![]() ![]() In live performances his calculated precision might turn cold, and in later years it is rumored that troubles with alcohol led to a somewhat deteriorated technical ability. Szeryng could at times be somewhat inconsistent. 3, which Szeryng himself reconstructed from parts held in the archives of the legendary Italian violinist's heirs. Of note also is Szeryng's world-premiere recording of Paganini's E major Violin Concerto No. Recordings of the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas with Artur Rubinstein are particularly rewarding. ![]() His excellent recordings include two full sets of the Bach Sonatas and Partitas, as well as the major violin concertos in the repertory (he has also championed and recorded the work of many composers from his adopted country of Mexico). A New York debut in 1956 immediately established Szeryng as a leading violinist of the day, and for the next 30 years Szeryng divided his time between a globe-trotting concert schedule and his teaching duties in Mexico.Īs a violinist Szeryng was unique sometimes criticized for being too restrained, he was nevertheless capable of playing with warmth and fire when he felt compelled to do so (as in his magnificent performances of the Sibelius concerto). A chance encounter with fellow Pole Artur Rubinstein in Mexico City convinced Szeryng to re-enter the musical scene. Performing infrequently, Szeryng was largely forgotten in the musical centers of Europe. He spent the next ten years in Mexico, and eventually took citizenship there. Szeryng accepted the offer, and assumed his duties in 1946. During the war Szeryng gave hundreds of concerts for Allied troops around the globe, and in 1943, during a concert series in Mexico City, was invited to take over the string department at the University of Mexico. Being fluent in seven languages, he was assigned to General Sikorski as a translator, with whom Szeryng helped to relocate hundreds of Polish refugees in Mexico. Szeryng also thought about pursuing composition as a career, and for six years took lessons from Nadia Boulanger.Īt the outbreak of war in 1939 Szeryng enlisted with the Polish army. There he came under the influence of legendary violinists Enescu and Thibaud, though he did not formally study with either. Szeryng immediately took to the city of Paris and settled there for a period of further study and growth as a performer. That same year he embarked on a minor concert tour, soloing with orchestras in Bucharest, Vienna, and Paris. Two years later in 1933, Szeryng made his debut performance in Warsaw with the Beethoven concerto under Bruno Walter. On Hubermann's advice Szeryng was sent to Berlin to study with Carl Flesch Szeryng would later declare that his technical prowess was solely due to that masterful teacher's influence. Szeryng progressed quickly on his new instrument and by age nine was sufficiently proficient to perform the Mendelssohn concerto for famed violinist Bronislaw Hubermann, a friend of the family. ![]() Studies on the piano were abandoned for the violin, though Szeryng remained skilled at the keyboard for the rest of his life. Szeryng was born in 1918 to a wealthy Polish industrialist whose wife had a great love of music. Possessing an iron technique and a musical intellect of rare insight, Szeryng established himself as one of the pre-eminent concert violinists of the post-World War II decades. Polish-born violinist Henryk Szeryng was probably the finest product of Carl Flesch's legendary teaching career. ![]()
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