Alfred Dubois

Alfred Dubois was a Belgian violinist and teacher born (in Brussels) on November 19, 1898.  He is one of many brilliant violinists who enjoyed wide recognition during his lifetime but was (undeservedly) relegated to the realm of forgotten artists after his death.  (The 1953 edition of Grove’s Dictionary does not mention him.)  Many of his recordings were made prior to the high-fidelity era and were not until recently released as remastered CDs.  They are now easy to find on the internet.  It has been said that his recordings of Bach and Franck works have rarely been equaled.  Understandably, during his career, he was more famous as a teacher than as a concert violinist.  I don’t know who his first teachers were, but it is known that Dubois entered the Royal Conservatory in Brussels in 1910 – he was 12 years old.  His main teacher there was Alexandre Cornelis.  (Cornelis is said to have composed piano accompaniments to the 42 famous Kreutzer etudes for violin.)  Dubois graduated in 1913 (at age 15) but continued to study with Cornelis until Cornelis’ death in 1917 - another four years.  It has been said that he also studied with Eugene Ysaye afterward although some people dispute that.  (When Ysaye died in 1931, Dubois took his place teaching at the conservatory.  He also played at Ysaye’s funeral that year.)  Dubois won the Vieuxtemps Prize in 1920.  He then embarked on a solo career – he was twenty-one years old.  He played in the Trio of the Court of Belgium from 1925 onward (with pianist Emile Bosquet and cellist Maurice Dambois.)  He began teaching at the Royal Conservatory in 1927 – he was 29 years old.  He taught there until the day he died.  He also formed a duo with pianist Marcel Maas with whom he toured the U.S. in 1938.  During the war, Dubois played in the Artis Quartet with Arthur Grumiaux on second violin, Robert Courte on viola, and Robert Maas on cello.  It is widely reported that the quartet did not play for German officials during the war (Belgium was a neutral country), but I find that hard to believe.  One source states that he spent the war years in France.  After Dubois died, his pupil, Grumiaux, took his place at the conservatory – he had already been serving as Dubois’ assistant for eight years.  Having been regarded as an extraordinary teacher, Dubois served on violin competition juries often.  Here is an audio file from YouTube in which Dubois plays the Vieuxtemps concerto number five.  You might find his tone resembling Heifetz’ sound, with very precise rhythmic control and superb intonation.  It has been said that Dubois was also a skilled violin maker although I don’t know where any of his violins are.  He may have played a Stradivarius violin made in 1667 and another from 1713, but that is not at all certain.  Alfred Dubois died (in Brussels) on March 24, 1949.  He was 50 years old. 

Daniel Garlitsky

Daniel Garlitsky is a Russian violinist, composer, arranger, singer, and teacher born (in Moscow) on September 8, 1982.  In addition to being a classical violinist, he is well-known for playing jazz violin in various jazz combos.  He is frequently seen playing with Duved Dunayevsky, jazz guitarist based in Paris, France, who hearkens back to the days and style of Django Reinhardt.  Some have said that Garlitsky specializes in old style jazz, referencing the days of Eddie South, Stephane Grapelli, and Joe Venutti, though that is a much too narrow description of his artist profile.  He does, however, dress in the style of the times of the old jazz players when he performs jazz concerts, saying that modern suits make him look “like a security agent.”  He says the fashion helps project the charm of the old era of jazz so it’s like part of the show, providing a suitable backdrop for the music itself.  Garlitsky’s playing has been described as “exciting, elegant, subtle, and majestic, displaying incredible precision, character, and a pure sound."  Here is a video of a well-known jazz song – Minor Swing – featuring Garlitsky’s improvisational skills.  Violin players reading this will note that his bow hold and his bowing style is very similar to that of Heifetz.  Garlitsky began his violin studies at age 6 with his father (Boris Garlitsky, a respected violinist in Russia who served as concertmaster of the London Philharmonic for a time) using the violin method book written by his (Daniel’s) grandfather, Mikhail Garlitsky, a violin study method book widely used in Russia which is based on the study of scales and arpeggios, something that Heifetz and Paganini highly valued.  He was soon thereafter enrolled at the Gnessin school for gifted children in Moscow, where he also studied piano.  At age 9 (1991), he moved to France with his family, where he began studies at the Lyon Conservatory.  In 1999, he became a student at the National Conservatory for Music and Dance, graduating three years later.  He then immediately began concertizing around Europe and sat in as concertmaster with various orchestras as well.  Here is a video from early in his career when he served as leader of a famous European chamber ensemble.  Garlitsky was also seriously interested in harmonic theory and composition and, in addition, studied early music performance practices.  While doing all this, he encountered the field of jazz and swing music in Paris.  Later, he was invited to teach at the Paris Conservatory, but I don’t know whether he still teaches there.  One source says that his career actually took a 180 degree turn and so he now devotes almost all his time to jazz gigs, composing, and arranging. He is the composer of several movie soundtracks and has arranged songs for pop stars. His itinerary has taken him on tour to the U.S., Europe, and Asia.  He plays a modern violin made for him by Jacques Fustier in 2003 although he also plays a Joseph Guarnerius (son of Andrea Guarnerius and father of the famous “del Gesu” Joseph Guarnerius) from an unknown year of construction.  Among Garlitsky’s teachers are Igor Volochine, Rainer Kussmaul, Matis Vaitsner, Pierre Aimard, and Glenn Dicterow.  

