Isaac Stern

'One of the world's master fiddle players' - Virgil Thomson.

Born in Russia on 21 July 1920, violinist Isaac Stern was taken to America as a young child. His public debut was in San Francisco in 1934 from whence his reputation spread rapidly. Especially noteworthy was his involvement in chamber music.

Stern died on 22 September 2001 in New York, aged eighty-one. He will be remembered as one of the most recorded classical artists in history, as the helper of a generation of younger musicians (including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman) and as the man who saved Carnegie Hall in the late 1950s from developers' plans to replace it with an office block.

 

A selection of articles about Isaac Stern

CD Spotlight. Consistently Solid - Kurt Masur and others conduct Mendelssohn, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... too often short on graciousness, charm or buoyancy.'

CD Spotlight. A Skilful Balance - The Icicle Creek Piano Trio, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... rhythmically brisk, considered performances ...'

Reminiscent retrospectives - Women in music, with Jennifer Paull

Ensemble - Eastern melisma. Malcolm Miller hears the Tel-Aviv Trio at London's Wallace Collection