By David Amos
SAN DIEGO — If you like music for the classical violin, these concerts are certainly for you.
The eminent violinist and recording artist Jacques Israelievitch will be the guest soloist of the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra in two programs which will have, yes, three major violin concerto masterpieces of the classic repertoire, all in one program!
He will play J.S. Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major, Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D, Opus 61, and the Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D, Opus 77.
When Mr. Israelievitch first proposed this program to me, a couple of years ago, I was taken aback a bit. After all, only one of these works is plenty to keep a violinist quite busy in a single evening. A major undertaking would be doing two of these pieces, and that is far more than most seasoned violinists would dare to do. But, three? It really is a marathon of physical, mental, and artistic challenges.
But, as Jacques explained to me, he thrives on extended recitals. Recently, he performed all of the ten Violin-Piano Sonatas by Beethoven on a single Sunday, taking only two breaks for nourishment. And, he would like to follow the steps of one of his first teachers in Paris, the legendary Henryk Szeryng, who played these concertos consecutively, in a single concert..
And, of course, being very familiar of Jacques’ past accomplishments and stellar career, I immediately agreed to do these concerts. Here is a bit of information about him:
Jacques Israelievitch was born in 1948 in Cannes. At 11 years of age he was the youngest graduate of the Le Mans Conservatory. He continued at the Paris Conservatoire, where he studied with Szeryng, and Rene Benedetti, receiving three first prizes at the age of 16. He also studied at Indiana University (that’s where we met!) with Josef Gingold, Janos Starker, William Primrose, and Menachem Pressler.
Israelievitch also performs as a soloist and chamber musician, collaborating with artists such as Carlo Maria Giullini, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Emmanuel Ax, Yefin Bronfman, and Yo-Yo Ma. Many of these names are among the finest musicians of our time.
In 1972, Sir Geog Solti appointed him as Assistant Concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony, making him the youngest member of the orchestra. Most probably, all the legendary recordings you have at home of Solti and the Chicago Symphony include Jacques in the first violin section.
He then served as concertmaster of the St. Louis Symphony, and later as concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, a position he held from 1988 to 2008.
He has performed in San Diego with the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra twice before. The last time he was with us, he premiered, together with his son, percussionist Michael Israelievitch, a double concerto composed for them and commissioned by TICO, Prophetic Voices, by the award-winning Hollywood film composer, Laurence Rosenthal.
In 1995, Israelievitch was honored by France with the title of Chevalier (Knight) of the Ordre des arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature). In 2004, he was made Officier of the Order.
Both concerts will be at Tifereth Israel Synagogue, at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 9, and at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11.
For more information, individual or group tickets, reservations, directions, or a season brochure, call (619) 697 6001, or you can buy tickets online at www.tiferethisrael.com/TICO.
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Amos is conductor of Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra (TICO) and has guest conducted professional orchestras all over the world. He may be contacted at david.amos@sdjewishworld.com