Alexis Cardenas

 

Alexis Cardenas is a Venezuelan violinist, teacher, arranger, and composer born (in Maracaibo, Venezuela) on March 24, 1976.  (Maracaibo is in northwest Venezuela, about 300 miles west of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.)  He is one of Venezuela’s leading violinists and is well known for doing a lot of crossover work with one group known as Recoveco.  Here is an audio file of a studio recording which is typical of their style.  Cardenas is a leading exponent of Venezuelan folk music, although his formal training is entirely in (and from) the classical realm.  His arrangements of traditional Latin American folk music incorporate classical music, often including direct quotes, especially of Bach violin sonatas.  For the past 25 years, his home base has been Paris, France, where he is co-concertmaster of the Orchestre National d'Île-de-France (National Orchestra of the Isle of France or National Orchestra of the Region of France, an area which is made up of eight districts immediately surrounding Paris.)  The orchestra was established in 1974 and serves a population of approximately twelve million people.  Its main venue is the Philharmonie de Paris.  Here is a YouTube video of the orchestra performing a theatrical piece for narrator and orchestra, Ondin and the Little Mermaid (Ondin et la Petit Sirène.)  Here is another featuring a rather unique presentation of two Tchaikovsky works.  Another unique performance - this time of a Scarlatti Sonata - is here – it is reminiscent of what Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto sometimes does in some of his performances.  Cardenas began his violin studies at age 9 in Maracaibo.  Among his first teachers was Jose Baldaen.  He made his public debut at age 12 (one source says age 11) with the Maracaibo Symphony, playing the Mendelssohn concerto (the one in e minor.)  A year later (1989), he soloed with the Tchaikovsky concerto, but I don’t know with what orchestra.  He began his studies at the Juilliard school in New York in 1990.  (One source says he left for New York in 1992.)  His teacher there was Margaret Pardee – many young violinists from Venezuela studied with Pardee.  Three years later, at age 15, Cardenas returned to Venezuela and was appointed concertmaster of the National Philharmonic.  He was also a guest soloist with every major orchestra in Venezuela during this time.  At age 17 (1995) he left Venezuela for Paris where he enrolled at the National Conservatory for Music and Dance.  His teacher there was Olivier Charlier but he also studied with Jean Kantorow and Roland Dugareuil later on.  He entered his first violin competition (Tibor Varga in Switzerland) in 1997.  He has concertized in Europe, Russia, Canada, and South America, working with well-known conductors, including Pavel Kogan, Alondra de la Parra, Pablo Ziegler, and Gustavo Dudamel.  I do not know if he has ever toured the U.S.  He has won silver and bronze medals in various violin competitions, including the Paganini violin competition in Genoa in 2002 and Montreal violin competition in 2003.  His best-known studio recording is “Stories Without Words” which is easily found on the internet.  Cardenas is currently composing a violin concerto which will incorporate non-traditional instruments (mostly from Caribbean countries and South America) in a symphonic score.  It should be completed within the next year.  He has stated that his motivation is his enormous curiosity.  I do not know what violin he plays.