Jascha Heifetz

Biography

From WikipediaJascha Heifetz (/ˈhaɪfɪts/; February 2 [O.S. January 20]1901 – December 10, 1987) was a Lithuanian-born American violinist. He was bornin Vilnius. As a teen, he moved with his family to the United States, where hisCarnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He had a long and successfulperforming and recording career; after an injury to his right (bowing) arm, he focusedon teaching. The New York Times called him "perhaps the greatest violinistof all time."Heifetz played a featured role in the movie They Shall HaveMusic (1939) directed by Archie Mayo and written by John Howard Lawson andIrmgard von Cube. He played himself, stepping in to save a music school forpoor children from foreclosure. He later appeared in the 1947 film, CarnegieHall, performing an abridged version of the first movement of Tchaikovsky'sViolin Concerto, with the orchestra led by Fritz Reiner, and consoling the starof the picture, who had watched his performance. Heifetz later recorded thecomplete Tchaikovsky concerto with Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra asone of RCA Victor's "Living Stereo" discs. In 1951, he appeared inthe film Of Men and Music. In 1962, he appeared in a televised series of hismaster classes, and, in 1971, Heifetz on Television aired, an hour-long colorspecial that featured the violinist performing a series of short works, theScottish Fantasy by Max Bruch, and the Chaconne from the Partita No. 2 by J.S.Bach. Heifetz even conducted the orchestra, as the surviving video recordingdocuments.The most recent film featuring Heifetz, Jascha Heifetz:God's Fiddler, premiered on April 16, 2011 at the Colburn School of Music. Itis described as "The only film biography of the world's most renownedviolinist, featuring family home movies in Los Angeles and all over the world.The documentary-like film talks about Heifetz's life and accomplishments and givesan inside view of his personal life.Heifetz died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,California in December 1987.