Search - Bruch, Mendelssohn, Yehudi Menuhin :: Violin Concertos

'The Mendelssohn is distinguished by any standards, coming up as fresh as paint -the withdrawn, yet eloquent simplicity of the slow movement followed by an unhurried finale that allows a real chamber-music ensemble with the orchestra (the original Philhamonia at its most distinguished)'
Gramophone Magazine Arguably the best-known classical musician of the 20th century, Yehudi Menuhin was born on 22 April 1916 in New York City. In 1918 his family moved to San Francisco where he had his first violin lessons, aged four, with Sigmund Anker. At seven he gave his first public performance accompanied by his then teacher, Louis Persinger. A year later, in 1925, he gave his first full-length recital, also with Persinger. 1926 saw him make his New York début and later that year he gave a performance of Lalo's Symphonie espagnole with the San Francisco Orchestra. In 1931 Menuhinz made his first concerto recording, Bruch Concerto No.1 in London for HMV and in 1932, at the age of 16, he made what was to become one of the most iconic classical recordings of all time when he went to EMI's new Abbey Road Studios to record the Elgar Concerto with the composer and the London Symphony Orchestra. This event put Menuhin firmly on the international map as one of the great violin virtuosi of the century and he continued to be a prolific recording artist for EMI, both as violinist and conductor, for the rest of his long career. Menuhin went to Kingsway Hall, London, on 12 September 1956 to record the Bruch G minor for the third time. The orchestra was the Philharmonia, then at the peak of its form, and the conductor was the experienced Walter Susskind, a German Czech who had a particular sympathy with Romantic music. 19 months later, Menuhin supplied his third recording of the Mendelssohn to 'fill the 'A' side', this time at Abbey Road Studios and the conductor was the Russian-born American Efrem Kurtz. "Anything that one wants to do really and one loves doing, one must do every day. It should be as easy to the artist and as natural as flying is to a bird. And you can't imagine a bird saying, 'Well, I'm tired today. I'm not going to fly."
Yehudi Menuhin EMI MASTERS celebrates the full glory of the greatest performances from the world's greatest catalogue of recorded music. Digitally remastered at Abbey Road Studios direct from the original master tapes, these classic recordings emerge with unparalleled immediacy. You will be left in no doubt that you are in the presence of legendary musicians and ageless interpretations.