# "The 20 Greatest Violinists of All Time" and who voted for whom...



## Guest (Sep 8, 2018)

Classical-music.com - the official website of BBC Music Magazine - featured an article entitled "The 20 Greatest Violinists of All Time" and asked the question -

"Who are the finest violinists ever to have been recorded on disc? We asked 100 of today's leading players to name their inspirations…"

"We asked 100 of today's best players to tell us the violinists who have inspired them most. Each had three choices, with the stipulation that they must have heard them either on disc or live. We totted up the results to produce the following Top 20 of the greatest violinists of the recorded era…"

1.) - David Oistrakh

2.) - Jascha Heifetz

3.) - Fritz Kreisler

4.) - Yehudi Menuhin

5.) - Nathan Milstein

6.) - Gidon Kremer

7.) - Joseph Szigeti

8.) - Ginette Neveu

9.) - Isaac Stern

10.) - Itzhak Perlman

11.) - Arthur Grumiaux

12.) - Pinchas Zukerman

13.) - Adolf Busch

14.) - Ivry Gitlis

15.) - Leonid Kogan

16.) - Bronisław Huberman

17.) - Christian Ferras

18.) - Reinhard Goebel

19.) - Frank Peter Zimmerman

20.) - George Enescu

This is the link to the "20 Greatest Violinists of All Time" page -

http://www.classical-music.com/article/20-greatest-violinists-all-time

A brief sampling of some of the 100 violinists polled -

Joshua Bell, Pavlo Beznosiuk, Sarah Chang, Julia Fischer, Janine Jansen, Nigel Kennedy, Andrew Manze, Neville Marriner, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Itzhak Perlman, Rachel Podger, Gil Shaham, Simon Standage, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Pinchas Zukerman, and 85 others.

http://www.classical-music.com/article/20-greatest-violinistshow-musicians-voted

Questions that can be asked -

"Are these really the 20 Greatest Violinists of All Time?"

"Is the ranking and placement of the 20 violinists named arguable considering who the artists are that we are attempting to disagree with if our opinions do indeed differ?"

My own inclination would have been to rank Heifetz, Menuhin, Milstein first, second, and third with Oistrakh coming in fifth after either Grumiaux or Szigeti but I have to question the validity of my opinion when contrasted with those selections expressed by the 100 violinists asked.

Any thoughts on this subject are welcomed...


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Just a general comment... Well, after the current generation gets through with their outstanding careers, the list should be expanded to at least 40 of the most inspiring violinists of all time. I would say there’s a bumper crop of great violinists blessing the public today with their extraordinary capabilities ... and for me the most extraordinary, or at least the most interesting ones, are the women. I feel they have a wider interpretive and emotional range, though I feel that Joshua Bell is extraordinary too.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2018)

Larkenfield said:


> Just a general comment... Well, after the current generation gets through with their outstanding careers, the list should be expanded to at least 40 of the most inspiring violinists of all time. I would say there's a bumper crop of great violinists blessing the public today with their extraordinary capabilities ... and for me the most extraordinary, or at least the most interesting ones, are the women. I feel they have a wider interpretive and emotional range, though I feel that Joshua Bell is extraordinary too.


A "general" but excellent comment. I have to give Ray Chen a great deal of respect for naming Janine Jansen along with Jascha Heifetz and David Oistrakh as his three choices for "the finest violinists ever to have been recorded on disc".

Jansen has become my first choice for both listening and suggested recommendations for Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven/Britten with her Prokofiev # 2 release being amongst my personal top three favourite recordings with the 2. Andante assai being the very best rendition that I've ever heard.

Link to the full concerto with 2. Andante assai at the 12:30 mark -


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Menuhin - a famous violinist - but his heyday was his early years. He faded badly in the 50s/60s - listen to his recordings. I have seen a film of him playing Bruch's VC on youtube - 60s I think - and his playing is so bad he wouldnt get through the first round of a music festival. 

Heifetz would be my no 1 choice. I'm impressed by the story that when he was raking in money in USA one critic warned him not to expect it would last if he continued to allow his standards to slide. He had booted his mum and dad out so no one was kicking his backside and he was getting lazy. As a result of that review he knuckled down to some deadly serious practice - and really cemented his reputation with stunning performances. My favourite recording is the HMV disc of him playing Mozart VC5. Incredible articulation, tone - sensitivity, rythm etc.

