From the astonishing Archives of RTS, a live performance broadcast and recorded on March 17, 1941 featuring violinist Jacques Thibaud and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande conducted by Ernest Ansermet of Ernest Chausson’s Poeme for Violin and Orchestra.
For the first half of the twentieth century Jacques Thibaud (1880-1953) was one of the world’s most beloved violin soloists. He was a performer of unique and special gifts. “I pity all young violinists,” said his friend George Enescu, “who have not heard Thibaud—in their book of memories an irreplaceable image is lacking.” When he first heard Thibaud’s playing, Enescu recalled, “It took my breath away. I was beside myself with enthusiasm. It was so new, so unusual.”
Thibaud was born in Bordeaux and studied violin with his father there until the age of 13, when he enrolled in the studio of Martin Marsick at the Paris Conservatoire. (Enescu and Flesch were his studio mates.) At 18, Thibaud was playing in Paris’ Colonne Orchestra when the concertmaster fell ill. Young Jacques filled in on the solos for Saint-Saëns Le Déluge, creating a phenomenal sensation: he ended up soloing with the orchestra 54 times that season. In the next few years, Thibaud made debuts in London, Berlin, and New York. For the ensuing several decades, he was considered the French violinist.
Among Thibaud’s repertoire favorites were spicy numbers such as Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, recorded with Ansermet and the Orchestre de la Suisse romande; Havanaise, with Tasso Janopoulo at the piano; and encores by Falla, Granados, and Albéniz. Finally, Thibaud’s charm, imagination, and spontaneity can all be heard in the Scherzando by his old teacher Marsick.
Thibaud was noted not only for his work as a soloist, but also for his performances of chamber music, particularly in a piano trio with the pianist Alfred Cortot and cellist Pablo Casals. He undertook concert tours with pianist Yves Nat and George Enescu. He was a friend of violinist Eugène Ysaÿe, who dedicated his 2nd Sonata for solo violin to him. Among his students were Manuel Quiroga (the dedicatee of Ysaÿe’s 6th solo sonata), Eric Rosenblith, Joan Field, Rachel Steinman Clarke, Stephan Hero (see Jose Iturbi) and Yfrah Neaman.
On 1 September 1953, Jacques Thibaud tragically died in the crash of Air France Flight 178, along with all 41 other passengers. The aircraft, registered as F-BAZZ, was on its final approach to Nice when it struck Mount Cimet in the French Alps. Thibaud was traveling to a performance in Tokyo, and his prized 1720 Stradivarius violin was destroyed in the crash. The accident investigation established “controlled flight into terrain (CFIT)” as the cause.
Have a listen and enjoy.
