Hirshhorn paganini biography book
Philippe Hirshhorn - underated violinist
February 25, at AM &#; Philippe Hirshhorn - underated violinist
There's not much on the internet on this fella. But in , he (1st) beat Gidon Kremer (3rd) in the Queen Elisabeth Violin Contest in Belgium. Any comments on his rec.
Hirshhorn paganini biography children Taught the violin by his father as a child and tutored by the best teachers, Paganini was considered a prodigy. The ferocity with which he played, coupled with his elongated fingers and extraordinary flexibility, gave him a mysterious, almost mythical reputation. Mobbed in the street and rumored to have a deal with the devil to achieve the heights of his virtuoso performances, he ultimately became considered the greatest violinist of all time. Paganini's father was in the shipping business, but he also played the mandolin and began teaching his son the violin at an early age. Paganini's mother had high hopes of her son becoming a famous violist.(Beethoven, Berg, Paganini VC1). Repin told me that his Paganini VC 1 was the best that he had ever heard. Any comments, please?
Replies (73)
February 25, at AM &#; Hello ! I'm glad to hear speaking about Philippe Hirshhorn, because I'm a great fan of him
I dicovered him by chance 3 years ago in the recording of the gala concert just after he won 1rst Prize at Queen Elisabeth Competition He had made me so much effect than I looked for every recordings he made.
Not so much, unluckily
He didn't have a big carriere because that was not his priority (in my opinion and after trying to have the most informations about him) His priority was maybe to have the most perfectly playing, technically and musicaly He has the most great sound I've never heard; a such strange vibrato , I think he was a little creasy to play like this!
but I love that !
I heard about him he was never happy about his playing Once, after concert, he began to play the 1rst caprice by Paganini, everybody in the hall was so impressed by his perfectly technique but after one minute of playing, he suddently stopped and went out because he thought he was playing too bad !!!
I heard his Paganini Concerto (Finale of the competition) and it's really incredible Moreover, the audience was really fantastic !
I've never heard such applause after only the first mvt !
He recorded Beethoven and Berg Concerto and a Recital with E. Leonskaja too (Beethoven 3rd, Prokofiev 1rst, Brahms 3rd).
If you can, listen to them !
I must go now, see you very soon
(and sorry for my so bad english!)
February 10, at PM &#; Before anyone flames you, Cheng Hooi, for not being able to play like Hirshhorn I'd like to point out that it is NOT necessary to do a thing better than the object of criticism in order to have the right to criticize.
It is, however, necessary to be accurate in objective statements, which accurate objectivity ought to give credibility to one's subjective statements as those coming from someone who knows what he or she is talking about.
You commented on two specifics, one of which was subjective (poor tone) and one of which was objective (bad intonation).
Hirshhorn paganini biography death
At the tender age of 11, Paganini took to the stage for his first public performance in his hometown. After a brief period of study under Alessandro Rolla in Parma, he embarked on his first concert tour in Paganini's unique playing style, characterized by an unmatched facility and ease with which he handled his instrument, quickly propelled him to fame throughout Italy. His concerts throughout Europe from to solidified his status as the undisputed virtuoso of his era. Despite his phenomenal success, Paganini's career took a sudden turn in due to both declining health and public scandals surrounding his personal life.Poor tone is a tricky topic; you might like a big, juicy sound while another person likes a streamlined, driven, turbo-charged laser beam of a sound. The only objective measurement of sound is its variability (i.e. ability to go from one dynamic extreme to another, ability to project not just volume gradations but tonal shadings) and cleanliness (i.e.
lack of scratching, of incomplete attacks - the "surface" sound). That Hirshhorn's sound is clean and variable is beyond argument. That it is narrow-gauge, focused and owes a great deal of its driving force to an intense and narrow-amplitude vibrato is another matter. It may be your poison.
It is another's meat.
As for bad intonation, that is inarguable. A note is in tune or it isn't. If you say one isn't in tune when everyone else says the same pitch is, perhaps it's not intonation to which you're listening. Or perhaps you confuse an occasional intonation error with "bad intonation" (i.e. inability to self-perceive and fix on the fly, inability to play reliably in tune with only the occasional slip).
Heifetz had perfect intonation, with the occasional inconsequential error. So did Hirshhorn. Actually, so do almost all professional violinists since people with bad intonation don't become violinists - they become Rieu or Mae or the rest of that tribe.
Hirshhorn paganini biography Petersburg Then still called Leningrad. Philippe Hirschhorn settled in Belgium in Although being one of the most gifted violinists ever, he did not gain worldwide attention. The rare recordings that exist of him playing are examples of his technical and musical abilities. Sadly, his career was cut short because of poor health some attributing to unspecified illnesses, acute nerves and burnout , or maybe because his priority was to have the most perfectly playing, technically and musicaly, never being happy about it.So it follows that when you say that PH's intonation was bad you're either confusing the occasional slip with an overall weakness, or that your hearing is fundamentally flawed.
Please note, for you and those who leap to your defence for "everyone having a right to an opinion", that I didn't flame you. I don't call the quality of your humanity into question.
I define terms, and then I show that you're measurably, quantifiably, demonstrably and absolutely
wrong.
February 12, at PM &#; I love these pointless who-is-playing-the-best-Paganini # 1-concerto.
