with Renee Fleming at Carnegie Hall
with Her Majesty Queen Sylvia of Sweden, after playing a recital in her honor, West Palm Beach, Florida
with Her Majesty Queen Sylvia of Sweden, after playing a recital in her honor, West Palm Beach, Florida
with Pinchas Zukerman
His tone, and expression, so overwhelmingly beautiful, that one has some kind of coma listening to it so close by. I have always dreamed to sound like him, which fiddle player hasn't!? When I think of a most beautiful, "tasty" violin sound, this is it.
visiting his idol Pinchas Zukerman backstage in New York, 2017.
visiting his idol Pinchas Zukerman backstage in New York, 2017.
visiting his idol Pinchas Zukerman backstage in New York, 2017.
visiting his idol Pinchas Zukerman backstage in New York, 2017.
with the one, the only, Renee Fleming at Carnegie Hall, New York
"I'm so glad I did that"-her reaction when I thanked dearly for singing "Song to the Moon", and told her that from time to time, I would wander on the Streets of New York, and listening to her recording of that aria some 20 times in row.
visiting his idol Pinchas Zukerman backstage in New York, 2017.
with Emmanuel Pahud after a performance at Aspen Music Festival and School
with Victor Rosenbaum after a recital in Cambridge
There are musicians, and there are those who make music. If you see music as a language, no one spoke more freely, and more beautifully than this man.
with Victor Rosenbaum in New York
in recording with Eduard Laurel
with Matthias Pintscher after the Swiss premiere of Friedrich Cerha's "Spiegel" at KKL, Lucerne Festival
after a performance at Meadowmount School of Music
with Ida Haendal
with the legendary Ida Haendal, whose countless recordings I grew up with. I played Chausson's Poème for her in Miami, perhaps my absolute best performance ever, to this day. Four young violinists played for her that day. After her making the first student cry, I went on, had no expectation of any, good or bad, and was ready to be judged and sent to Hell. She said after I finished playing "You are a very fine violinist, you showed something profound! Would you like any comments from me?". That whole day was somewhat in a holy aura that surrounded me, long after meeting her.
with James Ehnes
after a beautiful Beethoven with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall
with Itzhak Perlman at Lincoln Center after my performance in the 75th Gala of American-Israel Cultural Foundation, which he hosted.
I walked in after the performance, greeted by his signature humor:"Sounded good! Where is your bow?"as he laughs.
with James Ehnes, after our performance of "Souvenir de Florence" at Meadowmount School of Music's Gala Concert.
James Ehnes, the aristocrat of violinists.
with Hugh Wolff, after our concert in the Benedict Music Tent, at Aspen Music Festival and School.
with Tong Weidong, the eminent Chinese violinist and pedagogue, for whom I was the translator for all his masterclasses during his Meadowmount visit.
Robert Spano with the mentors of the Aspen Philharmonic Orchestra
with Ellen DePasquale, after our concert at the Aspen Music Festival and School
Watching her play is a masterclass on bowing and how to lead a section. A beautiful violin violinist in more way than one.
Inscribed poster from my dear teacher Elmar Oliveira
with Maxim Vengerov at Carnegie Hall backstage, New York.
with Shlomo Mintz, Carnegie Hall 2019, photo credit: Astrid Spector
a masterclass at the Aspen Music Festival and School
a masterclass at the Aspen Music Festival and School
a masterclass at the Aspen Music Festival and School
teaching at Meadowmount School of Music
teaching at Meadowmount School of Music
teaching at Meadowmount School of Music
with Nikolaj Znaider
a back stage visit after his performance of the Sibelius Concerto. as much of a shock and fountain of inspiration as I have heard him playing the same piece in the very same hall on 2012, with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Colin Davis.
with Joyce DiDonato 2018
back stage of New York Metropolitan Opera after her perfromance of Cendrillon. unbelievable in every way, I showed her my transcription of Reynaldo Hahn’s Venezia, a set of eternal songs I forever associate with her, ever since first hearing her sing them in a beautiful summer night in Aspen. She autographed on the top of the score.
with Nicola Benedetti
after a concert in America 2018
with Matthias Pintscher
after a KKL performance in Lucerne, 2017
with my dear professor Boris Kuschnir in Vienna (2018)
with my dear professor Boris Kuschnir in Vienna (2018)
with Sir Simon Rattle at Lucerne Festival
Lisa Batiashvili
with Lisa Batiashvili
Andris Nelsons
with my dear professor Hubert Kroisamer
with my dear professor Hubert Kroisamer in Lucerne KKL, before one of the last concerts he performed before officially retired from being the leader of the first Violin section of the Wiener Philharmiker.
Michale Haefliger, founder of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra
Vilde Frang
Frank Peter Zimmerman
Valery Gergiev
Lorenz Nasturica-Hershcowici "Celibedache's concertmaster"
with the great Wolfgang Rhim
with Gidon Kremer
Finally got to ask him a question I have had for long :"How do you decide the tempo of the last movement of the Schumann concerto?", "I play what is written on the score", he smiles, answering with much assert. I can't help but to cry out :"But the tempo are entirely different in your two recording!" "Well, I thought he made a mistake (Schumann) at first, and then, I realized he knew what was he doing." Needless to say, I went back home with much satisfaction, yet more drive, and thirst to study this immoral concerto, which constantly intrigues me with all its aspects. What a life well spent, trying to guess the puzzle of meaning, give us by Mr.Schumann!!
with my dear summer teacher Sylvia Rosenberg
with my dear teacher Sally Thomas
My first Scheherazade!!
with Sara Pearson after the concert
with Friedrich Cerha, after the Swiss premiere of the composer's "Spiegel" at KKL, Lucerne Festival.
at Carnegie Hall, with the Manhattan Symphonie
performing in Central Park for the Counsel General of Italy in New York Minister Francesco Genuardi
performing in Central Park for the Counsel General of Italy in New York Minister Francesco Genuardi
with the the Counsel General of Italy in New York Minister Francesco Genuardi
performing in Central Park for the Counsel General of Italy in New York Minister Francesco Genuardi
with all the finalists of the Heida Hermann International Competition.
portrait by Markus Laine
with friend Emily Kate Naydeck
with clarinetist Angela Shankar
I idolized this man since I was child-In every sense, the Flutist of the century.