# Who are/were the Great Violinists **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453 "2004-01-08T17:29:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/1 "2004-01-08T17:29:18Z")
Who are the Greatest Violinists. And if they exist, what are their greatest recordings? ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/2 "2004-01-08T17:47:29Z")
What genre do you want? ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/3 "2004-01-08T18:02:05Z")
N Paganinni ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/4 "2004-01-08T18:12:51Z")
Any and all. Yehudi Menuhin and Stephane Grappelli come to mind. Watching the ‘Red Violin’, I wondered who was or is able to raise demons with the “Devil’s Instrument”. Is there a “Nicolo Paganini” alive today? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/5 "2004-01-08T18:20:01Z")
Dang, I was going to say “Grappelli.” I’m also fond of Jean-Luc Ponty. Plus there’s Stern, Perlman, Zuckerman – those guys. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/6 "2004-01-08T18:53:00Z")
Heifetz. ---
**Author:** ![Dizzy\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dizzy\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dizzy_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/7 "2004-01-08T19:02:20Z")
Mischa Elman Fritz Kreisler Arthur Grumiaux Zino Francescatti Joseph Szigeti ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/8 "2004-01-08T19:03:53Z")
Thomas Nuendel, formerly of the Minstrels of Mayhem - has his first solo CD out, called “Through Not From.” A nice mix of jazz, folk and blues. Only trouble is it’s not easy to find, but I know you can order directly from him at [nappythomas@yahoo.com](mailto:nappythomas@yahoo.com). ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/9 "2004-01-08T19:17:28Z")
Many excellent suggestions. For contemporary violinists, Nigel Kennedy and Vanessa Mae should be mentioned as well. ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/10 "2004-01-08T19:19:39Z")
Talk about your open-ended questions. I could name 50 and any or all of them could answer your question. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bippy the Beardless \* > \*\*Watching the ‘Red Violin’, I wondered who was or is able to raise demons with the “Devil’s Instrument”. > > Is there a “Nicolo Paganini” alive today? \*\* Well, I suppose by one definition, that’s Joshua Bell, since he did record the [Red Violin Soundtrack](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000J28V/qid=1073588028/sr=5-1/ref=cm_lm_asin/104-9731643-0653566?v=glance). Of his many comparable contemporaries, I’m partial to Gil Shaham’s interpretations of Paganini, but he’s not the only one who can play it. Or, if you just want a big list: Salvatore Accardo Rachel Barton Nathan Milstein Anne-Sophie Mutter Ruggiero Ricci Henryk Szeryng Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg There are too many to simply pick one. It makes more sense to evaluate each performance or recording on its own merits. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/11 "2004-01-08T19:33:36Z")
Papa John Creech (or do you say, “Screech”?). ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/12 "2004-01-08T19:35:09Z")
Oh, and the sister of Barbara Whatshername, the country singer chick who was in a bad car wreck. I heard she’s highly respected in the fiddle world. ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/13 "2004-01-08T19:35:36Z")
A good place to start, historically, would be to check the violin concerto repertoire and see to whom each piece was dedicated. I’m not so sure that violin prodigies, while they certainly existed, really captured the public fashion much before the 19th Century. Mozart, for example, probably wrote all his violin concertos for himself (see Michael Steinberg, _The Concerto_). A coupla composers to get you started: Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Max Bruch, Felix Mendelssohn, and Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky. Earlier on, I suspect that the orphans’ violin school (the Kaspar Weiss character) in the movie was probably modeled after the school for girls that Antonio Vivaldi ran at a convent; I don’t think any famous violinists came out of it, though. Anyway, you wanted names? You got names:[ul][li] **Franz Clement** : Premiered the Beethoven violin concerto. I think there are some stories of him playing the violin upside down just to amaze the audience.[/li][li] **Joseph Joachim** : Big, big name. Brahms dedicated his concerto to him, as did (I think) Robert Schumann.[/li][li] **Pablo de Sarasate** : Joachim’s contemporary and great rival.[/li][li] **Henryk Wieniawski** : May have been as great a talent as Paganini. The concerti he composed for himself are full of fireworks.[/li][li] **Fritz Kreisler** : Another big name. He lived in the early part of the 20th Century, and some recordings may be available, but are of the, well, early-20th Century sound quality. His cadenzas, though, live on and are still used by many performers today.[/li][li]Names from the older generation for whom quality recordings exist:[/li] **Zino Francescatti, Jascha Heifetz, Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman** [li]The younger ones:[/li] **Josuha Bell, Hilary Hahn, Midori, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg** [/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/14 "2004-01-08T19:45:42Z")
Thanks, keep them coming. I allways found the recordings by Vanessa Mae, and Nigel Kennedy that I have heard somewhat lacking. Do you guys have any suggestions for Eastern-European, and Romanie style violinists. Also was the guy who did “Devil comes down to Georgia” a great violinist? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/15 "2004-01-08T20:06:21Z")
Pretty much The Man in terms of non-classical fiddle playing is **Mark O’Conner**. A child prodigy who has been recording since he was 11, he’s 41 right now and won every major Bluegrass, Swing and Jazz violin award you can possibly imagine. If you’ve listened to anything with violin on it that wasn’t classical or a named band (like Alison Krauss and Union Station or the Dixie Chicks) the odds are pretty high you were listening to Mark. While still doing Bluegrass and Texas Swing, he has moved into Hot Jazz, and sat at the feet of the great Stephane Grappelli, who pretty much anointed Mark as his successor. I saw Mark at the Iridium jazz club a couple of months ago and it was one of the finest live performances I have ever witnessed. He started off playing Hot Club Jazz with a bassist and guitarist - smokin’ - then brought out another, steel-string guitarist and a mandolinist and played bluegrass, then he played some classical caprices - short, superfast, blow-your-mind dextrous pieces no mortal should ever conceive of being able to play. Didn’t break a sweat (and the mandolinist kept up with him!). He does a lot of stuff with Yo Yo Ma, too - check out Appalachian Journey, or other stuff like The New Nashville Cats or In Full Swing. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/16 "2004-01-08T20:08:59Z")
oh, and **Bippy**? Charlie Daniels is the guy who did “Devil went down to Georgia”. To my knowledge, he is considered a decent player, but not much more. Certainly nowhere near the level of the classical players listed in this thread or my previous reference, Mark O’Conner. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/17 "2004-01-08T20:25:30Z")
Vassar Clements for fiddle There was a very interesting profile of Nadia Solerno-Sonnenberg on “Sunday Morning” a few years back. She suffers from depression, IIRC, and attempted suicide - what a loss that would be. In addition to his “fiddle playing,” wasn’t Isaac Stern also responsible for saving Carnegie Hall from the wrecking ball? ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/18 "2004-01-08T20:34:01Z")
When it comes to swing it’s all about Joe Venuti, Stephane Grappelli, and Stuff Smith. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/19 "2004-01-08T20:48:55Z")
For contemporary violinists, I enjoy Gil Shaham immensely. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2004, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453/20 "2004-01-08T22:58:53Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Earthling \* > \*\* > [li] **Fritz Kreisler** : Another big name. He lived in the early part of the 20th Century, and some recordings may be available, but are of the, well, early-20th Century sound quality. His cadenzas, though, live on and are still used by many performers today.[/li]_\* Kreisler didn’t die until 1962, and there are quite a few recordings of his availible on-line. Quite a few of them (the majority?) do date to the late 1920’s, but electric recording was in use at that time. The sound quality will be mono, though. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-were-the-great-violinists/223453.md?page=2)