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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Offenbach: Gaîté Parisienne & Symphonic Dances by Felix Slatkin (2022 Remastered, Hollywood 1956)
Felix Slatkin, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording am 17.10.2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Symphonic Dances (Mono Version)
Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Felix Slatkin
Klassik - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: String Quartets Nos 12-16 e Grosse Fugue
Felix Slatkin, Paul Shure, Alvin Dinkin, Eleanor Aller, Hollywood String Quartet
Kammermusik - Erschienen bei Infinity am 20.08.2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gershwin: Rhapsody In Blue, Etc
Klassik - Erschienen bei EMI Classics am 25.10.1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
L'archet magique (Mono Version)
Michäel Rabin, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Felix Slatkin
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Fiddle Classics
Folk - Erschienen bei Vintage Masters Inc. am 01.10.2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great American Grofe / Grand Canyon Suite Etc.
Klassik - Erschienen bei Angel Records am 01.01.1997
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Strauss II: Walzer (Stereo Version)
Felix Slatkin, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals - Ibert: Divertissement (Mono Version)
Felix Slatkin, Concert Arts Orchestra
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Etc.
Klassik - Erschienen bei Angel Records am 01.01.1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Suite from the Nutcracker - Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Extracts (Stereo Version)
Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Felix Slatkin
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra in C Minor, Op. 35 (Mono Version)
Victor Aller, Manny Klein, Felix Slatkin
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Favorite Waltzes (1995 Digital Remaster)
Felix Slatkin, The Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei Angel Records am 01.01.1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Military Band: Salute To The Services (1998 Digital Remaster)
Felix Slatkin, Concert Arts Symphonic Band
Klassik - Erschienen bei Angel Records am 01.01.1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Tchaikovsky & Borodin: String Quartets (Mono Version)
Hollywood String Quartet, Felix Slatkin, Paul Shure, Paul Robyn, Eleanor Aller
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1954
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue & An American in Paris (Mono Version)
Leonard Pennario, Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Felix Slatkin
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Starlight Waltzes
Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra, Felix Slatkin
Klassik - Erschienen bei Music Manager am 10.07.2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra - Dohnányi: Variations On a Nursery Tune (Remastered, Stereo Version)
Concert Arts Orchestra, Felix Slatkin, Victor Aller
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Gaîté parisienne & symphonic dances
Felix Slatkin, Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra
Klassik - Erschienen bei G.O.P. am 10.02.2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Violons dans la nuit (Stereo Version)
Felix Slatkin, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Verschiedenes - Erschienen bei BNF Collection am 01.01.1960
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo