Ivry Gitlis
Ivry Gitlis is an Israeli virtuoso violinist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. He has performed with the world's top orchestras, including the London Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and many more.
Early life and education
Yitzhak-Meir Gitlis was born in Haifa, Palestine Mandate to Jewish parents, who emigrated in 1921 from Kamianets-Podilskyi, Russia, now Ukraine.Gitlis acquired his first violin when he was five years old and started lessons under Mme Velikovsky together with his friend Zvi Zeitlin. He then studied privately with Mira Ben-Ami, a pupil of Joseph Szigeti. When he was eight, she arranged for him to play for Bronisław Huberman, which prompted a fundraising campaign to allow him to study in France.
In 1933 he arrived with his mother in Paris and started to take lessons with , husband of the pianist . Being very close to their family, he was introduced to George Enescu and Jacques Thibaud. In that period he decided to change his birth name ) to Ivry. At 11, Gitlis entered the Conservatoire de Paris in the class of Jules Boucherit, and graduated in 1935.
In 1938–1940, his teachers included George Enescu and Jacques Thibaud in Paris and Carl Flesch in Spa, Belgium and later in London.
Career
World War 2
In 1940, during World War II, he went to London where he first worked for two years in a war factory and was then assigned to the artists branch of the British Army. He gave numerous concerts for the Allied soldiers and in war factories. After the war he made his successful debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and subsequently played with the BBC and all other principal orchestras of Great Britain.1950s
In 1951, as suggested by his teacher Alice Pashkus, he participated in the Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris, where he took fifth place. During the preliminary stages of the competition, a rumor circulated that he had stolen a Stradivarius violin during the war, which caused a scandal on the day of the final. Six years after the fall of Hitler, being a Jew in France was still causing debate.In the same year, Gitlis made his debut in Paris, playing in a recital at the Salle Gaveau, sponsored by the music manager Marcel de Valmalète.
In the 1950s, he moved to the United States where he met Jascha Heifetz. There he made several tours, managed by Sol Hurok, including those conducted by Eugene Ormandy and George Szell. Back in Europe, between 1954 and 1955, he recorded for the Vox label concertos by Berg, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Stravinsky and with the conductor Jascha Horenstein, Bartók, Bruch and Sibelius. His recording of Bartok's 2nd Violin Concerto and Solo Violin Sonata -Vox PL 9020- received the "Best Record of the Year" award from the New York Herald Tribune in 1955.
1960s
In 1963, he was the first Israeli violinist to play in the Soviet Union. He gave a series of concerts under the cultural exchange program of the Soviet Union and Israel, starting in Vilnius. His other concerts were given in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Odessa.In 1968, he participated in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus film project, performing "Whole Lotta Yoko" with Yoko Ono and The Dirty Mac, recently released on DVD.
Many composers were fascinated by his sound and way of playing, among whom René Leibowitz who dedicated the "Violin Concerto Op.50" to him; Roman Haubenstock-Ramati with "Sequences" for Violin and Orchestra ; Bruno Maderna writing "Pièce pour Ivry", which Gitlis never recorded commercially, but recorded live in Paris on 25 May 1983; Yannis Xenakis with "Mykka", which Gitlis premièred in 1972; with two works for solo violin, inspired by Gitlis, "Rhapsodie Israélienne" and "Romantic Suite".
1970s
In 1972, Gitlis founded the Festival de Vence, famous for its innovative programming. He is also the inspirer and organiser of the Saint André de Cubzac, Alfortville and Bonifacio Music Festivals.In 1975, he undertook a dramatic role, as Hypnotist in François Truffaut's film, The Story of Adele H.
He has often visited Japan where he is very popular.
1990s
In 1990, Gitlis was designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. His stated aim is the "support of education and culture of peace and tolerance".2000s
Ivry Gitlis is a commentator all the way through the DVD The Art of Violin, which showcases violin performances and gives biographical details of many of the great violinists of the twentieth century.In 2008, he became patron of the Paris-based association "Inspiration", whose aim is to make classical music accessible to all. He is a Fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music.
Violins
At various stages in his career, Gitlis played on a 1699 Giovanni Battista Rogeri, which he sold to famed violin author Sidney Bowden, the 1737 "Chant du Cygne" Antonio Stradivari, and the 1740 "Ysaye" Guarneri del Gesù. Ivry Gitlis currently owns the 1713 "Sancy" Antonio Stradivari.Quotes
- "... don't be so polite with the music, it's like being in love!"