Oistrakh would be my 2nd choice.

There are many great artists not present in that top 20.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Fun fact: Heifetz and Menuhin were among the 300 violinists whose style Data had studied, according to the episode "Sarek" in Star Trek: The Next Generation.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Joshua Bell for me. Love him to bits (Everyone will be groaning now) His performances are beautiful and very intense.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

To hear Menuhin at his best you have to listen to the early recordings. Think he had too many things to do to practice after he became a national treasure. His technique declined somewhat.
Heifetz maintained his first ranked position but at the expense of just about everything else. Andre Previn has an interesting chapter on him in his book 'No Minor Chords'. He says, 'Heifetz was a good deal less godlike when he put his violin down.' The tales of his misanthropic ways are legion. So sad.
Oistrakh would also be my second choice - fabulous playing.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

now I'm sad because a couple of years ago I had the possibility to see Ivry Gitlis for free and I missed it.
Even if it was only a masterclass.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

I see that Rabin is missing from that list - he died young of course - amazing rec he made of Pag Vc1.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2018)

DavidA said:


> To hear Menuhin at his best you have to listen to the early recordings. Think he had too many things to do to practice after he became a national treasure. His technique declined somewhat.
> Heifetz maintained his first ranked position but at the expense of just about everything else. Andre Previn has an interesting chapter on him in his book 'No Minor Chords'. He says, 'Heifetz was a good deal less godlike when he put his violin down.' The tales of his misanthropic ways are legion. So sad.
> Oistrakh would also be my second choice - fabulous playing.


Interesting post - my compliments...

These were the choices of Robert McDuffie

- Yehudi Menuhin
- Jascha Heifetz** (see end of list for explanation)
- Itzhak Perlman

The explanation after the asterisks was "** Robert McDuffie's precise reason for Jascha Heifetz was: 'He is a musical narcissist. He inspired me what not to do.'


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Sydney Nova Scotia said:


> Interesting post - my compliments...
> 
> These were the choices of Robert McDuffie
> 
> ...


Mind you if we exclude all the narcissists present in classical music we are left with very slender pickings.


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## David Phillips (Jun 26, 2017)

It's good that the list consists mainly of old masters and not our here-today-gone-tomorrow whizz-kids. I'd add one more great: Mischa Elman.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

David Phillips said:


> It's good that the list consists mainly of old masters and not our here-today-gone-tomorrow whizz-kids. I'd add one more great: Mischa Elman.


Agreed - there are one or two great violinists alive today such as Leonidas Kavakos. I hear a lot on the radio - usually orientals - and I'm afraid they dont impress me. But the masters of the past are in a different league.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

stomanek said:


> Agreed - there are one or two great violinists alive today such as Leonidas Kavakos. I hear a lot on the radio - usually orientals - and I'm afraid they dont impress me. But the masters of the past are in a different league.


Don't agree with that. There were some great violinists of the past but there are some simply superb violinists today. Can't stand Nigel Kennedy's fake accent but what a violinist. Similarly Isobel Faust, Julia Fischer, Alina Ibragimona, etc.. The problem is there are so many fine musicians who could stand alongside the greats of the past it is difficult to recognise them.


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## Templeton (Dec 20, 2014)

stomanek said:


> Agreed - there are one or two great violinists alive today such as Leonidas Kavakos. I hear a lot on the radio - usually orientals - and I'm afraid they dont impress me. But the masters of the past are in a different league.


Any thoughts on Augustin Hadelich, from today's crop of virtuosos? I've seen him a couple of times and listened to all of his recordings and find him head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Has a style influenced, by his own admission I think, by David Oistrakh, who was the greatest overall in my book, although I am not even a rank amateur, just a layman.


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2018)

Templeton said:


> Any thoughts on Augustin Hadelich, from today's crop of virtuosos? I've seen him a couple of times and listened to all of his recordings and find him head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Has a style influenced, by his own admission I think, by David Oistrakh, who was the greatest overall in my book, although I am not even a rank amateur, just a layman.


Well... let's just see what the book is on him...

"Shortly after winning first prize at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis in 2006, Augustin Hadelich proved himself ready for the world stage through several short-notice substitutions with major orchestras.

