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
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Anniversary Collection - Yehudi Menuhin, Vol. 19
Classical - Released by Documents 2 on 13 Dec 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach, Tartini & Others: Violin Works
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 18 Jun 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anniversary Collection - Yehudi Menuhin, Vol. 11
Classical - Released by Documents 2 on 13 Dec 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach, Beethoven & Brahms: Violin Sonatas
Yehudi Menuhin, Hephzibah Menuhin
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 30 Apr 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The HMV Recordings
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 15 Nov 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven & Tchaikovsky: Piano Trios
Yehudi Menuhin, Maurice Eisenberg, Hephzibah Menuhin
Chamber Music - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 3 Jun 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anniversary Collection - Yehudi Menuhin, Vol. 8
Classical - Released by Documents 2 on 13 Dec 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anniversary Collection - Yehudi Menuhin, Vol. 26
Classical - Released by Documents 2 on 13 Dec 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Anniversary Collection - Yehudi Menuhin, Vol. 6
Classical - Released by Documents 2 on 13 Dec 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart & Beethoven : Violin Sonatas
Yehudi Menuhin, Hephzibah Menuhin, Hubert Giesen
Chamber Music - Released by Naxos on 30 Aug 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach : Violin Concertos Nos 1 & 2...
Yehudi Menuhin, George Enescu, Les Concerts de Paris Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux
Violin Concertos - Released by Naxos on 9 Sep 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas 7 & 9 - Schubert: Rondo
Yehudi Menuhin, Hephzibah Menuhin
Chamber Music - Released by Naxos on 3 May 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I protagonisti
Chamber Music - Released by Stradivarius on 27 Oct 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini Moto Perpetuo (Studio Recording)
Yehudi Menuhin, Niccolò Paganini
Classical - Released by Artemisia on 17 Apr 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Orchestral Suites
Yehudi Menuhin, Bath Festival Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on 4 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach By Menuhin Vol 3
Classical - Released by Stave on 2 Jan 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas No. 5, Op.24 'Spring' & No. 9, Op. 47 'Kreutzer'
Classical - Released by >ReNovo< on 2 Apr 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 4 and 5
Yehudi Menuhin, Sir John Pritchard, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Music Manager on 29 Apr 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Piano Trios Nos. 1 & 3 - Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 1 (Live)
Pablo Casals, Arthur Grumiaux, Yehudi Menuhin, William Kapell, Eugene Istomin
Chamber Music - Released by Stradivarius on 6 Sep 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg & Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos; Weber: Konzertstück
Yehudi Menuhin, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Justus Frantz
Classical - Released by Big Ben Phonogram on 1 Mar 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin
Classical - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on 17 Jul 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo