Ida Haendel
Ida Haendel, CBE (reportedly born 15 December 1928[1]) is a British violinist of Polish birth.
[edit] Career
Ida Haendel was born in Chełm, a small city in Eastern Poland. She took up the violin at the age of three and as a seven-year-old was admitted at the Warsaw Conservatory.[2] She later studied with Carl Flesch and George Enescu in Paris. During World War II she played in factories and for British and American troops. Her career developed after the end of World War II.[2] Her autobiography, Woman with Violin, was published in 1970. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1991. Haendel has lived primarily in Miami, Florida for many years and is actively involved with the Miami International Piano Festival.[3]
She has the reputation of being as accomplished and brilliant a violinist as Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern.
Ida Haendel's recording of the Sibelius Concerto, with Paavo Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, is a highly acclaimed interpretation of that work.[4]
Ida Haendel has said that she has always had a passion for German music.[5] In 1948-49 she recorded Beethoven's Violin Concerto, with Rafael Kubelik conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra. In 1993 she had her concert début with the Berliner Philharmoniker. Germany's female star virtuoso Anne-Sophie Mutter craves her opinions and Maxim Vengerov regards her with awe.[6]
Other acclaimed recordings are her renditions of Brahms' Violin Concerto (including one with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sergiu Celibidache) and Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra conducted Basil Cameron.[7]
In June 2009 Haendel appeared on a Channel 4 television programme entitled The World's Greatest Musical Prodigies in which she advises 16 year old British composer Alexander Prior on which children to choose to play his composition.[8][9]
[edit] Family
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Current surviving immediate family: Sister - Alice Grunberg, Nephews - Richard Grunberg, Emil Grunberg, Great Niece - Robyn Grunberg Great Nephew - Corey Grunberg
[edit] References
- ^ The Strad magazine dated March 1937 gives her birth date as 15 January 1923; her precise age is in doubt
- ^ a b Petrášková, Eva; (transl.) Ivan Vomáčka (2003). Album notes for Ravel: Tzigane, Lalo: Symphonie espagnole, Hartmann: Concerto funébre by Karel Ančerl, Czech Philharmonic, p. 12 [CD]. Prague: Supraphon (SU 3677-2011). [1]
- ^ "Biography: Ida Haendel", Miami International Piano Festival
- ^ Norris, Geoffrey, "Ida Haendel and Simon Rattle: Elgar's Violin Concerto", Telegraph (UK), 28 Jul 2009 "In 1949, Sibelius heard her interpretation, commenting afterwards that she “played it masterfully in every respect. I congratulate myself that my concerto has found an interpreter of your rare standard.”
- ^ (German) " Der Geigerin Ida Haendel zum 80", Die Welt, December 15, 2008
- ^ Lebrecht, Norman, "Ida Haendel - The one they don't want you to hear", La Scena Musicale, June 22, 2000
- ^ "Ida Haendel Homage Page" by José Sánchez-Penzo
- ^ "FACT SHEET: TITLE: THE WORLD’S GREATEST MUSICAL PRODIGIES", Channel 4, 2009
- ^ "The World's Greatest Musical Prodigies", Channel 4, 30 March 2009
- 1928 births
- Living people
- People from Chełm
- Jewish classical musicians
- Jewish violinists
- Polish classical violinists
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- Polish Jews
- American people of Polish-Jewish descent
- Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music
- Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition prize-winners
