Yehudi Menuhin

Yehudi Menuhin

Born: April 22, 1916
Died: March 12, 1999
in New York City, New York, USA
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, (22 April 1916 – 12 March 1999) was an American-born violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in Britain. He is widely considered one of the great violinists of the 20th century. He played the Soil Stradivarius, considered one of the finest violins made by Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari.

Yehudi Menuhin was born in New York City to a family of Lithuanian Jews. Through his father Moshe, he was descended from a rabbinical dynasty. In late 1919, Moshe and his wife Marutha (née Sher) became American citizens, and changed the family name from Mnuchin to Menuhin. Menuhin's sisters were concert pianist and human rights activist Hephzibah, and pianist, painter and poet Yaltah.

Menuhin's first violin instruction was at age four by Sigmund Anker (1891–1958); his parents had wanted Louis Persinger to teach him, but Persinger refused. Menuhin displayed exceptional musical talent at an early age. His first public appearance took place as an accompanist to another child prodigy, pianist Viola Walters, at the Imperial Theater’s Golden Hour Saturday matinee on January 21, 1921. Menuhin was five years old at the time. Two years later, when he was seven years old, Menuhin appeared as solo violinist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in 1923. Persinger then agreed to teach him and accompanied him on the piano for his first few solo recordings in 1928–29.

Julia Boyd records: " On 12 April 1929 it [the Semperoper] cancelled its advertised programme to make way for a performance by the twelve-year-old Yehudi Menuhin. That night he played the Bach, Beethoven and Brahms violin concertos to an ecstatic audience ... The week before, Yehudi had played in Berlin with the Philharmonic under Bruno Walter to an equally rapturous response."

A newspaper critic said of his Berlin performance: "There steps a fat little blond boy on the podium, and wins at once all hearts as in an irresistibly ludicrous way, like a penguin, he alternately places one foot down, then the other. But wait: you will stop laughing when he puts his bow to the violin to play Bach's violin concerto in E major no.2."

When the Menuhins moved to Paris, Persinger suggested Menuhin go to Persinger's old teacher, Belgian virtuoso and pedagogue Eugène Ysaÿe. Menuhin did have one lesson with Ysaÿe, but he disliked Ysaÿe's teaching method and his advanced age. Instead, he went to Romanian composer and violinist George Enescu, under whose tutelage he made recordings with several piano accompanists, including his sister Hephzibah. He was also a student of Adolf Busch in Basel. He stayed in the Swiss city for a bit more than a year, where he started to take lessons in German and Italian as well.

According to Henry A. Murray, Menuhin wrote: "Actually, I was gazing in my usual state of being half absent in my own world and half in the present. I have usually been able to "retire" in this way. I was also thinking that my life was tied up with the instrument and would I do it justice?" — Yehudi Menuhin, personal communication, 31 October 1993. ...

Source: Article "Yehudi Menuhin" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Movies for Yehudi Menuhin...

