Ivry Gitlis was born on this day in 1922, in Haifa, Palestine (now Israel), to Russian parents. I must confess that until recently, I had never heard of this phenomenal artist. His playing style – so expressive, charming at times, fierce at others, always vigorous, often freewheeling - is of another, more individual, generation, a generation not embarrassed by conscious displays of high-tension emotion – the epitome of singing with the violin. There is an astonishing recording of the Tchaikovsky Vals Sentimentale by Gitlis which, in my estimation, will never be equaled. Simply stated, nobody plays like that anymore. His stupendous technical prowess aside, with Ivry Gitlis, there is no doubt about the utmost dedication, conviction, and wisdom of the man behind the playing. As has been said before, the violin doesn’t play itself.
He first received a violin at the age of five and gave his first concert at age ten. When violinist Bronislav Huberman heard him play, he advised him to study at the Conservatoire de Paris, where, at age thirteen, he won a first prize. After graduation, he studied with Carl Flesch, Georges Enesco and Jacques Thibaud, among others – almost the same teachers under whom Henryk Szeryng had studied a few years before him. In 1939, just before the war, he went to England, where he joined the war effort as a regular worker and as an artist. After the war, he made his European debut at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In 1951, he made his debut in Paris – which was later to become his main residence - and has since gone on to give concerts all over the world. Ivry Gitlis is considered one of the most gifted musicians of his generation, and many of his recordings are considered classics.
As one would expect, Gitlis has performed with the most prestigious orchestras in the world, as well as the most famous conductors. Being a supporter of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, he played at the Oslo gala commemorating the first anniversary of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Accords. In 1990, Gitlis was designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and, as a consequence, has graciously performed at numerous UNESCO fundraising galas for educational and cultural projects.
In addition to being a violin virtuoso, Ivry Gitlis writes and composes and is the author of the autobiographical L’âme et la Corde, published in 1981 to critical acclaim. His very first recording, Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto, "Le Concerto à La mémoire d'un ange" (Concerto to the Memory of an Angel), won the Grand Prix du Disque (Grand Recording Prize) in France. In 1968 he participated in John Lennon's Dirty Mac project on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus program (on a track called "Whole Lotta Yoko"). In 1971, Bruno Maderna wrote "Piece for Ivry" for him, and in 1972, he premiered "Mikka" by Xenakis. Subsequent recordings, many of which until their recent re-releases had become sought-after collectors’ items, have included the concertos of Paganini, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, Bruch, Sibelius, Wieniawski and the Bartok Concerto and Solo Sonata for which he received the Best Record of the Year award from the New York Herald Tribune. Although less widely known as a chamber player, Ivry Gitlis has made music with a wide range of artists, including Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky, William Primrose, Isaac Stern, Leonard Rose, Stephen Isserlis, Gary Hoffman, Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich, with whom he recorded the Franck and Debussy Violin Sonatas.
Gitlis is also a well-known and respected teacher, giving master classes all over Europe and beyond, regularly spending summers at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and in France, where he has created many classical music festivals. His return to the London stage in 1996 after a long absence marked the 50th anniversary of his Wigmore Hall debut and was a very memorable experience - critics and audience agreed on the immense impact of his unique personality and extraordinary interpretations. A frequent contributor to films as a composer as well as an actor, he has worked with the likes of Truffaut and Schlondorff. In 2001 he was one of the featured commentators (along with Itzhak Perlman and Hilary Hahn) in Bruno Monsaingeon’s film, “The Art of the Violin”. Tony Palmer’s 2004 documentary film on Ivry Gitlis was premiered at the Prague Spring Music Festival where it was praised by the Oscar-winning director Andrea Anderman as "the best artist's profile I have ever seen". Most recently, at the Louvre Museum in Paris, he was honored (in 2004) as part of the Festival devoted to great violinists of the 20th century. Based in Paris since the end of the sixties, Ivry Gitlis – at age 86 - still performs throughout the world. Many of his performances can now be seen or heard on the YouTube website. Needless to say, I consider Ivry Gitlis the greatest living violinist - the depth of his expressive powers can hardly be exaggerated. He plays the "Swan Song" Stradivarius of 1737 (the year of Stradivari’s death).
He first received a violin at the age of five and gave his first concert at age ten. When violinist Bronislav Huberman heard him play, he advised him to study at the Conservatoire de Paris, where, at age thirteen, he won a first prize. After graduation, he studied with Carl Flesch, Georges Enesco and Jacques Thibaud, among others – almost the same teachers under whom Henryk Szeryng had studied a few years before him. In 1939, just before the war, he went to England, where he joined the war effort as a regular worker and as an artist. After the war, he made his European debut at the Royal Albert Hall in London. In 1951, he made his debut in Paris – which was later to become his main residence - and has since gone on to give concerts all over the world. Ivry Gitlis is considered one of the most gifted musicians of his generation, and many of his recordings are considered classics.
As one would expect, Gitlis has performed with the most prestigious orchestras in the world, as well as the most famous conductors. Being a supporter of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, he played at the Oslo gala commemorating the first anniversary of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Accords. In 1990, Gitlis was designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and, as a consequence, has graciously performed at numerous UNESCO fundraising galas for educational and cultural projects.
In addition to being a violin virtuoso, Ivry Gitlis writes and composes and is the author of the autobiographical L’âme et la Corde, published in 1981 to critical acclaim. His very first recording, Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto, "Le Concerto à La mémoire d'un ange" (Concerto to the Memory of an Angel), won the Grand Prix du Disque (Grand Recording Prize) in France. In 1968 he participated in John Lennon's Dirty Mac project on The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus program (on a track called "Whole Lotta Yoko"). In 1971, Bruno Maderna wrote "Piece for Ivry" for him, and in 1972, he premiered "Mikka" by Xenakis. Subsequent recordings, many of which until their recent re-releases had become sought-after collectors’ items, have included the concertos of Paganini, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky, Bruch, Sibelius, Wieniawski and the Bartok Concerto and Solo Sonata for which he received the Best Record of the Year award from the New York Herald Tribune. Although less widely known as a chamber player, Ivry Gitlis has made music with a wide range of artists, including Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky, William Primrose, Isaac Stern, Leonard Rose, Stephen Isserlis, Gary Hoffman, Mischa Maisky and Martha Argerich, with whom he recorded the Franck and Debussy Violin Sonatas.
Gitlis is also a well-known and respected teacher, giving master classes all over Europe and beyond, regularly spending summers at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and in France, where he has created many classical music festivals. His return to the London stage in 1996 after a long absence marked the 50th anniversary of his Wigmore Hall debut and was a very memorable experience - critics and audience agreed on the immense impact of his unique personality and extraordinary interpretations. A frequent contributor to films as a composer as well as an actor, he has worked with the likes of Truffaut and Schlondorff. In 2001 he was one of the featured commentators (along with Itzhak Perlman and Hilary Hahn) in Bruno Monsaingeon’s film, “The Art of the Violin”. Tony Palmer’s 2004 documentary film on Ivry Gitlis was premiered at the Prague Spring Music Festival where it was praised by the Oscar-winning director Andrea Anderman as "the best artist's profile I have ever seen". Most recently, at the Louvre Museum in Paris, he was honored (in 2004) as part of the Festival devoted to great violinists of the 20th century. Based in Paris since the end of the sixties, Ivry Gitlis – at age 86 - still performs throughout the world. Many of his performances can now be seen or heard on the YouTube website. Needless to say, I consider Ivry Gitlis the greatest living violinist - the depth of his expressive powers can hardly be exaggerated. He plays the "Swan Song" Stradivarius of 1737 (the year of Stradivari’s death).
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