- "Sheet music is a bunch of black marks; they have no significance... I play violin, but in order to play well you have to be much more than a violin player. There is an entire world that lives together with it, like the currents in the ocean; and in any event, often I don't use sheet music at all, but improvise."
- "... rubato is the art of playing in tempo..."
- "... to be alive, to be aware, to hear, to know, to feel, to see, to love, to be loved a little bit sometimes."
Personal life
Audio/video recordings
Sortable lists, in chronological order.Commercial - official, studio and live releases
Filmography
| original title | year | director / producer | collaborating artists | Gitlis role / content | genre | info and note |
| Mendelssohn, Felix | 1963/06/23 | "Discorama" / Philippe Ducrest | Pro Musica Symphony Vienna / Hans Swarowsky | Violin Concerto in E minor, Op.64 | TV footage, archive by Meloclassic | 1963 video playback over the 1954 VOX audio rec. / |
| Ivry Gitlis – Musica da Camera | 1963, Milano | Elisa Quattrocolo | Loredana Franceschini, piano | Debussy, Violin Sonata / Paganini, Cantabile Op.17 / Wieniawski, Capriccio-Valse Op.7 / Moszkowski/arr. Sarasate, Guitarre | TV broadcast | RAI5 Classica / YouTube |
| Ivry Gitlis – interview + Paganini | 1965/01/10, Paris | Jacqueline Barsac | unknown orchestra and conductor | interview + rehearsal Paganini/Wilhelmj Violin Concerto Nr.1 in D major, Op.6 | TV footage, archive by Meloclassic | |
| Ivry Gitlis – Journal de Paris | 1966/10/11, Paris | Jacqueline Barsac | Yves Henry, piano | rehearsal Paganini Caprice No.24 / Brahms Violin Sonata No.3, Op.108 + interview | TV footage | ina.fr, |
| Ivry Gitlis – "Un violon, une valise" | 1968/10/06, Paris | Jacques Busnel | Girolamo Arrigo | rehearsing Saint-Saëns Violin Concerto No.2 Op.58, at his home in Paris + interview | TV footage | ina.fr, / |
| The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus: Whole Lotta Yoko | 1968 | Rolling Stones | John Lennon, Yoko Ono | violin solo improvisations | filmed concert | / DVD release, 1996 |
| Ivry Gitlis – avec les Tziganes | 1970s | improvisations in gypsy style | TV footage, archive by Meloclassic | |||
| Ivry Gitlis plays Bach | 1970s | Bach - Partita No.3 in E major, BWV 1006 | TV footage | dailymotion, | ||
| Ivry Gitlis - "Sur le vif, ou un violon dans la ville" | 1971, Paris | M.Philippe-Gérard / Edmond Tyborowsky | avec : Ivry Gitlis / violon off : Stéphane Grappelli | musique de : M.Philippe-Gérard / ingenieurs du son : Guy Solignac, Claude Bittan / assistés de : Edouard Hoffmann, Hervé Chauvel / directeur de la photographie: Henri Martin / cadreurs : Guy Maçon, Adrien Ballester, Bernard Gapail / montage : Jean-Claude Couprie / assisté de : Yves Charoy / scripts-girls : Andrée Gautey, Christiane Barreau / décorateur : Armand Braun / mixage : Jean-Paul Quiquempois / collaborateur artistique : Didier Philippe-Gérard / assistants-réalisateur : Toni Tounsi, Jeanne Barbillon, Xavier Guilhem-Ducléon / réalisation : Edmond Tyborowsky / Date de diffusion : 21/03/1971 / Durée : 00h 47' 35" | TV film, archive by Meloclassic | |
| Ivry Gitlis – Vence Music Festival | 1972, Vence | Georges Cziffra, Dizzy Gillespie, Georges Moustaki, François-René Duchable, Zubin Mehta | Chopin - Fantasie Impromptu Op.66 / Bach - Chaconne BWV 1004 / jam sessions / Z.Mehta, conducting string orchestra / Schubert – fragments "Trout Quintet" | TV footage, archive by Meloclassic | ||