Rostropovich: L'archet Indomptable
Title: Rostropovich: L'archet Indomptable
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: September 8, 2019
Type: Movie
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Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: The First 50 Years
Title: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: The First 50 Years
Character: Self
Released: June 1, 1997
Type: Movie
Go behind the scenes with one of London's most important musical institutions.
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David Oistrakh: Artist of the People?
Title: David Oistrakh: Artist of the People?
Released: June 27, 1996
Type: Movie
The life and virtuosic work of Russian violinist David Oistrakh, once known as King David in the Soviet Union, is chronicled with depth and detail by filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon in this intriguing portrait of an artist. Highlights include a range of performance footage throughout Oistrakh's legendary career, as well as interviews with his son, Igor, conductor Gennadi Rozhdestvensky, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
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Glenn Gould: Extasis
Title: Glenn Gould: Extasis
Released: December 31, 1993
Type: Movie
A collection of recollections and opinions of and about Glenn Gould, interspersed with excerpts of archive footage of the great Canadian pianist speaking and playing.
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Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
Title: Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould
Character: Self
Released: November 26, 1993
Type: Movie
A collection of vignettes highlighting different aspects of the life, work, and character of the acclaimed Canadian classical pianist.
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The Art of Conducting: Great Conductors of the Past
Title: The Art of Conducting: Great Conductors of the Past
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1993
Type: Movie
Documentary about sixteen great conductors of the 20th century.
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Menuhin, A Family Portrait
Title: Menuhin, A Family Portrait
Released: August 12, 1991
Type: Movie
Interviews, footage and photos profile violinist Yehudi Menuhin as prodigy, musician, husband, father and teacher.
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Title: Boulevard Bio
Character: Self
Released: August 6, 1991
Type: TV
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One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage
Title: One More Audience with Dame Edna Everage
Character: Self (uncredited)
Released: December 25, 1988
Type: Movie
The gloriously glamorous Dame Edna entertains a celebrity audience in this 1988 special.
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The French as Seen by…
Title: The French as Seen by…
Character: Self - Interviewee
Released: October 26, 1988
Type: Movie
In 1988, Figaro magazine asked a few famous directors to direct a series of short movies to celebrate the 10 years of the revue. The movies have been released for the French revolution bicentenary. Includes: Werner Herzog's Les Gaulois, David Lynch's The Cowboy and the Frenchman, Andrzej Wajda's Proust contre la déchéance, Luigi Comencini's Pèlerinage à Agen, Jean-Luc Godard's Le dernier mot.
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Title: The Dame Edna Experience
Character: Self
Released: September 12, 1987
Type: TV
The Dame Edna Experience is a British television comedy talk-show hosted by Dame Edna Everage. It ran for twelve regular episodes on ITV, plus two Christmas specials. The first seven aired for the first time in 1987, the next seven in 1989. It was directed by Ian Hamilton and Alasdair MacMillan and produced by London Weekend Television. Regulars on the program, besides Dame Edna, were her "bridesmaid" Madge Allsop and Robin Houston who was the announcer, with orchestra conducted and arranged by Laurie Holloway. Each program featured several celebrity guests, usually three, but some programs included up to eight guests. There would also be other invited "guests" like Kurt Waldheim and Imelda Marcos who once introduced at stage right would fall victim to a trap door or something similar and fail to make it to their chair. The entire series was released on DVD by BBC Video in June 2004, and can now also be purchased as a complete set including the Christmas specials and the three An Audience with Dame Edna specials, plus other material. The series was released for Region 2 by Network DVD in the UK in 2007, as a 4-disc set. For reasons unknown, the Region 2 release does not include the 1989 Christmas special "The Dame Edna Satellite Experience" that ended the second series and featured Ursula Andress, Yehudi Menuhin, and Robert Kilroy-Silk. It does, however, include the one-off 1990 Christmas special A Night On Mount Edna with guests Mel Gibson, Charlton Heston, Gina Lollobrigida and Julio Iglesias.
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Teacher
Title: Teacher
Character: we własnej osobie
Released: January 1, 1985
Type: Movie
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Title: Leute
Character: Self
Released: March 7, 1983
Type: TV
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Title: Wetten, dass..?
Character: Self
Released: February 14, 1981
Type: TV
A long-running German-language entertainment television show based on the format of the British show You Bet! and the American show Wanna Bet?.
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Title: NDR Talk Show
Character: Self
Released: February 9, 1979
Type: TV
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Title: The Kennedy Center Honors
Character: Self
Released: December 28, 1978
Type: TV
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.
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Title: The Music of Man
Character: self, presenter
Released: November 10, 1978
Type: TV
An exploration of the world's music. Yehudi Menuhin has created this expansive survey of musical traditions from five continents. With panoramic vision and infectious enthusiasm, he takes us from primeval rhythms of Africa to the symphonies of Beethoven, from plainsong to jazz, from Swiss yodeling to Irish jig, from steel drum to electronic synthesizer. The Music of Man was a series of eight hour-long specials with host Yehudi Menuhin, following the development of music from its beginnings at the dawn of history to the electronic experiments, jazz and rock of our own time. Menuhin, the renowned violinist, conductor and humanist, participated both as violin soloist and conductor throughout the series, and was also co-writer.
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Title: BBC Young Musician
Character: Self
Released: February 7, 1978
Type: TV