Hirshhorn paganini biography images: Philippe Hirschhorn (11 June , Riga – 26 November , Brussels) was a soviet violinist. He won the Queen Elisabeth Music Competition in
Try Kogan-Nebolsin (in case you can find the complete version) or Tretjakov (both versions). My $ 0,
But the Hirschhorn rendition I watched on tv in , still is the most impressive one I've ever heard AND seen. During his stay in the Netherlands and Belgium I heard him numerous times and had the privilige of speaking him twice. He was a tragic man, as wittnessed by a radio interview of more than an hour.
Sorry for you, most in Dutch. He in fact preferred to play with amateur musicians as they sometime have surprising musical ideas, unlike most professionals.
I like to point out two more of his recordings: the Kirchner arrangement for piano trio of the Brahms sextets op.
Hirshhorn paganini biography wikipedia A half century ago, the cross-pollination between cultural centers in the Soviet Union and other parts of the world was frozen by Cold War politics. The Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels was a meeting place for the best and brightest, the violin competition was no exception what with the likes of Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Joshua Epstein and Uri Pianka as laureates. But for most of us, it was an electrifying, unforgettable night when the somewhat mysterious, mesmerizingl -handsome Hirschhorn took Brussels by storm. The answer to the question as to why such an extraordinary musician never enjoyed a world-class career is complex. This proximity brought overwhelming feelings of frustration and self-doubt that ultimately overshadowed his life.18 and 36 with Rabinowitsch and Geringas and, a bit hard to find a it was not commercially issued, the Brahms violin concerto with the (Dutch) omroeporkest under Dumbraveanu from december
Maybe one day some of his recordings will be reissued, including, I hope, the Ysaÿe arrangement of Saint-Saëns' 'etude en forme d'une valse' as played during the finale of the Concours Reine Elisabeth A recording of this work was reissued earlier, but it was not the one played during the finale (with Petcherskaya?), which was superior.
Ronald
February 14, at AM &#; >I can hear all the notes that were out in Hirshhorn's live performance of the Paganini VC 1 that other people on the forum love so much, Nicholas
Maybe you can. But that means you have a good ear, not "perfect pitch." Unless you're defining the term differently, perfect pitch is the ability to correctly identify pitches which are played without any exterior reference point.
Basically, it's permanent remembrance of tight ranges of frequencies which the brain assigns names or solfege syllables. But you can't make an objective case that an A is "more in tune" than an A (You could make an aesthetic or historical one, maybe, but that's a different topic.) Certainly both are A's, and most musicians could probably tell you which is which, but which is "better?" There's no context.
Intonation depends on the surrounding harmonies - and even then it's not completely objective. Fourths, fifths, and octaves are generally black and white, but what about thirds and sixths? how sharp do you play that leading tone?
The point is that having good relative pitch is the important thing to hearing intonation well.
If you play, quick reflexes, to "adjust on the fly" as emil mentioned, are essential to produce in-tune notes. Perfect pitch might help, sure, if you get really off (wow, i've moved up a half step!).
That's why to me, "I have perfect pitch, so I can hear when notes are out of tune" really has no meaning and is incorrect.
I know lots of people who don't have perfect pitch and have great intonation, and lots of people who do have it and have crappy intonation.
I have perfect pitch, and my intonationoften leaves much to be desired.
Regarding emil and ilya's commentscertainly I think there are some times when it's pretty obvious that a note is just plain out of tune. But there's a lot of play in harmonies too, and I tend towards ilya's view that intonation is generally subjective. (This is probably my subconscious trying to rationalize my out-of-tune notes.
"It's not out of tune, it's expressive playing!"=)
October 23, at AM &#;
As far as recordings are concerned, DOREMI issued a 4 CDs box in , still available with live recordings of the Brahms, Paganini 1st (QE final), Sibelius and Tchaikovsky concertos, studio rec of the Berg, Sonatas by Brahms #3, Bch D minor, Ravel's Tzigane, Prokofiev 5 melodies, Saint Saens étude en forme de valse () .
This is available everywhere.
Cyprés, a belgium label issued 2 cds in 97 and 98, still listed in their catalogue: one double album with the Beethoven, Berg and Paganini (live QE again) concertos, another from a recital in Brussels recorded days after the competition (award concert) with pianist Lydia Petcherskaya :Bach D minor sonata, Geminiani C minor, Tempo di Ciaconna from Bartok's sonata, Hindemith E major sonata, Saint Saens étude, Ravel Tzigane, Milhaud valse from le boeuf sur le toit
Finally, a sonatas recital with Leonskaya (Beethoven 6, Prokofiev 1, Brahms 3) on the Pavane label, and 2 Brahms trios with Rabinowitsch and Geringas on Novalis!
November 12, at AM &#; Nate,
it is of course tremendous playing, of outstanding virtuosity, especially for live performance, and with so very rare valse feeling, not only the etude one.
But it is young Hirshhorn at QE and everybody knows that he was great.
What I am now frenetic of, it is the sonata I mentionned above - the live (again) recording made when he was already ill, and it is so overwhelming innovative, with never before heard colours and ensemble discoveries (for instance, in the 3rd movement you can hear violin mixing with and hiding into piano (!!!) chords), and so vivid that you feel like in a cinema sitting and watching a tragic story (sometimes monochrome, and you can hear that!) being not able to move a finger, with shivers down your spine and we should add his unique sound beauty and his unique easyness of playing!
it is so strange that there are no comments, I concider it as one of the most impressive cultural events of s, that evening in Concertgebow twenty years ago.
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