| Ivry Gitlis – an Ambassador for Children, Young People and Music | 1973, Vence | explaining music to children / Beethoven - Violin Concerto Op.61 | TV footage, archive by Meloclassic | |||
| Ivry Gitlis with Barbara | 1974, Paris | Gitlis improvising the violin part in "Une petite cantate" with Barbara | TV footage | |||
| Ivry Gitlis with Léo Ferré | 1974, Paris | Gitlis improvising the violin part in the song "Les Étrangers" | TV footage, archive by Meloclassic | |||
| Ivry Gitlis with Michel Legrand | 1974, Paris | Gitlis with Michel Legrand and his orchestra, playing compositions for the movies "Summer of '42" and "The Thomas Crown Affair" | TV footage, archive by Meloclassic | |||
| Jean Arp ou le nageur énigmatique | 1975/5/17, Paris | Georges Alain Baudry | Ivry Gitlis, violin / Schola Cantorum / Jean Arp | TV footage | ina.fr, | |
| L'Histoire d'Adèle H. | 1975 | François Truffaut | Isabelle Adjani, Bruce Robinson | The Hypnotist | film-drama | IMDB |
| Ivry Gitlis – Musique en fête | 1977/9/01, Bordeaux | Jacques Schreiber | Improvisation workshop with children | TV footage | ina.fr, | |
| La vie devant soi | 1977 | Moshé Mizrahi | Simone Signoret, Michal Bat-Adam | violin solo | film-drama | IMDB |
| Ivry Gitlis – "Les violons qui miaulent" | 1979/11/24, Paris | Pierre Leherle | TV footage | ina.fr, / YouTube | ||
| Ivry Gitlis – Les mystères de l'hérédité | 1979/12/10, Paris | Jean Archimbaud | Pierre Paul Grasse, André Langaney, Jean Didier Vincent, Jacques Mehler | TV footage | ina.fr, | |
| Ivry Gitlis – Ecole maternelle, musique | 1981/1/28, Paris | Martine Chardon | TV footage | ina.fr, | ||
| Les Enquêtes du commissaire Maigret | 1981 | Jean Richard | episode: "Maigret et l'homme tout seul" / René Vivien | TV fiction | Télévision Française, 1982 | |
| Festival de musique de Bonifacio | 1984/9/06, Bonifacio | Pierre Jean Luccioni | TV footage | ina.fr, | ||
| Un amour de Swann | 1984 | Volker Schlöndorff | Jeremy Irons, Ornella Muti | violinist | film-drama | IMDB |
| La Septième Cible | 1984 | Vladimir Cosma, soundtrack | "Berlin Concerto" from the French film "La Septième cible" at Berliner Philharmoniker played by Gitlis | film-drama | IMDB / | |
| Ivry Gitlis – Journal de Paris | 1987/1/01, Paris | André Halimi | TV footage | ina.fr, | ||
| Ivry Gitlis - "hommage à Jascha Heifetz" | 1988/1/13, Paris | broadcast "Le Grand Échiquier" – Vive la rentrée, by André Flédérick | Ivry Gitlis - "hommage à Jascha Heifetz" + Jules MASSENET: Méditation de Thaïs | TV footage, archive by Meloclassic | ||
| Léo Ferré, 'Les Etrangers' | 1988/4/23, Paris | Michel Drucker | TV footage | ina.fr, | ||
| Ivry Gitlis – Afrique | 1990/05/15 | Arnaud Hamelin, Jean Pierre Van Geirt | TV footage | ina.fr, | ||
| Un violon dans la tête | 1992 | Claude Edelmann | I.Gitlis & Vinh Pham | music and neurosciences | scientific documentary | / VHS PAL only |
| The Soul of The Violin | 1993 | André Delacroix | Pierre Amoyal, Patrice Fontanarosa, Ivry Gitlis, Sergei Krilov, Hugh Maguire, Yehudi Menuhin, Anne-Sophie Mutter | documentary | medici.tv, | |
| Ivry Gitlis & Ana-Maria Vera – recital | 1999 | Yvon Gérault | Ana-Maria Vera, piano | Concert recorded at the Abbaye Saint-Léonard de Corbigny : Mozart - Violin Sonata K.301 / Chopin - Fantaisie-Impromptu Op.66 / Bloch - Nigun / Sarasate - Zigeunerweisen Op.20 / Kreisler - Liebesleid / Beethoven - Violin Sonata No.9 Op.47 "Kreutzer" | filmed concert | MEZZO.tv / |
| Beppu! 2001 | 2001 | feat.: Akane Sakai, Geza Hosszu-Legocky, Martha Argerich, Ivry Gitlis, Nelson Freire, Antonio Pappano | A film for insiders | TV footage, archive by Meloclassic | ||
