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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Emile Sauret and Yehudi Menuhin play: Niccolò Paganini: Concerto per violino e orchestra No. 1
Concertos - Released by Classico Ivano on 8/08/2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Concertos pour violon Nos. 3 & 5 (Mono Version)
Yehudi Menuhin, Bath Festival Chamber Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: 2 Concertos (Stereo Version)
Yehudi Menuhin, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Alberto Erede
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1, D. 898 & Sonatensatz, D. 28
Yehudi Menuhin, Maurice Gendron, Hephzibah Menuhin
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 22/05/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Orchestral Suites and Concertos
Classical - Released by Warner Classics UK on 6/11/2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
J.S. Bach: Violin & Keyboard Works
Yehudi Menuhin, Wanda Landowska
Classical - Released by Biddulph Recordings on 1/01/1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Viotti: Violin Concertos & Violin Duet
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1/03/2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fritz Reiner conducts Bartok live
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner, Yehudi Menuhin
Classical - Released by Archipel on 2/12/2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar : Violin Concerto & La Capricieuse
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 22/01/2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Concertos Brandebourgeois
Bath Festival Chamber Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 5/01/1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Casals Festivals at Prades, Vol. 1 (1953-1959)
Chamber Music - Released by Music and Arts Programs of America on 1/04/2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Yehudi Menuhin Plays Brahms
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 13/05/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: String Sextets
Yehudi Menuhin, Maurice Gendron, Ernst Wallfisch, Derek Simpson, Cecil Aronowitz, Robert Masters
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1/01/1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: L'offrande musicale, BWV 1079 (Arranged by Neville Boyling, Mono Version)
Yehudi Menuhin, Elaine Shaffer, Ronald Kinloch Anderson
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1/01/1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
J.-S. Bach : Violin Concertos - Chaconne
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1/06/1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Yehudi Menuhin and Wilhelm Furtwängler
Berliner Philharmoniker, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin, Wilhelm Furwängler, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Classical - Released by Archipel on 11/06/2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV1004
Classical - Released by Past Classics on 24/08/2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best of: Yehudi Menuhin
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1/02/2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concertos pour violon n° 1 à 5 - Sinfonia Concertante
Yehudi Menuhin, Bath Festival Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 20/06/1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach : Sonata No. 3 & Partita No. 3 (Vol. 2)
Yehudi Menuhin, Hephzibah Menuhin, Wanda Landowska
Classical - Released by Naxos on 20/05/2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Le légende du violon
Classical - Released by Iris music on 17/11/2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo