Remembering the American violinist Joseph Fuchs (1899–1997) who studied with Franz Kneisel. Kreisler: Variations on a Theme of Corelli Joseph Fuchs, violin with piano Homocord 8141 Recorded in Berlin (1922) Never released on CD! Here are some biographical notes by Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times: Joseph Fuchs, an American violinist long acclaimed for his vigorous, intelligent and technically assured performances of old and new music and for the quality of his teaching, died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 97. Mr. Fuchs was one of those select musicians admired as much by his peers as by audiences. He played not only the standard repertory but also works by such contemporaries as Stravinsky, Thomson and Hindemith. He pioneered in the performance of music by Ben Weber, Nikolai Lopatnikoff and Walter Piston. Joseph Fuchs is the kind of violinist who makes you listen not to himself but to the music, and there is no higher compliment you can pay an artist, Raymond Ericson wrote in The New York Times after a 1960 recital at Town Hall. Mr. Fuchs was often praised in similar terms even where, especially in later years, allowance was made for shortcomings in tonal allure. What he may lack in charm, he makes up for in interpretive power and musicianly insight, Boris Schwarz wrote in the New Grove Dictionary of American Music. Joseph Fuchs was born in New York City on April 26, 1899. He studied with the noted Franz Kneisel at the Institute of Musical Art, now the Juilliard School, and graduated in 1918. He gave his New York debut recital in 1920 at Aeolian Hall In 1926 Mr. Fuchs was appointed concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, a post he held until 1940. Late in that tenure, he suffered atrophy in the fingers of his left hand, underwent experimental surgery and retrained himself. After Cleveland, he resumed his solo career. He played regularly in the United States, South America, Europe and Asia through the 1980s. He gave his last recital, at Carnegie Hall, in 1992 and his last public performance, at the Juilliard School, in 1995. He often appeared in concert with his sister, Lillian Fuchs, a violist. Mr. Fuchs also collaborated regularly with the pianist Artur Balsam and the cellist Leonard Rose. Mr. Fuchs was a founding member of the Musicians Guild, a chamber music organization that presented many concerts during the 1940s and 50s. A true upholder of the Kneisel tradition, he called chamber music his true love. He became a professor of violin at the Juilliard School in 1946 and held the position until his death, teaching at home until recent weeks. He was a founder of the Blue Hill Music School in Maine in 1953, a summer program that evolved into the Summer Chamber Music Institute at Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y. Mr. Fuchs made many recordings, including one of the first complete sets of the Beethoven violin sonatas, with Balsam in 1952. He also recorded Mozarts works for violin and viola, the duos and the Sinfonia Concertante, with his sister. In the current catalogue, his versions of Beethoven piano trios with the pianist Eugene Istomin and the cellist Pablo Casals, are vivid testimonials to his artistry.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Nov 2014 06:54:57 +0000
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