and Eleanor Aller married. She had just become first cellist at the Warner Brothers Studios and soon thereafter, the couple formed the Hollywood String Quartet, drawing in two other studio musicians, violinist Joachim Chassman and violist Paul Robyn. Beginning in 1941, Slatkin served as conductor of the Army Airforce Tactical Command Orchestra stationed at the Santa Ana Air Force Base and, as Aller later commented, "There went the quartet!" When Slatkin was released from service in 1945, he resumed his position as concertmaster at Fox Studios and the quartet regrouped. Paul C. Shure, assistant Fox concertmaster, replaced Chassman, and in the ensuing years, the members worked tirelessly to become America's premier string quartet, and were the first to see their reputation made by recordings. These recordings, including works from Beethoven to Schoenberg, have been made available again on the Testament label and confirm every aspect the quartet's stature. The quartet's luxuriant sound attracted listeners beyond the classical audience; Frank Sinatra chose to record with the group, also relying on Slatkin for musical direction. For Capitol Records, Slatkin made more than two-dozen recordings with the Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra and his own Concert Arts Orchestra, including a Grammy-winning disc devoted to Offenbach's Gaîte Parisienne. For Liberty Records, he contributed a dozen-plus discs in the "Fantastic" series (Fantastic Strings, Fantastic Brass, Fantastic Percussion of Felix Slatkin, and more). Slatkin's sons have also achieved renown: Leonard Slatkin as a world-class conductor and Fred Zlotkin (using the original spelling of the family name) as a cellist.
© Erik Eriksson /TiVo
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Strings by Starlight
The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Felix Slatkin
Classique - Paru chez Radio Tower Records le 5 janv. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Ouvertures !
Felix Slatkin, Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Seasons Greetings: The Fantastic Strings Of Felix Slatkin
Lounge - Paru chez CAPITOL CATALOG MKT (C92) le 1 déc. 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra / Dohnányi: Variations On a Nursery Tune
The Concert Arts Symphony Orchestra, Victor Aller, Felix Slatkin
Classique - Paru chez Music Manager le 22 juin 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Percussion! Milhaud: Concerto for Percussion and Small Orchestra - Chavez: Toccata for Percussion - Bartok: Music for String Instruments, Percussion and Celesta (Album of 1955)
Concert Arts Orchestra, Felix Slatkin, Concert Arts Percussionists, Los Angeles Chamber Symphony
Classique - Paru chez Firebird le 30 sept. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gould: Latin-American Symphonette
The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Felix Slatkin
Classique - Paru chez OBX Records le 19 janv. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ferde Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite / Mississippi Suite
Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Ferde Grofe, Felix Slatkin
Classique - Paru chez Music Manager le 25 oct. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Villa-Lobos & Grofé: Concert for the Americas
Felix Slatkin, Concert Arts Cello Ensemble, Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra
Classique - Paru chez Jube Classic le 18 janv. 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas World 50s & 60s Hits, Vol. 3
Musiques de Noël - Paru chez cw50s &60s hits le 20 déc. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dohnányi, Khachaturian & Britten: Variations on a Nursery Theme - Piano Concerto - Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
Victor Aller, Felix Slatkin, The Concert Arts Symphony Orchestra
Classique - Paru chez Infinity le 1 févr. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Streets Fantastic
Jazz - Paru chez Transatlantica le 22 déc. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
McDonald: Suite from childhood - Caplet: Conte fantastique (Mono Version)
Felix Slatkin, Concert Arts Orchestra, Ann Mason Stockton
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Rosenthal, Offenbach: Gaîté parisienne (Stereo Version)
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Felix Slatkin
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Quintet, Op. 34 (Mono Version)
Victor Aller, Hollywood String Quartet, Felix Slatkin, Paul Shure, Paul Robyn, Eleanor Aller
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Selections from The Carnival of the Animals (Mono Version)
Felix Slatkin, Victor Aller, Harry Sukman
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Charge ! (Stereo Version)
The Light Brigade, Felix Slatkin
Lounge - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Charge! (Mono Version)
Felix Slatkin, The Light Brigade
Lounge - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Violons dans la nuit (Mono Version)
Felix Slatkin, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra - Dohnányi: Variations On a Nursery Tune (Stereo Version)
Concert Arts Orchestra, Felix Slatkin, Victor Aller
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Special Christmas
Musiques de Noël - Paru chez Amra Record le 6 déc. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo