Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin was an American-born British violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the great violinists of the 20th century. He played the Soil Stradivarius, considered one of the finest violins made by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari. Menuhin displayed exceptional musical talent at an early age. His first public appearance, when he was seven years old, was as solo violinist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in 1923. He made his debut in New York in 1926, and in Europe in 1929, where he played with the Berlin Philharmonic under Bruno Walter. He was praised by Albert Einstein, who said after hearing him play: “Now I know there is a God in heaven.” Menuhin was not only a virtuoso performer, but also a versatile musician who explored different genres and styles. He collaborated with jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli, Indian sitarist Ravi Shankar, and Chinese erhu player Hsiao-Mei Ku. He also conducted many orchestras, such as the Bath Festival Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, and the Sinfonia Varsovia. He was a champion of contemporary music, and premiered works by Bela Bartok, Benjamin Britten, and William Walton. Menuhin was also a humanitarian and a pacifist, who used music as a means of promoting peace and understanding among people. He played for the survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945, and was the first Jewish musician to perform with the Berlin Philharmonic after the war. He founded the Yehudi Menuhin School in 1963, to provide education and training for gifted young musicians. He also established the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, Switzerland, in 1957, and the Live Music Now scheme in 1977, to bring live music to people who are isolated or disadvantaged. Menuhin was honored with many awards and honors, such as the Order of Merit, the Order of the British Empire, the Glenn Gould Prize, and the Wolf Prize. He was also made a life peer in 1993, as Baron Menuhin of Stoke d’Abernon. He died in Berlin in 1999, from complications of bronchitis, and was buried at the Yehudi Menuhin International School in Surrey, England.