Efrem Zimbalist - (Amadeus) by Roy Malan (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

(Amadeus). Violinist and educator Efrem Zimbalist (1890-1985) led a legendary life in music in an age of violin legends. Of the dazzling stars to emerge from the Russian School at the beginning of the 20th century, Zimbalist earned a special place. David Oistrakh compared him to Heifetz: "While Heifetz conquered by sheer brilliance, Zimbalist captivated people by appealing to profound mysteries of heart and soul." Zimbalist was also one of the century's great teachers, for 40 years devoting himself to the renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, serving as its director from 1941 to 1968. His was a remarkable journey, fortunately recounted in hundreds of hours of taped interviews with author and Curtis Institute student Roy Malan, longtime concertmaster of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Malan then waited nearly a decade after Zimbalist's death before seeking publication, so that the story could be told in its entirety. This definitive biography of the world's first globe-trotting virtuoso also includes a discography and a list of Zimbalist's students.

About the Author

Roy Malan graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, Juilliard and Curtis. His teachers included Zimbalist, Galamian and Menuhin. A CA resident since 1974, Malan is on the faculty of UC-Santa Cruz. He is the founder of the Telluride Chamber Music Festival. In 1982, he was honored by Zimbalists's dedication of a specially orchestrated version of Coq d'Or Fantasy. Zimbalist also bequeathed to him his favorite bows.