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Yehudi Menuhin in Concert
| Article
# : |
11091 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
Date : |
3 / 1986 |
1,256 Words |
| Author
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Tom Pniewski
Tom Pniewski is a musicologist at Hunter College in New York. |
Reviewing Yehudi Menuhin is like reviewing the Grand Canyon: Both are major landmarks in their respective environments, both have been here about as long as anyone can remember, and an encounter with either can be a profound artistic experience.
It must also be admitted that both Menuhin and the Grand Canyon show signs of weathering. The years have taken their toll, and if you look too closely you will find imperfections in both.
Menuhin has been a phenomenon for nearly three generations. In 1927, the 11-year-old prodigy played the Beethoven violin concerto under Fritz Busch in New York and became a worldwide celebrity overnight. The next year he began making recordings, and it was this almost as much as his talent that brought him fame and fortune. The introduction of electronic microphones and recordings in 1929 brought about a vast improvement over the direct-cut discs that required powerful soloists--usually singers--to blast into a huge horn. Quieter instruments, like violins, could now be recorded with greater fidelity. The new technique sparked a tremendous increase in the number of discs made, and Menuhin--a prodigy who attracted enormous attention--became one of the first "media stars." If he was not quite the Michael Jackson of the 1930s, at least, in the words of the old Grove's Dictionary, "certainly no other violinist has succeeded in amassing so large a fortune before reaching manhood."
That is not to discount Menuhin's enormous artistry. From the very beginning, the maturity of his understanding and the freshness of his playing won the respect of everyone, from the general public to the professional critic. No
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