Daniel Kurganov

Daniel Kurganov (Daniel Alexandrovich Kurganov) is an American violinist, violist, pedagogue, musicologist, producer, and entrepreneur, born (in Minsk, Belarus, in the former USSR) on November 29, 1986.  (Minsk is a city located about 100 miles southeast of Vilnius, Lithuania – the birthplace of Jascha Heifetz – and 450 miles southwest of Moscow.)  He is well known for (almost certainly) being the only concert violinist in history to have begun his violin studies after the age of 12.  He is also very well known for (indisputably) having the most comprehensive violin tutorial YouTube Channel, which addresses every conceivable issue having to do with technique and interpretation – bowing, shifting, legato, vibrato, articulation, scales, phrasing, intonation, etc..  Kurganov has over 47,000 subscribers on YouTube and his channel is still growing.  On other social media, he has a strong presence as well.  As if that weren’t enough, he delves into related subjects which are fascinating for professionals and non-professionals alike.  One of his popular videos features him playing the da Vinci Stradivarius violin previously owned by Toscha Seidel, which was recently sold for more than 15 million dollars.  In fact, Kurganov began his YouTube channel posting (from his collection) old 78 RPM recordings by Seidel.  His teaching and recording projects have been highlighted in The Strad, the most respected classical music periodical in the world.  He maintains a private teaching studio in the Boston (USA) area but also teaches virtually via Zoom.  He can spend anywhere between 10 seconds (!!!) and more than an hour assessing a prospective student.  His family had moved from Minsk to the Chicago area when he was still a child and he further relocated from Chicago to Boston in 2011.  Besides being a violinist (and violist), he has something else in common with Nicolo Paganini – he began his instrumental studies with piano and guitar.  Kurganov switched to violin at age 16.  His first teacher was Alla Danichkina in Chicago.  Up to that point, Danichkina had been Kurganov’s piano teacher but she happened to also be a violinist so the transition was uninterrupted.  Having overcome prodigious obstacles, he made his professional violin debut not in a concert hall but in a Russian restaurant in the Chicago area, playing violin duos with his violin teacher in 2003 at the age of 17 – many concert artists are half way through their solo careers by that age.  This brings us to another special coincidence: Josef Gingold, Albert Sammons, Alfredo Campoli, Joseph Roisman, Manuel Quiroga, Jacques Thibaud, Theodore Thomas, Vasa Prihoda, Geza Legocky, and Louis Krasner also played in hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs prior to establishing their classical careers. (That is a little-known fact.)  Among his other teachers is Rudolf Koelman (in Switzerland), protégé of Jascha Heifetz.  Although Kurganov is widely respected for his achievements and artistry, he has also faced professional bias due to his late start.  (The world of classical violin is extremely competitive but a quick look at one of his videos – or his CDs - will quickly dissuade anyone from that biased point of view.)  Quite interestingly, it was only his colleagues who tried to persuade him to give up (since he was starting so late); his teachers never advised him to drop out.  Kurganov has concertized in the U.S, Europe, and the Far East.  He also plays duo recitals with pianist Constantine Finehouse as well as in a piano trio.  Although he will spontaneously alter a phrase in the midst of a live performance, in the tradition of Szigeti and Heifetz, Kurganov is a rigorous and meticulous violinist.  In that regard, he might be considered to be the opposite of violinists like Ivry Gitlis, Gilles Apap, and Sergei Stadler, whose approach is rather impetuous, giving the impression that their performances could become unhinged at any moment.  Kurganov’s repertoire includes many technically demanding contemporary works but he has said that contemporary composers need to not “make the violin seem overqualified for the job.”  Reviews of his performances speak for themselves.  Outside of the violin and pedagogic world, Kurganov’s other interests include chess (which almost 100% of concert violinists play) and photography - as a photographer, he is still entertaining the idea of having a solo exhibition.  Kurganov has also designed a shoulder rest which may soon reach the market.  As we all know, history has a way of repeating itself - after one unique concert in Switzerland, Kurganov was paid in gold (after playing for nobility, Mozart used to be paid with jewels or snuff boxes, Elias Breeskin received a valuable ring, and Bronislaw Huberman received a violin as payment.)  Kurganov has played and had access to priceless violins throughout his career (violins by old masters like Stradivari and Guarneri) but his current violin is a modern violin by Andrew Ryan.  He has stated that three artists with whom he would like to spend time conversing are J.S. Bach, Glenn Gould, and Daniil Shafran (an interesting choice.)

 

Albert Sammons

Albert Edward Sammons was an English violinist, teacher, and composer born on February 23, 1886 (Brahms was 53 years old.) As had Alfredo Campoli, Vasa Prihoda, Grigoras Dinicu, Louis Krasner, Jacques Thibaud, and Geza Legocky, he was not above playing in hotels and dance halls in his early days. He also premiered no fewer than 6 string quartets, 9 violin sonatas, and 4 violin concertos. He first began violin lessons with his father at age 7. As a young teenager, he studied briefly with Alfredo Fernandez, an obscure Spanish violinist who had studied with Ysaye. Other than that, he taught himself to play. By age 12, he was already playing professionally in a band. He also left school at that time. He made his solo debut with orchestra in 1906 playing the Mendelssohn Concerto. He was twenty years old. He was playing popular music with Ernesto Bucalossi’s orchestra at the Waldorf when he was discovered by conductor Thomas Beecham who invited him to join his orchestra as concertmaster. He formed the London String Quartet in 1910. In 1921, he founded the Chamber Music Players with cellist Lauri Kennedy, Nigel Kennedy’s grandfather. During the formation of the BBC Symphony (1929), he heard, along with Lionel Tertis (violist), over 1000 string auditions. Sammons made the first complete recording of the Elgar Concerto in 1929. He later said he played the concerto at least a hundred times during his career, the last time on February 23, 1946. From 1939 onward, he taught at the Royal College of Music. He also published books of exercises and studies which are now largely forgotten. Due to an illness which made it impossible for him to play, he retired in 1948. He was 62 years old. He died on August 24, 1957, at age 71.

