American violinist Isaac Stern was born on July 21, 1920 and died on September 22, 2001. During his lifetime, he won several prestigious awards, including the 1982 Sonning Award and a number of Grammys. In addition to receiving recognition for his own works, Stern was also known to have a knack for finding talented new musicians. His major discoveries include violinists Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman, along with renowned Chinese cellists Yo-Yo Ma and Jian Wang.
Stern was born to Jewish parents in Kremenetz, Ukraine and moved to the United States when he was only ten months old. His mother taught him the joy of music, privately instructing him until 1928, when he attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1928. In 1931, he moved on to work privately with Louis Persinger and then spent another five years with Naoum Blinder after that. He made his first public performance in 1936 when he played in the San Francisco Symphony at the early age of 15.
In 1948, he married ballerina Nora Kaye, but this marriage unfortunately did not last very long. They divorced the next year, in 1949. He re-married in 1951, wedding Vera Lindenblit. They stayed married for 43 years, having three children along the way. Stern married his last wife, Linda Reynolds, in 1997 and was still married to her at the time of his passing at age 81.
In his professional life, Stern recorded concertos written by Samuel Barber, Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein, Johannes Brahms, Johann Sebastian Bach, Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn, Antonio Vivaldi, and Henri Dutilleux. In 1985, Stern commissioned the Dutilleux concerto L'Arbre des Songes himself. His playing can be found in a number of films, including the famed Fiddler on the Roof. Stern also was the musical advisor for Humoresque, a 1946 film starring John Garfield and Joan Crawford. The film portrayed an up-and-coming violinist and his partner, which greatly appealed to Stern on a personal and professional level.
Stern credits Nathan Milstein, Naoum Blinder, and Arthur Grumiaux as the main influences on his violin playing, with Blinder being his first significant mentor. He teamed up with Eugene Istomin and Leonard Rose to form a talented chamber music trio. The threesome won Grammy awards in 1971 and again in 1992. In 1987, he was given the Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in music, an honor reserved for only the most respected musicians. Along the way, he also received Grammys for Best Instrumental Soloist in 1962, 1963, 1965, and 1982.
His fame and recognition extended well beyond musical circles. In 1979, Stern was invited for an unprecedented visit to the People's Republic of China. This was at a time when outside visitors were still not generally welcome into the Communist country, but Stern and pianist David Golub were welcomed with open arms. He also played a significant part in saving Carnegie Hall from destruction in 1960. Later on, the main auditorium was re-named after him in appreciation for his efforts.
Originally posted 2008-11-17 05:45:51. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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