Ida Haendel


Ida Haendel, CBE (reportedly born 15 December 1928, her precise age is in doubt) is a British violinist of Polish descent.

Career

Ida Haendel was born in Chełm, a small city in Eastern Poland. She took up violin at the age of three and as a seven-year-old was admitted at the Warsaw Conservatory.[1] She later studied also with Carl Flesch and George Enescu in Paris. During World War II she played in factories and for British and American troops. Her career developed after the end of World War II.[1] Her autobiography, Woman with Violin, was published in 1970. She was made a CBE in 1991. Haendel has lived primarily in Miami, Florida for many years.[citation needed]

She has the reputation of being as accomplished and brilliant a violinist as Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern; but, admitted herself that had she been more photogenic, she would have been as famous[2] .

It is often said jokingly that Ida Haendel, the old grande dame of classic music, was married to the German/British composer Georg Friedrich Händel (since they both have the same German surname) but this of course is not true. Nevertheless, Ida Haendel is cited as saying that German music has always been a passionate question of heart for her.[3] In 1948/1949 she recorded together with conductor and composer Rafael Kubelik Beethoven's violin concerto. In 1993 she had her famous concert debut with the Berlin Philharmonic. To violinists, Haendel is an icon. Germany's female star virtuoso Anne-Sophie Mutter craves her opinions and Maxim Vengerov regards her with awe. [4]

In June 2009 Ida Haendel is appearing on a Channel 4 television programme entitled 'The World's Greatest Musical Prodigies' in which she advises 16 year old Alexander Prior on which children to choose to play his composition.

References

  1. ^ a b Petrášková, Eva (2003). Album notes for Ravel: Tzigane, Lalo: Symphonie espagnole, Hartmann: Concerto funébre by Karel Ančerl, Czech Philharmonic, p. 12 [CD]. Prague: Supraphon (SU 3677-2011). [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ http://www.welt.de/welt_print/article2878242/Der-Geigerin-Ida-Haendel-zum-80.html
  4. ^ http://www.scena.org/columns/lebrecht/000621-NL-IdaHaendel.html


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