ABSTRACT
Dutch conductor, born in Utrecht, The Netherlands. He studied in Holland and in Cologne, and at age 20 was music director in Lucerne. From 1895 to 1945 he was conductor of the (Royal) Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, bringing it to world acclaim. He specialized in the music of Beethoven, Mahler, and Strauss. CD reissues from Teldec and EMI have covered the principal Mengelberg recordings from 1926 to 1944, although many of them are technically unsatisfactory. Mengelberg was accused of being a Nazi sympathizer and exiled to Switzerland by his government, cutting off the possibility of high quality post-World War II recordings. He died in Chur, Switzerland.
American violinist and conductor, born in New York. His family took him to San Francisco, where he studied for his debut, which took place in Oakland when he was seven years old. He played a New York recital at age nine, then studied in Paris with Georges Enesco. He made a sensational appearance in 1927 with the New York Symphony Orchestra, performing the Beethoven Concerto. Thereafter he made world tours, and also directed the Bath Festivals in 1959-1968, and the Windsor Festival in 1969-1972. He was awarded an honorary knighthood in 1965. In 1993, he was named a Life Peer with the title of Lord. Menuhin died in Berlin. Menuhin’s first records were made for Victor while he was yet 11 years old, as two engineers crossed the continent to Oakland just for one session and four short pieces with the prodigy. By age 15 he was able to record the Bruch Concerto in G Minor with mature artistry (Victor DB#1611; 1932). Biddulph CD LAB #031 presents early recordings in The Young Yehudi Menuhin (1991). In 1932 he performed and recorded the Elgar Concerto with the composer conducting (Victor M#174). In the 1938 Victor catalog he has 11 concertos plus many shorter pieces, in addition to duets with his pianist-sister Hephzibah. He and Geroges Enesco also recorded, making the Bach Concerto for Two Violins (Victor #7732, 7733). Perhaps his finest recording was of the Beethoven Concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1960, reissued on CD by EMI in 1990. Over the years Menuhin has recorded virtually the entire standard repertoire for his instrument, and also works by modern composers such as Francis Poulenc, Paul Ben Haim, Lukas Foss, and Aram Khachaturian. And in a crossover spirit he recorded swing pieces with Stéphane Grappelli, and made an album with Ravi Shankar. As a conductor Menuhin appears on record with the Bath Festival Orchestra of the 1960s, the English Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and other ensembles.