In 2008 he filled in for Julian Rachlin at the Hollywood Bowl, performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In 2010, Hadelich made his New York Philharmonic debut at the Bravo! Vail Festival substituting for violinist Nikolaj Znaider.

He has since appeared as a soloist with every major orchestra in North America, many of them multiple times, including Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony and San Francisco Symphony.

His most recent appearances abroad include concerts with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Danish National Symphony, Finnish Radio Orchestra, Hamburg Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Munich Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic, Norwegian Radio Orchestra, NHK Symphony Tokyo, as well as the radio orchestras of Cologne, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart.

Hadelich is known to perform a wide range of repertoire. Although he is often scheduled to perform from the standard violin concerto repertoire (Beethoven, Brahms, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, etc.), he is also a champion of contemporary works, such as the violin concertos by Thomas Adès, Henri Dutilleux and György Ligeti, and recital works by Brett Dean, David Lang, György Kurtag, Toru Takemitsu and Bernd Alois Zimmermann.

Augustin Hadelich was named the 2018 "Instrumentalist of the Year" by Musical America.

In December 2017, Hadelich was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter in the UK.

In February 2016, Augustin Hadelich won his first Grammy Award for the Best Classical Instrumental Solo category at the 58th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles for his performance of Henri Dutilleux's Violin Concerto, 'L'Arbre Des Songes' with the Seattle Symphony and music director Ludovic Morlot on the Seattle Symphony Media label.

In October 2015, Hadelich became the inaugural winner of the Warner Music Prize, which includes a grant of $100,000 and a recording opportunity with Warner Classics.

Hadelich won the gold medal at the 2006 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, where he also received several additional accolades, including best performance of a Romantic concerto, Classical concerto, Beethoven sonata, violin sonata other than Beethoven, Bach work, commissioned work, encore piece and Paganini caprice.

Hadelich has also received an Avery Fisher Career Grant (2009), a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship (2011) and Lincoln Center's Martin E. Segal Award (2012).

L'arbre des songes: I. Librement - Interlude






L'arbre des songes: II. Vif - Interlude 2






L'arbre des songes: III. Lent - Interlude 3






L'arbre des songes: IV. Large et animé






And for what it's worth your actually knowing who Augustin Hadelich actually is will be sufficient to raise your status from "layman" to "rank amateur" but always make sure that you preface "amateur" with "rank" until you're able to make the leap to "amateur" and eventually "rank journeyman" before of course your eventual elevation to "journeyman", "rank master", "master", "rank know-it-all", "know-it-all", and so on...


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## Tallisman (May 7, 2017)

I'm no connoisseur of the violin repertoire - I generally don't like solo violin recordings, but I can say one of the great listening experiences for me was Grumiaux's later recording of the Beethoven VC with Colin Davis. He was getting on in life, and occasionally his tone falters (I always think his entry is slightly shaky from the start), but I know of no more moving performance. It's utterly beautiful, and he excels in the lyrical moments.


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2018)

Judith said:


> Joshua Bell for me. Love him to bits (Everyone will be groaning now) His performances are beautiful and very intense.


Everyone but me maybe... I think he's great.

Most but not all may be familiar with this story -

https://www.thoughtco.com/a-violinist-in-the-metro-3299658

A not-so-brief excerpt -

"The following viral story, A Violinist in the Metro, describes what happened when acclaimed classical violinist Joshua Bell appeared incognito on a subway platform in Washington, D.C. one cold winter morning and played his heart out for tips. The viral text has been circulating since December 2008 and is a true story. Read the following for the story, an analysis of the text, and to see how people reacted to Bell's experiment.

A man sat at a metro station in Washington D.C and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousands of people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule.

A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly, he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a three-year-old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only six people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars.

Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theater in Boston and the seats averaged $100 each.

This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of an social experiment about perception, taste, and the priorities of people."

The video clip -


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## Guest (Sep 9, 2018)

As long as the names Menuhin and Oistrakh have been mentioned...


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Tallisman said:


> I'm no connoisseur of the violin repertoire - I generally don't like solo violin recordings, but I can say one of the great listening experiences for me was Grumiaux's later recording of the Beethoven VC with Colin Davis. He was getting on in life, and occasionally his tone falters (I always think his entry is slightly shaky from the start), but I know of no more moving performance. It's utterly beautiful, and he excels in the lyrical moments.


There is also a spine tingling perf of Grimiaux playing the Beethoven on youtube with TV moving video of the actual concert perf


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Sydney Nova Scotia said:


> Everyone but me maybe... I think he's great.
> 
> Most but not all may be familiar with this story -
> 
> ...


That does not surprise me. Music is such a tough business to make any money out of I often see conservatoire students, highly talented - playing virtuoso stuff in London - people are not particularly interested in it any more than they would stop and watch a clown playing the kazoo.

CM is a minority interest - a shrieking cat wailing in the street is of even less interest.


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## Judith (Nov 11, 2015)

Sydney Nova Scotia said:


> Everyone but me maybe... I think he's great.
> 
> Most but not all may be familiar with this story -
> 
> ...


I am familiar with story. Keep thinking to myself "would I have recognised him?"
Incidentally met him twice and he is lovely to talk to too


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## endelbendel (Jul 7, 2018)

Heifitz recording of Bach sonatas and partitas less a musical experience and more giving the impression that this music is much too easy for him.
McDuffie played the Best Tchaikovsky concerto i have ever heard in a live performance a few years ago. And Hillary Hahn the best Sibelius Con. at Tanglewood. 
And Anna Sofie Mutter, everything. My heart stops beating.


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## endelbendel (Jul 7, 2018)

The point of that somewhat over exposed story is not familiarity and celebrity. It is stopping to smell the flowers. i once walked past Lionel Hampton the same way. He was playing outside for free. Oh, well, gotta have some regrets in a full life.


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## Rangstrom (Sep 24, 2010)

I would have Szeryng, Rabin, Stern, Ricci and Francescatti on my list. I don't really know Zimmermann or Goebel and the available recordings for Neveu, Enescu and Hubermann are limited (although the 2 Hubermann recordings that I have are amazing).

I'd probably drop Zukerman (he is good but might be a better violist and conductor), Giltis (awful sound on the voxbox set I own and then there was that Rolling Stones movie), A. Busch (leave him in the quartet) and Kremer (more of a repertoire match issue for me).

Kogan was a blank slate for me, but I just purchased his Document 10cd set in the Milestones of a Legend series that will help fill in that gap. The same series has sets for Martzy, Scheiderhan and Kulenkampff who might gain a spot on my list. Fun stuff.


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## DaveM (Jun 29, 2015)

Heifetz was very technically adept, but none of his recordings moved me. I felt much the same about Menuhin. As a fairly young kid, I saw him play the Beethoven Concerto when he was getting on in years and he seemed bored with the whole thing, but he did sign my vinyl record jacket of his Beethoven Concerto recording.


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## Joe B (Aug 10, 2017)

stomanek said:


> Agreed - there are one or two great violinists alive today such as Leonidas Kavakos. I hear a lot on the radio - usually orientals - and I'm afraid they dont impress me. But the masters of the past are in a different league.


Leonidas Kavakos is a wizard. I see that in the original poll referenced in the OP that his first vote was for Fritz Kreisler. Makes perfect sense to me. (edit): The sorcerer and his apprentice!


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Joe B said:


> Leonidas Kavakos is a wizard. I see that in the original poll referenced in the OP that his first vote was for Fritz Kreisler. Makes perfect sense to me. (edit): The sorcerer and his apprentice!


It's rare for me to be impressed by a modern day violinist. I tend to find they lack that golden tone of the great masters. Many also have a slight scrapy and scrappy sound on the big virtuoso pieces - I heard Sarah Chang scrape through Paganini VC1 and it was embarrassing. But one day on R3 I happened to turn on and heard someone playing, I think, a slavonic dance for violin/piano and I thought - must be Oistrakh perhaps with that tone and style. And it was Kavakos. Who is he, I thought. Looked him up and heard some more - very impressed. Not exactly a modern day whizz kid though is he.
I've heard Imbragimova playing some Bach and thought she was quite good several years ago - but some more recent performances were a bit patchy. Benedetti I assumed was just all glamour - but hearing her play some Beethoven on the BBC I was impressed and need to listen to some more.
Rabin - his famous rec of Paganini VC has many rough edges - his playing can be harsh - but his rythms are electrifying.

