Alfredo Campoli & Bel Canto.
Having been born with such a natural talent Alfredo Campoli might have been expected to build his life around that talent. He did not; he enjoyed many activities and simply played when asked.
Replies (16)
As a teenager I heard him in New Zealand sometime in the '60s. Made a big impression.
IMHO, Campoli's Mendelssohn with Boult is the best recording of that concerto. And his Bliss with
the composer is just extraordinary. A great violinist who deserves more recognition.
Dear Geoffrey: Thank you so much for that brief but informative, insightful, and loving biography of Mr. Campoli. I have been familiar with a handful of his recordings for decades, and have been totally awed by his unique sound, technique, and "voice." Where are the one-of-a-kind Campoli's today?
Sandy
La Symphonie Espagnole (debut in NY under Szell, December 6th 1953) was recorded and is available in a 4 CDs box devoted to George Szell, published by WHRA in Canada. (WHRA 6019)
Sandy asked, " Where are the one-of-a-kind Campoli's today?
A good question. I cannot honestly say that I have felt magic from any of the contemporary players that I have heard.
No doubt teaching techniques have reached a high standard and the best performers, theoretically, are correct. But a comfortable life and only minor difficulties deprive performers of the drive and romantic energy that inspired performers like Campoli.
Listen to him play. There are idiosyncrasies in his unique technique that could be studied and emulated. They are the trade marks that resulted in the BBC selecting him for more than 1,000 broadcasts. The reason he was in demand - more than 900 performances of the Mendelssohn in his lifetime, and as Carlos Majalis also added to this thread, 'Campoli's Mendelssohn with Boult is the best recording of that concerto. And his Bliss with the composer is just extraordinary. A great violinist who deserves more recognition. In fact I was weaned on his Eduard van Beinum Mendelssohn (BEULAH 1PD10)
Alfredo's one, great misdemeanor was to be responsible for me giving up the violin. Try though I may I could not produce such a wonderful sound and second best was not an option.
Geoffrey
I remember hearing Campoli play the Elgar concerto at the Proms when I was a lad and was completely bowled over by the interpretation and the beautiful sound he produced, it was an inspiration to my own subsequent study of the concerto. Imagine my amazement when he was sitting opposite me in the Tube on the way home--no limousine for this distinguished virtuoso!!
I have to bump this topic. I had never heard of Alfredo - which I now admit with not a little embarrassment as I am English.
Why hit up on this now? Well, its a silly story - but that's how many great things happen isn't it? I posted a picture of my new violin (an Alceste Bulfari 1991) on FB which stimulated a discussion on whether I had named it. To cut this short, I googled an Italian violinist - and Alfredo Campoli came up. And then I noticed that he was born in Italy but, as I did, moved to England as a child - but perhaps the neatest coincidence was that he died the same year my violin was made. So I looked for some recordings and discovered this:
His style is unique and totally engrossing - if you only have a little time listen to the slow movement - starting about 13.30. You won't regret it.... Perhaps someone can explain why such talents are rarely mentioned. Maybe there just isn't enough room.
Alfredo was indeed an extraordinary violinist. Joseph Szigeti was one of his admirers and I know that Heifetz attended one of his concerts and took the trouble to go backstage to meet him. I was lucky to be good friends with both Alfredo and his wife, Joy. I had lessons with Alfredo and now have one of his Roccas, number three as he styled it. Joy died only three years ago at the age of 97.
Campoli's recordings are extraordinary. He's sometimes disparagingly called a salon violinist, but he's compellingly listenable in the same way that Kreisler is. His Bruch Scottish Fantasie is fabulous, especially, but the rest of his recorded output is worth hearing, too.
Rumour had it that Campoli (he liked to be known professionally by his surname only) sold his Strad, reputedly an excellently preserved example free of cracks, and bought 6 Roccas.
Sadly, 5 of these were declared fakes.
"Camps" wasn't one of those prima-donna types. When playing the Elgar Concerto with our orchestra he helped us squaddies by suggesting fingerings for the tricky orchestral bits. Oh, and he was said to be a brilliant table-tennis player.
Nice to see he has his fans here - I'm certainly converted. I read that he was also an avid bridge player - and died just before playing. Reading about him, he sounds, and also looks, like such an easy going non-prima donna. And that's exactly what comes out when he plays. Unpretentious honesty of feeling that just pulls you in.
I want to be an Alfredo when I grow up... well, now I can at least say I play one :)
I've looked at Elise's YouTube link above to the Mendelssohn recording. The anonymous YouTube uploader of the recording, for whatever reason, didn't give any programme listing or artist details, but a little digging reveals that it is apparently an audio download of a compilation CD on the Dutton Label from circa 2001. The rarity of this CD is exemplified by the asking prices on Amazon(UK), varying from £22.53 to £288.86 (!), so we are indeed grateful on this occasion for the existence of YouTube and the uploader.
The listing of the compilation, taken from the CD sleeve, is:
Mendelssohn: Vln Conc Op 64 - London Philharmonic/Van Beinum
Paganini arr Kreisler: Vln Conc No 1 in D - National Symphony Orchestra/Victor Olof
Tartini: Violin Sonata in G min
Corelli arr Leonard: "La Folia" Variations
Bazzini: La Ronde des Lutins
Pianist: Eric Gritton
I have posted this listing as a comment on the YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeMs9j26-kE
As a young lad in the immediate post-war years I was aware of Campoli and heard him on our scratchy extremely lo-fi radio (called a "wireless" in those days), which was my sole source of non-live music because we didn't have a record player. Of course, I was too young then to appreciate the nuances of his playing, particularly from that source. A few years later my cello teacher, who knew Campoli professionally, praised him to the heavens, as did others of that time who saw him perform.
Hi Trevor - thanks for the music list! I guess you saw my question on the utube page.
And yes, I listened to the wireless back then too ...
Hello David. That rumor is false. Alfredo retained his last Strad, the Dragonetti, until late in life and sold it only after he retired. He had three Roccas (I have number three), a Pressenda and late in life he acquired a John Lott Guarneri copy which he liked very much and on which he made his last recording (Handel Sonatas--unfortunately never issued). He had had two other Strads but sold them only when he replaced them with another. He also owned a fine Guadagnini at one time but sold that to Grumiaux. It's currently owned by Joseph Silverstein.
I don't know about table tennis,
but when he was young, he was a fine tennis player and almost made it to Wimbledon. Before he retired, his London home was burgled and they stole all his tennis trophies while leaving the Strad undisturbed in its case on a chair. He was also a Bridge player of international stature and the Bridge trophies disappeared along with the others.
I have Alfredo's entire collection of LP's which Mrs. Campoli gave me after Alfredo's death. It took me several trips to bring them all back to Canada.
"That rumor is false. Alfredo retained his last Strad, ....."
David is delighted to have been reliably informed that this rumor was false!
Back to the subject of Alfredo Campoli & Bel Canto....
I once heard the operatic bass-baritone Raimund Herincx jokingly describe his own EXTREMELY powerful voice as "not bel canto but can belto".
Campoli's sound wasn't overwhelmingly LOUD when heard live, but it always recorded well. Bel Canto indeed.
I heard many a "can belto" fiddler - names largely forgotten now.
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September 10, 2009 at 06:33 AM ·
Greetings,
I heard Campoli play the Mendellsohn cocnerto when I wa sa kid. Awesome.
Cheers,
Buri