We can always use a hand: Become a Patron!
Over to Valais Switzerland this week for a concert by Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, conducted by Shlomo Mintz who also is soloist in the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto – all recorded at the 47th International Music Festival de Sion in Valais on September 13, 2011 and preserved for posterity by the venerable RSR.
The concert opens with Shlomo Mintz leading the orchestra in the Overture for Trumpet and Orchestra op. 100. Quickly followed by the Mendelssohn violin concerto with Shlomo Mintz in dual roles. The concert concludes with the Sibelius Symphony Number 2 op. 43.
From his Wikipedia page:
Shlomo Mintz was born in Moscow. In 1959, when he was two, his family immigrated to Israel, where he studied with Ilona Feher, a student of Jenő Hubay. Feher introduced Shlomo Mintz to Isaac Stern, who became his mentor. He was also a student of Dorothy DeLay in New York.
His first performance on stage was at the age of six, and at age eleven he played as soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Soon afterward, he was called on a week’s notice by Zubin Mehta to play Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 6, with the orchestra when Itzhak Perlman fell ill. He made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of sixteen with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (conducted by William Steinberg).
Under the auspices of Isaac Stern and the American-Israel Cultural Foundation he started studying at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and soon afterward at the age of 18, he made an extensive tour through Europe. He also signed, still in his early twenties, a long-term recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon and was invited by Berlin, Vienna, Concertgebouw, Chicago, Los Angeles, Cleveland, Philadelphia and New York Philharmonic Orchestras frequently.
At the age of eighteen, Mintz launched a parallel career as a conductor, and has since led acclaimed orchestras worldwide including the Royal Philharmonic (United Kingdom), the NHK Symphony (Japan) and the Israel Philharmonic. He was music advisor of the Israel Chamber Orchestra from 1989 to 1993, and in March 1994 was appointed artistic advisor and principal guest conductor of the Maastricht Symphony in the Netherlands, which he led for some weeks during four seasons, sometimes as both conductor and violin soloist. In 2008, he became principal guest conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic. From 2002 to 2012, he was artistic director of the Sion-Valais International Music Festival. Mintz was also the artistic director of Arena di Verona winter season and performed Mendelssohn Elijah Oratorio, as a highlight of his season.
His guest conducting appearances included orchestras like Concertgebouw Orchestra, La Scala, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Stuttgart Radio Orchestra, La Fenice, Detroit Symphony and Teatro Colón.
Slow down and enjoy the concert.