Just a few thoughts - I never bother commenting about pianists as to be honest all the top players sound not that different to me - not surprising as there are only so many ways you can strike the key of a steinway grand and all the notes are there. But the violin is special among instruments - the connection between player and strings/wood.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Sydney Nova Scotia said:


> Everyone but me maybe... I think he's great.
> 
> Most but not all may be familiar with this story -
> 
> ...


The thing is there are so many competent musicians who can do this. We see kids from the local university music school playing the violin in the street for tips.

Some people play at airports where there is a piano:






This reminded me of the other day in a European airport when my wife played the piano that was there. People came up and said how much they enjoyed it.


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## PlaySalieri (Jun 3, 2012)

Call me a killjoy misery but I HATE to see buskers around and people playing pianos in public - I utterly loathe it.

I particularly hate it when people use amplifiers in public areas polluting the soundwaves with their begging.

Sorry no disrespect to your wife - for every 1 that enjoys there are a dozen like me that dont want to listen to it.


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## lsorbe (Nov 14, 2016)

Templeton said:


> Any thoughts on Augustin Hadelich, from today's crop of virtuosos? I've seen him a couple of times and listened to all of his recordings and find him head and shoulders above the rest of the field. Has a style influenced, by his own admission I think, by David Oistrakh, who was the greatest overall in my book, although I am not even a rank amateur, just a layman.


He's my favorite. Pure class in every single interpretation I've heard.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

Notably missing are violinists Josef Suk and Michael Rabin, who would be on my top 20 list (before several violinists cited by the BBC list...). Uto Ughi and Salvatore Accardo would be too, and possibly Oleg Kagan (whose Mozart & Beethoven chamber music recordings are remarkable). Also missing (surprisingly so) is violinist Henryk Szeryng. Although I can find Szeryng a little boring in certain repertory myself--even if I have liked his Bach & Mozart.

I think highly of good number of violinists today, including many women--such as Lisa Batiashvili, Alina Ibragimova, and Janine Jansen, who are brilliant musicians; as well as Hilary Hahn, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Elina Vähälä, Leila Josefowicz, Julia Fischer, Viktoria Mullova, Isabelle van Keulen, Julia Schröder, Rebecca Hirsch, Ida Haendel (if she is still performing), Kaija Saarikettu, Simone Lamsma, Miriam Fried (Jonathan Biss' mom), Louise Chisson, Christina Astrand, Baiba Skride, Sayaka Shoji, etc..

Indeed, it's the women violinists today that are largely keeping the art of the violin concerto alive, by commissioning, premiering, & performing many new violin concertos (& works) from contemporary & modern composers (such as Lindberg, Nørgard, Lutoslawski, Gubaidulina, Dutilleux, Moret, Penderecki, Rihm, Chin, Salonen, Knussen, Ruders, etc.)--many of which I'd rather be listening to than yet another performance of one of the old 'warhorses' for the umpteenth time (such as the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, or the Mendelssohn VC). Though don't misunderstand me, I don't mean to disparage those works, I'm just tired of listening to them (at the moment), and would rather hear something new & fresh--such as Magnus Lindberg's Violin Concerto No. 1, played by Lisa Batiashvili or Pekka Juusisto, or Wolfgang Rihm's "Gedicht des Malers" (or "Poem of the Painter"), premiered by Renaud Capuçon, or Rihm's "Lichtes Spiel", dedicated to Anne-Sophie Mutter, or Per Nørgard's "Helle Nacht (or "Bright Night"), premiered by Christina Astrand, or Witold Lutoslwski's Partita for Violin (& orchestra)--again dedicated to Anne-Sophie Mutter, or Einojuhani Rautavaara's Violin Concerto, premiered by Elmar Oliveira, or his final masterpiece, "Fantasia", commissioned by Anne Akiko Meyers, or Paavo Heininen's Violin Sonata, Op. 25, played by Kaija Saarikettu, etc. etc.. There have been so many interesting new violin concertos & works composed in the post WW2 era and early 21st century, more than I've been able to keep up with:






















































etc.

