Sir Yehudi Menuhin (later Lord Menuhin off Stroke D' Abernon ) is a Violoniste and Leader American, born the April 22nd 1916 with New York and dead the March 12th 1999 with Berlin. It is wire of a rabbi, come from White Russia. It settles as from 1959 in Great Britain.

Biography

He is successively the pupil of Louis Persinger, Georges Enesco (by far his most outstanding Master, at the point to be always remained in his eyes " Absolu") and Adolf Busch. Recognized by all like child prodigy, his first representations, as of the 8 years age, upset by a maturity and a musical ease out of the commun run.

After his fulgurating beginnings and his multiple concerts in the Thirties, the Menuhin young person has serious physical and artistic difficulties in particular caused by an overwork lasting the Second world war, during which it gives more than 500 concerts to support the allied troops. However, a rigorous discipline as well as the study of the meditation and yoga help it to overcome its tests and its career will be finally hardly affected. It is one of the violonists of the century.

In 1962, it creates the École Yehudi Menuhin with Cobham in the Surrey. In 1965, it off receives a title of knight of the Order the British Empire. In 1970, he becomes citizen Suisse. In 1978, it will be joined together with the famous Canadian violonist Jean Carignan for a single service of the " Small concerto for Carignan and orchestre" composed by the type-setter Andre Gagnon. This concert will be diffused in the prestigious televised series The Music off Man animated by Menuhin and retransmise everywhere in the world, in particular by the Société Radio-Canada (CBC). In the years 1980, it carries out recordings of Jazz with Stephan Grappelli or of Indian music with Ravi Shankar for the famous album West meets East of 1968. In 1985, it profits from the British citizenship and its title of honorary knight becomes a title of knight. In 1993, it is anobli - life peer nonhereditary title - as a Baron Menuhin off Stroke D' Abernon. It founds also the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation which supports young musicians of talent of the whole world. This foundation counts among its prizes winner of the names as important as Nigel Kennedy, Jorge Chaminé, Trio Wanderer, Claire Désert, Henri Demarquette, etc

Known for its interpretations of an often ignited quality, sometimes undoubtedly more austere, but never separating intense life and an indisputable depth, it continued its concerts until a very advanced age to be devoted to the direction of orchestra lasting its last years. It had a very vast repertory, the traditional ones with the contemporaries.

Menuhin played, throughout its career, a great number of exceptional instruments. The list of its instruments acknowledges a marked preference for the violins of Giuseppe Guarneri " Guarnerius del Gesù".

As a man, Menuhin also always had a behavior of a large nobility. From New York, it orders a sonata with Bela Bartok lost and in the poverty, which refused all that seemed a alms. In 1947, it comes to give a concert with Wilhelm Furtwängler, then disputed for its attitude during the Second world war. He does not hesitate to play for the Palestinian refugees, upsetting by là-même Israel. He will be also undesirable in the USSR for his positions in favor of the human rights.

Instruments

• Stradivarius
• '' Soil '', of 1950 to 1986, regarded as the best instrument of the world. Yielded to Itzhak Perlman due to incompatibility of character.
• '' Prince Khevenhüller ''
• Guarnerius del Gesù
• of Egville
• Pollitzer-Koessler
• ex-Menuhin, ex-Ebersholt , of 1978 to 1984
• Ysaÿe
• Lord Wilton , of 1978 to 1999

Anecdotes

After having heard Yehudi Menuhin with a concert (Bach, Beethoven and Brahms: concert of the " 3 B"), Albert Einstein known as: “I know now that there is God in the skies”.

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