Le violon du siècle Yehudi Menuhin

• 1 Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, BWV 1041: I. [Allegro] 04:15
• 2 Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major, BWV 1042: II. Adagio 07:12
• 3 Vivaldi: Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons), Violin Concerto in G Minor Op. 8, No. 2, RV 315, Summer: III. Presto (Tempo impetuoso d'estate) 02:49
• 4 Violin Concerto No. 22 in A Minor, G. 97: II. Adagio 07:20
• 5 Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61: III. Rondo - Allegro (Cadenza by Kreisler) 10:34
• 6 Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Minor, Op. 64: I. Allegro molto appassionato 12:24
• 7 Violin Concerto in D Minor, MWV O 3: III. Allegro 06:00
• 8 Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35: II. Canzonetta - Andante 06:43
• 9 Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77: III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo vivace 08:19
• 10 Violin Concerto No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 7, 'La Campanella': III. Rondo - La Campanella 07:54
• 11 Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24, 'Spring': I. Allegro 10:00
• 12 Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24, 'Spring': II. Adagio molto espressivo 06:34
• 13 Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24, 'Spring': III. Schezo (Allegro molto) 01:08
• 14 Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24, 'Spring': IV. Rondo (Allegro ma non troppo) 06:43
• 15 Violin Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47, 'Kreutzer': III. Finale (Presto) 06:49
• 16 Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 108: III. Un poco presto e con sentimento 03:05
• 17 Piano Trio No. 1 in B-Flat Major, D. 898: II. Andante un poco mosso 09:17
• 18 Violin Sonata No. 35 in A Major, K. 526: II. Andante 07:05
• 19 Sonata for Violin Solo No. 3 in C Major, BWV 1005: IV. Allegro assai 03:54
• 20 Violin Sonata in E Major, BWV 1016: III. Adagio, ma non tanto 05:20
• 21 Violin Sonata in A Major, FWV 8: II. Allegro 08:08
• 22 Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15: II. Scherzo - Allegro vivo 05:22
• 23 Berceuse in D Major, Op. 16 03:43
• 24 21 Hungarian Dances, WoO 1: No. 5 in G Minor 02:09
• 25 L'arte del violino, Op. 3 No. 13: Caprice No. 23 in D Major, 'Harmonious Labyrinth' 03:06
• 26 Violin Sonata Op. 5 No. 12 in D Minor, 'La Folia' 13:11
• 27 Ave Maria, D. 839 04:50
• 28 Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, 'From the New World': Negro Spiritual Melody 03:49
• 29 8 Slavonic Dances, Op. 72: No. 2 in E Minor 04:04
• 30 Act 3: No. 5 Ballade de l'Epi 02:40
• 31 Sylvia, Act 3: No. 16b Pas de deux 04:40
• 32 Preludes, Book 1, L. 117: VIII. La Fille aux cheveux de lin 02:40
• 33 3 Old Viennese Dances: No. 2 Liebesleid 03:38
• 34 3 Old Viennese Dances: No. 1 Liebesfreud 03:14
• 35 3 Old Viennese Dances: No. 3 Schön Rosmarin 01:59
• 36 Andante con variazioni in F Major 04:15
• 37 Prabhati (based on Raga Gunkali) 04:11
• 38 Harris / Arr Harris: Viva Vivaldi 02:26
• 39 Air on a Shoestring 03:40
• Total Runtime 03:35:10

Info for Le violon du siècle

As a musician, as a man of ideals, and as a true world citizen, Yehudi Menuhin made an extraordinary mark on his era. The Menuhin Century commemorates the 100th anniversary of his birth on 22 April 1916.

Comprising of various recordings, The Menuhin Century draws on the unequalled 70-year relationship between the violinist and the record company HMV/EMI. That collaboration produced a total of some 300 discs, which are now part of Warner Classics’ unrivalled catalogue. While The Menuhin Century is impressively extensive, spanning the 53 years from 1929 to 1998, it does not aim for completeness; rather, its particular focus is on the violinist’s landmark interpretations and on recordings never before released, or appearing for the first time on HighResAudio. About a third of the recordings in The Menuhin Century comprise rare or unreleased recordings, so the set offers a thrilling voyage of discovery both to Menuhin aficionados and to music-lovers who might be experiencing his art for the first time.

The Menuhin Century has been compiled in close collaboration with Bruno Monsaingeon, a film-maker who has also been a professional violinist; he knew Menuhin well for many years, and directed several of the documentaries. Monsaingeon is also the author of the eloquent and insightful text of the lavishly illustrated hardback book.

Hephzibah Menuhin, piano
Louis Kentner, piano
Maurice Gendron, cello
George Malcolm, harpsichord
Ambrose Gauntlett, viola de gamba
Jeremy Menuhin, piano
Ernst Wallfisch, alto
Gerald Moore, piano
Robert Donington, viola de gamba
Philharmonia Orchestra
Robert Irving, conductor
Alla Rakha, tabla
Amiya Dasgupta, luth
Nodu mulli, luth
Ravi Shankar, sitar

Digitally remastered

Yehudi Menuhin
Lasting for nearly 70 years, Lord Menuhin's contract with EMI was the longest in the history of the music industry. In November 1929, at the age of 13, he made his first recordings for the Company in London, and he made his last recording shortly before his death in 1999, when he conducted the Sinfonia Varsovia in Beethoven's Piano Concertos with François-René Duchâble as the soloist.

In total Menuhin recorded over 300 works for EMI as both violinist and conductor. Menuhin's range was unique, including all of the main classical works for violin as well as collaborations with Stéphane Grappelli and Ravi Shankar.

Throughout his life Menuhin was concerned with education and humanitarian causes. He always made a point of putting these concerns into practical action, which included the founding in 1963 of the Yehudi Menuhin School at Stoke d'Abernon in Surrey, a boarding school for young talented musicians whose ex-pupils include Nigel Kennedy. In 1977 he also founded the International Menuhin Music Academy in Gstaad, Switzerland for young graduate string players.

In 1977 he founded Live Music Now, a charity which encourages young musicians to perform in hospitals, churches, schools and prisons. Lord Menuhin was also patron of the Music Sound Foundation, an independent charity set up by EMI to mark its centenary in 1997.

During World War II Menuhin gave more than 500 concerts for the Armed Forces. When hostilities ceased, he continued to give concerts for displaced persons around Europe and saw for himself the horrors of the concentration camps, an experience that moved him greatly. In recognition of his musical and humanitarian achievements he was awarded many international honours including the Legion d'Honneur and the Croix de Lorraine from France; the Order of Merit from Germany; the Ordre Leopold and Ordre de la Couronne from Belgium. In 1960 Menuhin received the Nehru Peace Prize for International Understanding from the Prime Minister of India. Other honours include the Royal Philharmonic Society's Gold Medal and the Cobbett Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

In 1965 he was given an honorary knighthood (KBE) by Queen Elizabeth II (which became a formal knighthood in 1985 when he was granted honorary British citizenship) and in 1987 he became a member of the highly select Order of Merit (OM). In 1993 he was awarded a Life Peerage, becoming Lord Menuhin of Stoke d'Abernon. He was an honorary doctor of twenty universities, including Oxford, Cambridge and the University of St. Andrews; he was a Freeman of the Cities of Edinburgh, Bath, Reims and Warsaw and was the holder of the Gold Medals of the Cities of Paris, New York and Jerusalem. In 1992 he was honoured with the title of Ambassador of Goodwill to Unesco.

Active right up to the very end of his life, Lord Menuhin died on 12 March 1999 in Berlin, where he was to have conducted a concert.

Booklet for Le violon du siècle