Yet the trend hasn't been exclusively brought about by women, as Gidon Kremer, Renaud Capuçon, Erik Heide, Elmar Oliveira, Johannes Søe Hansen, and other male violinists have been active as well:


















And, of course, apart from those 5 violinists, I think highly of a number of other living male violinists--such as Christian Tetzlaff, Gil Shaham, Pekka Juusisto, David Grimal, Sergey Khatchatryan, Jean-Jacques Kantorow (who was a favorite of Glenn Gould's), Corey Cerovsek, Maxim Vengerov, Ulf Wallin, Leonidas Kavakos, Arve Tellefsen, Pierre Fouchenneret, Vadim Repin, Kristóf Baráti, Augustin Dumay, Augustin Hadelich, Lorenzo Gatto, and the already mentioned Uto Ughi and Salvatore Accardo, etc..

There are some remarkable period violinists too--notably, Pablo Valetti, Chiara Banchini, Emlyn Ngai, Enrico Onofri, Monica Huggett, Elizabeth Wallfisch, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Stefano Montanari, Enrico Gatti, Enrico Casazza, Fabio Biondi, Stanley Ritchie, Rachel Podger, Petra Mülljeans, Helene Schmitt, Amadine Beyer, Reinhard Goebel (on the top 20 list), Giuliano Carmignola, Ingrid Matthews, Simon Standage, Andrew Manze, etc.

All of which is to say that I think it would be very difficult for me to come up with a top 20 list that didn't include at least some portion of the violinists mentioned above. As its rarely the finest musicians today that receive the most amount of commercial hype. Plus, times have changed. You can't measure today's violinists by the past, because what they are doing is so different. Artistic ages don't repeat themselves, nor should they. Yes, I cherish the great violinists of the past, but if you focus so lamentably on the 'golden age', you miss out on what is most vital about the violin scene today, and the many valuable contributions that violinists are making--such as the commissions of new & interesting violin concertos, and the unearthing of so much incredible, neglected, & forgotten early violin music that the older violinists didn't play or even know about--as part of their legacy: a legacy that isn't intended to be the same as what has already been. Nor should it be, as music is always evolving, whether that appears to be the case or not.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I liked Niccolò Paganini. Liszt and I heard him. I was impressed, but Liszt's eyes lit up, he became very excited and said that, for him, it was a transforming experience--the showmanship, the total command of the audience. The rest is history.

Regarding the Sibelius concerto, I can only truly enjoy Heifetz. Any other violinists' performances disappoint. Maybe it's because it was the first violin concerto recording I bought eons ago, and it completely imprinted upon me.


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## David Phillips (Jun 26, 2017)

Rachel Barton Pine's recent CD of lullabies impressed me with her spirituality and lovely tone.


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

Itzhak Perlman — Beethoven’s VC
Ivry Gitlis — Paganini VC2
Alexandre Dubach — Paganini VC3 & VC5
Henryk Szeryng — Brahms VC
Jascha Heifetz — Mozart VC4 & Tchaikovsky VC


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## Jan Snauwaert (May 13, 2020)

*It's always somehow subjective, but...*



Sydney Nova Scotia said:


> Classical-music.com - the official website of BBC Music Magazine - featured an article entitled "The 20 Greatest Violinists of All Time" and asked the question -
> 
> "Who are the finest violinists ever to have been recorded on disc? We asked 100 of today's leading players to name their inspirations…"
> 
> ...


I agree with some of the names places in this top 20. I don't know Adolf Busch, and don't know well some others. However, I would rank without hesitation Ginette Neveu as number 1. Incredible violinist, who really had everything to an absolutely superior degree and equally incredible artist. Also, I would have left out Ivry Gitlis and replaced him (for instance) with Shoji Sayaka, for her very high musical intelligence, sensitivity and energy.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Great artistry outweighs technical wizardry

1. Bronislaw Huberman
2. Fritz Kreisler
3. Joseph Szigeti
4. Adolf Busch
5. Ginette Neveu
6. Itzhak Perlman
7. David Oistrakh
8. Jascha Heifetz
9. Nathan Milstein
10. Yehudi Menuhin


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Brahms and Perlman make a great duo here, 35:43


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

Adolf Busch was more than just the head of an illustrious string quartet. He was one of the foremost soloists of his day. His Beethoven and Brahms concertos are among the best. Rough of tone, but fantastic artistry.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Brahmsianhorn said:


> Great artistry outweighs technical wizardry
> 
> 1. Bronislaw Huberman
> 2. Fritz Kreisler
> ...