BBC Young Musician (Young Musician of the Year) first appeared on our TV screens in 1978. The brainchild of BBC producers Humphrey Burton, Walter Todds and Roy Tipping, the biennial competition has developed an enviable reputation for finding superstar musicians including Nicola Benedetti, Mark Simpson and Sheku Kanneh-Mason.
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Title: An Audience with...
Character: Self
Released: January 8, 1978
Type: TV
An Audience with... is a British entertainment television show produced by London Weekend Television, in which a host, usually a singer or comedian, performs for an invited audience of celebrity guests, interspersed with questions from the audience, in a light hearted revue/tribute style.
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Title: Previn and the Pittsburgh
Character: Self
Released: February 27, 1977
Type: TV
Renowned composer, conductor, and pianist Andre Previn welcomes one or more musical guests for conversation and performance, either accompanied by Mr. Previn on piano or in concert with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Produced by WQED and syndicated nationally on PBS, the series was notable among musical performance programs for its deft camera work and editing. The episode The Music That Made the Movies was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction.
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Title: Fan School
Character: Self
Released: January 30, 1977
Type: TV
Host Jacques Martin invites different talented children from various backgrounds to showcase their beautiful voices. The participants entertain and wow the audience with their lovely performances.
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The Chinese Word for Horse
Title: The Chinese Word for Horse
Released: January 1, 1977
Type: Movie
A BAFTA award nominated animated fable in which the audience, while being entertained, may also learn eight Chinese characters.
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The Memory of Justice
Title: The Memory of Justice
Character: Self - Musician
Released: October 4, 1976
Type: Movie
This exceptional, disturbing, and thought-provoking two-part documentary compares the atrocities committed by the Nazis as revealed during the Nuremberg trials to those committed by the French in Algeria and those done by the Americans in Vietnam. The four-hour epic questions the right of any country to pass self-righteous moral judgements upon the actions of another country.
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Title: Le Grand Échiquier
Character: Self
Released: January 12, 1972
Type: TV
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Title: Le Grand Échiquier
Character: Self - Main Guest
Released: January 12, 1972
Type: TV
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Title: Great Performances
Character: Self
Released: January 28, 1971
Type: TV
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
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Yehudi Menuhin, chemin de lumière
Title: Yehudi Menuhin, chemin de lumière
Released: January 1, 1970
Type: Movie
Portrait of violin prodigy Yehudi Menuhin: an account of his career, his professional and private life and his profession of faith, inspired by Eastern philosophy.
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Yehudi Menuhin und Herbert von Karajan – Mozart: Konzert für Violine und Orchester Nr. 5
Title: Yehudi Menuhin und Herbert von Karajan – Mozart: Konzert für Violine und Orchester Nr. 5
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1966
Type: Movie
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Karajan: Mozart Violin Concerto No 5, Dvorak Symphony No.9
Title: Karajan: Mozart Violin Concerto No 5, Dvorak Symphony No.9
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1966
Type: Movie
Combining the forces of two of the 20th century's greatest musicians - Yehudi Menuhin and Herbert von Karajan in their only recorded performance together - this magnificent programme marks a high point in filmed classical music, directed by master filmmaker and long-time Karajan collaborator Henri-Georges Clouzot. Herbert von Karajan conducts the Wiener Symphoniker and the Berliner Philharmoniker in performances of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, filmed in 1966 by film director Henry-Georges Clouzot.
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Title: The Mike Douglas Show
Character: Self
Released: December 11, 1961
Type: TV
The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that originally aired only in the Cleveland area during much of its first two years on the air. It then went into syndication in 1963 and remained on television until 1982. It was distributed by Westinghouse Broadcasting and for much of its run, originated from studios of two of the company's TV stations in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
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Sabine und die hundert Männer
Title: Sabine und die hundert Männer
Released: December 22, 1960
Type: Movie
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Title: The Steve Allen Show
Character: Self - violinist virtuoso
Released: June 24, 1956
Type: TV
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Title: Music 55
Released: July 12, 1955
Type: TV
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Title: What's My Line?
Character: Self - Mystery Guest
Released: February 2, 1950
Type: TV
Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while blindfolded, their identity - by asking only "yes" or "no" questions.
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Title: The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self
Released: June 20, 1948
Type: TV
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
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Stage Door Canteen
Title: Stage Door Canteen
Character: Yehudi Menuhin
Released: June 24, 1943
Type: Movie
A young soldier on a pass in New York City visits the famed Stage Door Canteen, where famous stars of the theater and films appear and host a recreational center for servicemen during the war. The soldier meets a pretty young hostess and they enjoy the many entertainers and a growing romance
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Yehudi Menuhin: The Violin of the Century
Title: Yehudi Menuhin: The Violin of the Century
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
This film is devoted to the artistic heritage of a personality who ranked among the most extraordinary musicians of his time, even as a child. Menuhin was not a mere musician: he was a cosmopolitan, a peacemaker and a true humanist. French filmmaker Bruno Monsaingeon, who filmed this great retrospective, describes his work with Menuhin as follows: “He threw himself into it whole-heartedly, with great sense of humour and overwhelming humanity. This film also shows my heartfelt gratitude for a man who gave such decisive sense to my own existence.”