Yehudi Menuhin
With the passing of violinist Yehudi Menuhin at the age of 82 on March 12, 1999, the world lost one of its truly gifted musicians. Primarily associated with classical music, Menuhin consistently sought diverse forums for his virtuosic playing. His collaboration with Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar resulted in two groundbreaking albums -- East Meets West and In Celebration, while his pairing with French violinist Stephane Grappelli yielded four classic albums: Play Berlin, Kern, Porter & Rodgers & Hart, Play Gershwin, Play "Jalousie" and Other Great Standards, and Tea for Two. According to classical violinist Isaac Stern, Menuhin was "an extraordinary musician and a great humanitarian. His style of playing, particularly in his early years, was a stunning patrician elegance with a very natural musical line."
Menuhin displayed a talent for music at a very young age. Starting to play the violin at the age of four, he made his professional debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra three years later. His performance of Beethoven's Violin Concerto at Carnegie Hall, in 1927, sparked international acclaim. Menuhin's debut album, recorded at the age of 16, received the prestigious Prix du Disque in France.
The oldest child of Russian-Jewish immigrants Moshe and Marutha Menuhin, Menuhin was still a baby when he moved with his family to San Francisco. A student of Louis Persinger, concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Menuhin advanced quickly on the violin. When Persinger moved to New York in 1925, Menuhin and his family followed.
Shortly afterwards, a wealthy attorney funded Menuhin's first trip to Europe. Although he failed to impress Belgian violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye, Menuhin was accepted as a student by Romanian violinist and composer Georges Enesco. He continued to study under Enesco until returning to the United States in 1927. Menuhin continued to attract attention throughout his teens. He recorded Elgar's Violin Concerto with the composer conducting and inspired Béla Bartók to compose his second Violin Concerto for him.
Despite his fame, Menuhin left the concert stage at the age of 19 and spent two years studying violin technique at his family's estate in Los Gatos, CA.
Upon his return, Menuhin picked up where he had left off. During World War II, he performed hundreds of concerts at military bases and hospitals. With the breakup of his marriage to Nola Nicholas, however, he found that he was losing his ability to play the violin. A relationship and eventual marriage with ballet dancer and actress Diana Gould provided the confidence necessary for regaining his skills.
In the aftermath of the war's end, Menuhin performed several historic concerts in Europe. In addition to joining with composer and conductor Benjamin Britten for a trip to Poland in 1947, which included a performance for survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, he became the first Jewish musician to perform in Germany since before the war. He collaborated with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Wilhelm Furtwangler. For the next four decades, Menuhin remained one of classical music's most influential musicians. Moving to England in 1985, he became a member of the House of Lords in 1993. He later relocated to Switzerland. He continued to be revered, however, in the United States. President Reagan bestowed a Kennedy Center honor upon him in 1986. Throughout his life, Menuhin balanced his musical career with involvement in philanthropic causes, founding an estimated five hundred charitable organizations. In 1962, he opened a boarding school in Stoke D'Abergnon for musically gifted children. He later opened a similar school in Gstaad, Switzerland.
© Craig Harris /TiVo
-
Brahms : String Sextets Nos 1 & 2
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 22 Jan 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Orchestral Suites & Other Concertos
Bath Festival Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 8 Mar 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61
Yehudi Menuhin, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Orchestre du festival de Lucerne
Classical - Released by Calliope on 1 Jan 2015
24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Sonates et partitas pour violon seul
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms : Danses hongroises - Schumann : Concerto pour violon en ré mineur
Classical - Released by Puzzle Productions on 23 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerto pour violon n° 2 - Sonate pour violon seul
Yehudi Menuhin, Philharmonia Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorak : Cello Concerto/Brahms : Double Concerto
Paul Tortelier, Yehudi Menuhin, Paavo Berglund, André Previn
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 15 Jan 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sonates & Partitas pour violon seul
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 May 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MOZART: VIOLIN CONCERTO No.3, No.4, No.7
Classical - Released by Nar Classical on 23 Mar 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos
Ulf Hoelscher, Klaus Tennstedt, Yehudi Menuhin, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 28 Feb 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Nielsen: Concerto For Violin & Orchestra, Op. 33
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 22 Apr 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2
Yehudi Menuhin, Alberto Erede, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by >ReNovo< on 18 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Yehudi Menuhin. Anniversary Edition (Live)
Classical - Released by JSC Firma Melodiya on 26 Sep 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Young Yehudi Menuhin
Classical - Released by Editions Audiovisuel Beulah on 30 Oct 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruno Walter and Yehudi Menuhin Play Brahms, Hungarian Dances & Violin Concerto
Yehudi Menuhin, Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Released by Mangora Classical on 1 Jan 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 5 "Spring" & 9 "Kreutzer"
Yehudi Menuhin, Hephzibah Menuhin
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1961
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
-
Jealousy. Menuhin & Grappelli
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 22 Jan 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Recordings with Hephzibah Menuhin (SD)
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 22 Jan 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.-S. Bach : Violin Concertos - Chaconne
Yehudi Menuhin, George Enescu, Pierre Monteux
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jun 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Symphony Nos 40 & 41
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Aug 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo