Isaac Stern

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For the Jewish accountant to Oskar Schindler, see Itzhak Stern

Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) is widely considered one of the finest violin virtuosi of the twentieth century.

Born in Kremenetz, Ukraine on July 21, 1920, Isaac Stern was ten months old when his family moved to San Francisco. He received his first music lessons from his mother before enrolling at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1928. He studied there until 1931, then studied privately with Louis Persinger.[1] He returned to the San Francisco Conservatory in 1932 to study with Naoum Blinder for five years. He said he owed the most to Blinder.[2] At his public début on February 18, 1936, aged 16, he played Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3 in b minor with the San Francisco Symphony orchestra, conducted by Pierre Monteux. Stern was by no means technically flawless: his intonation was often inaccurate, compared to that of prestigious players like Jascha Heifetz who had wonderful accuracy in intonation or Nathan Milstein another stellar violinist with terrific intonation. However, Stern was lauded for his ability to produce a tone of great depth. He also tended to sustain each phrase, as if the violin were singing.

Within musical circles, Stern became renowned both for his recordings and for championing certain younger players. Among his discoveries were cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and violinists Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. He also played a major role in saving New York City's Carnegie Hall from demolition in 1960;[1] its main auditorium has been named after him.

Amongst his many recordings, Stern recorded concertos by Brahms, Bach, Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Vivaldi and modern works by Samuel Barber, Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky and Leonard Bernstein. He also dubbed actors' violin-playing in several films, one of which was Fiddler on the Roof.

Stern's favorite violin was the "Ysaye" Guarneri del Gesù, one of the violins produced by the Cremonese Giuseppe Guarneri. In his autobiography, My First 79 Years, he cites Nathan Milstein and Arthur Grumiaux as major influences on his style of playing.

He married ballerina Nora Kaye in November 1948, but their marriage ended in divorce in 1949. On August 17, 1951, Isaac married Vera Lindenblit. They had three children together. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1994 after 43 years of marriage. On January 23, 1997, Isaac married his third wife, Linda Reynolds, who survived him.

Isaac Stern died on September 22, 2001 of congestive heart failure. He was 81.

Contents

[edit] Discography

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2000 Dvorák: Piano Quartet No.2, Sonatina in G, Romantic Pieces Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Concertos for Two Violins

1999 My First 79 Years Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos

1998 Isaac Stern Plays Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Bernstein: The Age of Anxiety; Foss: Serenade Bach, Vivaldi: Concertos Caprice Viennois: Music of Kreisler

1997 Barber: Adagio for Strings / Schuman - In Praise of Shahn etc. Bartók Sonatas for Violin and Piano Mozart: The Piano Quartets

1996 More Mozart's Greatest Hits Mozart: Violin Sonatas, Vol. III Schubert and Boccherini String Quintets A Life in Music, Vol.4: Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, Copland, Schubert, more Prokofiev: Violin Sonatas Bartók: Violin Sonatas; Webern: Four Pieces for Violin and Piano Beethoven: Violin Sonatas J.S. & C.P.E. Bach, Handel, Tartini: Violin Sonatas Hindemith/Bloch/Copland: Violin Sonatas Schubert: Sonatinas Nos.1-3; Rondeau Brillant; Grand Duo Sonata Franck/Debussy/Enesco: Violin Sonatas Brahms: Violin Sonatas No. 1-3 Isaac Stern Presents Encores with Violin & Piano

1995 Isaac Stern Presents Encores with Orchestra Telemann, Bach Family: Trio Sonatas Mendelssohn: Piano Trios 1 & 2 Brahms: Piano Trios, Piano Quartets A Life in Music, Vol.3: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, more Beethoven: Piano Trios "Ghost" & "Archduke"; Variations Schubert, Haydn: Piano Trios; Mozart: Piano Quartet Bartók: Violin Concertos Bernstein/Dutilleux: Violin Concertos Berg: Violin Concerto; Kammerkonzert Prokofiev/Bartók: Violin Concertos; Rhapsody No.1 Stravinsky/Rochberg: Violin Concertos Barber/Maxwell Davies: Violin Concertos Hindemith/Penderecki: Violin Concertos Berg: Piano Sonata; Krenek: Piano Sonata No.3; Webern: Piano Variations; Debussy, Ravel: works A Life in Music, Vol.1: Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, more Mozart: Haffner Serenade Mozart: Sonatas for Violin and Piano, Vol. II Beethoven, Brahms: Violin Concertos Tchaikovsky/Sibelius: Violin Concertos Bach: Violin Concertos; Double Concerto; more Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Concertos Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos.1-5; Sinfonia concertante; more Wieniawski/Bruch/Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos Mendelssohn/Dvorák: Violin Concertos

1994 Greatest Hits: Violin The House of Magical Sounds Greatest Hits: Schubert Greatest Hits: Brahms Beethoven, Schumann: Piano Quartets Mozart: Sonatas for Violin and Piano, K. 454, 296 & 526 Beethoven: Piano Trios "Ghost" & "Archduke" Bach: Violin Concerto, BWV 1041; Piano Concerto, BWV 1056; Brandenburg Concerto No.5; more Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante; Violin Concerto No.5 Brahms: Sextet in B-flat major, Op. 18 & Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8 Schubert: Quintet in C major, D956 & Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, D485

1993 Tchaikovsky: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra & Serenade for Strings Fauré: Piano Quartets

1992 Brahms: Sextets; more

1991 Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 "Emperor"; Triple Concerto Beethoven: Complete Trios Concert of the Century: Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall Dvorák: Cello Concerto; Violin Concerto Webern: Complete Works, Op. 1 - Op. 31

1990 Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schubert: Trios Brahms: The Piano Quartets Rameau: Pieces de clavecin en concerts Lalo, Bruch, Wenianski, others: Violin Concertos Bach, Mozart, Brahms, others: Violin Concertos Mozart, Telemann, J.C. Bach, Reicha: Trios, Quartets Schubert: Violin Sonatas Humoresque: Favorite Violin Encores

1989 The Japanese Album Music, My Love Prokofiev: Concertos No. 1 & 2 for Violin and Orchestra Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos.4 & 5

1988 Shostakovich: Piano Trio No.2; Cello Sonata Brahms: Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 102 & Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60 Prokofiev: Violin Concertos No. 1 & 2 Brahms: Violin Concerto

1987 Dutilleux: L'Arbre des Songes (Concerto pour Violin et Orchestre) & Maxwell Davies: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Celebration Bach: Double Concerto; Violin Concertos Nos.1 & 2 Beethoven: Violin Concerto Mozart: The Flute Quartets Bach: Concertos for Violin, BWV 1041-43 & 1060

1986 Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos

1985 An Isaac Stern Vivaldi Gala

1983 Bach, Vivaldi: Concertos for 2 Violins Isaac Stern: 60th Anniversary Celebration Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Beethoven: Romances in G & F Major Haydn: London Trios

[edit] Reference

  • My First 79 Years, by Isaac Stern, written with Chaim Potok (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1999), ISBN 0679451307

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ K Robert Schwarz. "Isaac Stern", The Guardian. Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
  2. ^ Isaac Stern 1920–2001. The Musical Times.

[edit] External links

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