| The Art of Violin | 2001 | Bruno Monsaingeon | Itzhak Perlman | I.Gitlis / Part 1. "The Devil's Instrument" & Part 2. "Transcending the Violin" | documentary | DVD release, 2010 / YouTube |
| Sansa | 2003 | Siegfried | Roschdy Zem, Emma Suarez, Martha Argerich | I.Gitlis | film-drama | IMDB / |
| Ivry Gitlis, documentary | 2003 | Robertie Nahoum Valee | Australia Chamber Orchestra / Richard Tognetti | Beethoven - Sonata "Kreutzer" / Saint-Saëns – Introduction and rondo capriccioso Op.28 + interview | filmed concert | / short clip on YouTube |
| Ivry Gitlis and the Great Tradition | 2004 | Tony Palmer | performer | documentary | DVD release, 2012 / YouTube | |
| Ruggiero Ricci – Life is a Violin | 2006 | Fernando Casablancas | Ruggiero Ricci, Ivry Gitlis | Ricci at his home in Palm Springs, in Paris with fellow fiddler Ivry Gitlis, and in Mozarteum Salzburg for a Master Class. A personal portrait of a great artist and warm and endearing man. | documentary | / |
| Inspiration, Playing by Heart | 2009 | Marlies Huitink, Fried-jan van den Eerenbeemt | David Stern, Daniel Rowland, Anna Korpalska, Jaap van Zweden, 't Stift Weerselo, Kim Cramer, Pete Saunders, Peter Ziegler | himself | documentary | Crossmarkpictures, Avro / |
| Ivry Gitlis & Michel Legrand | 2009 | Tandem | Ivry Gitlis and Michel Legrand, playing a joke, imitating 'Contemporary Music' | TV footage | dailymotion, | |
| Ivry Gitlis, le violon sans frontières | 2009 | Sandra Joxe, Christian Labrande | performer | documentary | , Arte, ina / DVD, 2010 / YouTube | |
| Ivry Gitlis, improvisation | 2009/10/18 | Brigitte Engerer, Boris Berezovsky | recorded during Pianoscope à Beauvais - Festival 2009 – improvisation sur le nom 'Brigitte' | private recording | dailymotion, | |
| Ivry Gitlis, interview – wallcast #13 | 2011/7/27, Verbier | Matthieu Escande | Verbier Festival | documentary | medici.tv, / YouTube | |
| Legends Interview Series – Ivry Gitlis | 2011/12/17, London | Steven Isserlis, Josè Lasheras | Steven Isserlis, interviewer / Stephen Hough, piano | Interview at Wigmore Hall, London + concert with piano | documentary | |
| Ivry Gitlis – Un violon pour la paix dans le monde | 2012/04/02 | Patrick Simonin | TV interview | dailymotion, | ||
| Masterclass with Ivry Gitlis | 2012, Thessaloniky | Angela Maria Arbeláez, Thanasis Protatos | Institut Français de Thessalonique | documentary | vimeo, | |
| Des gens qui s'embrassent | 2013 | Danièle Thompson | Monica Bellucci | Aron | film-comedy | IMDB / / YouTube |
| Des gens qui s'embrassent | 2013/04/5 | Ivry Gitlis & Monica Bellucci | L'invité du jour du 05/04/2013 dans 'A La Bonne Heure' | interview | dailymotion, / YouTube | |
| Ivry Gitlis - Legendary Violin Recital in 2013 | 2013/6/14, Tokyo | Nakamura Toshitake | Vahan Mardirossian, piano | Händel - Sonata in E major Op.1 No.15, HWV 373 / Franck – Violin Sonata in A major / Brahms - Scherzo F.A.E. / Bloch - Nigun / Kreisler - Liebesleid, Syncopation, Schön Rosmarin / Massenet - Meditation de Thais / Paradis - Sicilienne / Narita - The Song of the Seashore / Paganini - Cantabile Op.17 | filmed concert | DVD Tempo Primo Co., Ltd., 2015 |
| Ivry Gitlis - La matinale | 2013/11/02 | Jean Michel Dhuez | "Jean Michel Dhuez reçoit l'invité du jour le célèbre violoniste Ivry Gitlis dont l'autobiographie "L'âme et la corde" paraît dans une nouvelle édition augmentée aux éditions Buchet/Chastel." | TV interview | dailymotion, |