Jacques Thibaud

Jacques Thibaud was a French violinist born on September 27, 1880 (Brahms was 47 years old.) After studying with his father, he entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of 13, studying with Martin Marsick, among others. Upon graduation in 1896, he shared first prize in violin with Pierre Monteux (who later dedicated his life to conducting.) At first, in order to just make a living, he played in the Cafe Rouge in Paris. The French conductor, Edouard Colonne, heard him playing there and offered Thibaud a position in his orchestra. In 1898, he made his debut with this orchestra and subsequently enjoyed great success as a soloist in Europe and everywhere else. This episode mirrors that of another famous violinist who was discovered playing in an Italian Cafe by Toscanini – Vasa Prihoda. (Albert Sammons was also discovered in similar fashion by Thomas Beecham.) In any case, Thibaud made his first tour of the U.S. in 1903 and thereafter came often. He was in the French armed forces during World War One (1914) and suffered injuries which required him to rebuild his technique. With his two brothers (a pianist and a cellist), he also formed a piano trio. Later, he disbanded the brothers’ trio in order to join Pablo Casals and Alfred Cortot in another trio (1930-1935.) Eugene Ysaye dedicated his second unaccompanied violin sonata to him. In 1943, with pianist Marguerite Long, he established the Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud International Competition for violinists and pianists. His recordings are (understandably) few but they are now collectors’ items. He had a habit of holding his violin pointing downward although that did not detract from the technique or the sound. There are even a few videos of him playing on YouTube – from filming done in the 1930s. Here is one of them. Thibaud died on September 1, 1953 in an airplane crash in the French Alps. He was 72. His fellow French concert violinist, Ginette Neveu, had earlier died in a plane crash as well (1949 - at age 30.) Thibaud owned the 1716 Colossus Stradivarius violin which was stolen in 1998. It has been missing ever since. 

Vasa Prihoda

Vasa Prihoda was a Czech violinist born on August 24 (or 22nd), 1900 (Stravinsky was 18 years old.) His father, Alois Prihoda, was his first teacher and remained so for ten years. Afterward, Prihoda attended the Prague Conservatory, where he studied with Marak (who himself studied with Otakar Sevcik.) He graduated in 1912 and gave his first public performance playing Mozart’s fourth violin concerto (D Major.) Most violinists choose Brahms, Mendelssohn, or Paganini for a debut, but not Prihoda. It has been said that Toscanini discovered him playing in a Café (Grande Italia) in Milan, Italy, on December 27, 1919. Prihoda is remembered for his prodigious technique (which included exceptionally clear articulation), his ease in playing Paganini showpieces, and his 1930 marriage to (and 1935 divorce from) violinist Alma Rose (Gustav Mahler’s niece.) [In 1944, Alma, whose father had been concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic for 50 years, died in a concentration camp.] After the war, Prihoda was censured by the Czech government because he did not boycott any of the German-occupied territories during the war. Prihoda concertized extensively all over the world and made a number of recordings when the industry was in its infancy. Unfortunately, some of his recordings were not well-produced so the sound quality is poor. He played in the U.S. many times and was greatly admired for his style, dazzling technique, and finesse. Critics have suggested that Heifetz was jealous of him. Vienna was his base of operations for many years though he taught in Prague, Munich, and Salzburg as well. After 1950, he dedicated most of his time to teaching and he also composed small chamber works which are no longer played. Prihoda also composed his own cadenzas to all the concertos he played. He gave his last concerts in April, 1960 and died (of heart disease) on July 26, 1960, at age 59 - Heifetz would live another 27 years. There are many  amazing sound files and videos of his posted on YouTube. 

Louis Krasner

Louis Krasner was a Russian (Ukrainian) violinist, teacher, and composer born on June 21, 1903 (Heifetz was 2 years old.) He is remembered for having commissioned and premiered Alban Berg’s violin concerto. Krasner asked for the concerto in 1934 - Berg completed it in 1935 and Krasner premiered it in 1936 in Spain. He also premiered the Schoenberg violin concerto (in 1940) among other modern works. Krasner’s live recordings of each concerto date from 1938 and 1954, respectively. Krasner came to the U.S. from Russia as a 5 year-old boy. After the usual course of study at Boston English High School, he attended and graduated from the New England Conservatory. As had Alfredo Campoli, Geza Legocky, Albert Sammons, Vasa Prihoda, Jacques Thibaud, and Grigoras Dinicu, he played popular music in clubs in order to support himself while he studied. He also studied violin in Europe with Lucien Capet, Otakar Sevcik, and Carl Flesch. In the U.S., he studied with Eugene Gruenberg (of the Boston Symphony), among others. He played his New England Conservatory graduation recital in 1922 though he graduated in 1923. After concertizing for two decades, he became concertmaster of the Minneapolis Symphony (1944-1949.) He then moved to Syracuse, New York to teach at Syracuse University. Krasner retired from concertizing in 1973 but dedicated the rest of his life to teaching - he taught at the New England Conservatory from 1976 until the year he died. Krasner died on May 4, 1995.