David Oistrakh and Jascha Heifetz had both. Kreisler and Huberman were not in that class.


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## Brahmsianhorn (Feb 17, 2017)

DavidA said:


> David Oistrakh and Jascha Heifetz had both. Kreisler and Huberman were not in that class.


If by not in that class you mean superior, I agree. Listen to Huberman's Tchaikovsky concerto and you hear just as much virtuosity as Heifetz but with a more natural, idiomatic artistic touch.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Are some contributors saying that no living violinist matches the standards of the past? Wouldn't that be a bit surprising if it were true (which I don't think it is)? Getting it down to 20 while including the living as well as the legends would be a very challenging task, of course. It would mean choosing to drop some legends from the list.


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## Geoff48 (Aug 15, 2020)

It is probably fair to say that Menuhin’s technique was at its peak in his youth and that there was a marked deterioration in the fifties, sixties and thereafter. But music is far more than just technical proficiency, were it not so then there would be no doubt as to the greatest violinist of all times, Jascha Heifetz. And I don’t think that is the case, in fact I think that Heifetz was a far greater violinist in the thirties than post war.
But to get back to Menuhin. In many cases his insight into music is far greater in his later years. I love his Mendelssohn concerto with Enesco recorded in 1938 but also his late fifties recording with Kurtz. His stereo Brahms with Kempe is no less than his recording ten years earlier with Furtwangler. His Elgar with Boult May not be the miracle of his recording with the composer but it is highly commendable. And one thing about Menuhin is that his tone was always distinctive and instantly memorable.
Was he the greatest violinist ever. Probably not though he must be in the top half dozen. Was he the greatest musician. Possibly.
For the record I think the greatest violinist as violinist may be David Oistrakh with strength and sweetness in his tone.
And to answer a point made elsewhere I think the reason most of the nominations come from an earlier generation is that they tended to be distinctive whereas most of those currently seem to be interchangeable. Brilliant technicians, far more so than their forebears in many cases, but not as individual.
And now I await the rebuttals and exceptions. For that is the charm of this site, the ability to argue, to disagree but to remain courteous whilst doing so.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

"The 20 Greatest Violinists of All Time" 

My favorite has always been Isaac Stern for his warm, rich, tone. Alternately, Zino Francescatti, whose tone is also has a warm, rich tone (I think of it as "sunny"; Zino was Italian/French, you know). David Oistrakh is very good in the Sibelius concerto; for a very Russian, sad, and soulful, type rendition.


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## EnescuCvartet (Dec 16, 2016)

I'm pleased to see the rightful inclusion of Georges Enescu.

Conspicuously absent are several. The most jarring of those being:

Joachim

&

Kreisler


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## EnescuCvartet (Dec 16, 2016)

If you don't know Adolf Busch, check out the recording he did of Schubert's D 934 with Serkin. Indispensable!


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## EnescuCvartet (Dec 16, 2016)

Legend alone should include Paganini, even if there are no recordings for comparison. After all, every legend reserves a spot for its devil's.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Jan Snauwaert said:


> I agree with some of the names places in this top 20. *I don't know Adolf Busch*, and don't know well some others. However, I would rank without hesitation Ginette Neveu as number 1. Incredible violinist, who really had everything to an absolutely superior degree and equally incredible artist. Also, I would have left out Ivry Gitlis and replaced him (for instance) with Shoji Sayaka, for her very high musical intelligence, sensitivity and energy.


I think the young Rudolf Serkin was a protege of his. This is from something written by Alex Ross:



> When Hitler came to power, Serkin's German career ended swiftly, and Busch, who was not Jewish, responded by cancelling all his German engagements. He paid a price for this rare act of solidarity: when he tried to establish himself in the US, where he moved in 1939, he made little headway, his slightly astringent tone failing to please audiences accustomed to the sweet tones of Heifetz and Kreisler. ....


He is probably best known now for his quartet which made wonderful recordings of Beethoven and Schubert (among others) - their set of the late Beethoven quartets have never ever been bettered! - but he was also an astounding soloist: very musical, very honest, very concerned with a composer's intentions and very good at getting to the heart of a piece. Look out for him! He's worth it.


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