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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Suites pour orchestre BWV 1066-9, Offrande Musciale
Yehudi Menuhin, Bath Festival Orchestra
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 01/03/1992
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21 - Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, Op. 28 & Havanise, Op. 83
Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir Eugene Goossens, Yehudi Menuhin
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 27/01/2023
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Horn Trio, Op. 40 & Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 87
Yehudi Menuhin, Hephzibah Menuhin, Alan Civil, Maurice Gendron
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 22/10/2021
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Brandenburg Concertos & Concerto for Flute, Violin and Harpsichord, BWV 1044
Bath Festival Chamber Orchestra, Yehudi Menuhin
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 03/04/2009
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: 3 Sonates et 3 partitas pour violon seul (Mono Version)
Miscellaneous - Lançado por BNF Collection em 01/01/2013
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Oeuvres pour violon
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 06/10/2003
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Opp.24 "Spring"& 47 "Kreutzer"
Yehudi Menuhin, Wilhelm Kempff
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/01/1970
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Young Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Hephzibah Menuhin, Les Concerts de Paris Symphony Orchestra, George Enescu
Chamber Music - Lançado por Biddulph Recordings em 20/04/1992
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 22/01/2016
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini - Sarasate (The Virtuoso of the Century)
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 22/01/2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Menuhin : Live Performances and Festival Recordings (SD)
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 22/01/2016
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Historical Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 (Live)
Yehudi Menuhin, London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Concertos - Lançado por Urania Records em 01/09/2023
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Pierre Boulez, Young Composer & Conductor [Debussy, Bartók, Stravinsky, Boulez] (Live)
Pierre Boulez, Yehudi Menuhin, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra
Symphonies - Lançado por Praga Digitals em 01/04/2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Menuhin - Virtuoso of the Century
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 22/01/2016
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ferenc Fricsay Portrait - Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 Pathétique; Violin Concerto
Yehudi Menuhin, RIAS Symphonie-Orchester, Berliner Philharmoniker, Ferenc Fricsay
Classical - Lançado por Deutsche Grammophon (DG) em 01/01/1994
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1, Caprices & La campanella
Classical - Lançado por Warner Classics em 22/01/2016
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto Op.77
Yehudi Menuhin, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester
Classical - Lançado por Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording em 19/02/2021
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms & Schumann : Violin Sonatas
Hephzibah Menuhin, Yehudi Menuhin
Chamber Music - Lançado por Naxos em 01/12/2003
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: 6 Sonates pour violon, BWV 1014-1019 (Stereo Version)
Yehudi Menuhin, George Malcolm, Ambrose Gauntlett
Miscellaneous - Lançado por BNF Collection em 01/01/1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Lalo: Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21 - Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 26
Classical - Lançado por Sony Classical em 25/03/2016
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elgar : Cello Concerto - Enigma Variations
Yehudi Menuhin, Julian Lloyd Webber, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Classical - Lançado por Decca Music Group Ltd. em 30/05/1986
Qualidade de CD de 16 bits 44.1 kHz - Stereo