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(More customer reviews)Roy Malan has written a charming and continuously interesting book that not only tells the life story of the great Russian-born violinist Efram Zimbalist, who eventually headed one of America's most important music schools, but also introduces the reader to a tradition of violin pedagogy and virtuoso performance reaching back to the time of Brahms and involving such fascinating characters as Joseph Joachim, Leopold Auer, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Mischa Elman, Eugene Ysaye, Jascha Heifetz, and Fritz Kreisler.
Malan is a fabulous raconteur and an excellent writer. Himself a concert violinist, he gives us generous helpings of delectable musical gossip, and does not fail to confront such difficult issues as Zimbalist's desire to sever his Jewish roots, the sometimes painful rivalries between concert stars, and the decline of a musicians' technical powers with age. No specialized musical knowledge is required to understand and enjoy this fascinating book.
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Violinist and educator Efrem Zimbalist (1890-1985) led a legendary life in music in an age of violin legends. Of the dazzling stars to emerge from the Russian School at the beginning of the 20th century, Zimbalist earned a special place. David Oistrakh compared him to Heifetz: "While Heifetz conquered by sheer brilliance, Zimbalist captivated people by appealing to profound mysteries of heart and soul." Zimbalist was also one of the century's great teachers, for 40 years devoting himself to the renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, serving as its director from 1941 to 1968. His was a remarkable journey, fortunately recounted in hundreds of hours of taped interviews with author and Curtis Institute student Roy Malan, longtime concertmaster of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Malan then waited nearly a decade after Zimbalist's death before seeking publication, so that the story could be told in its entirety. This definitive biography of the world's first globe-trotting virtuoso also includes a discography and a list of Zimbalist's students.
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