For a soloist of classical repertoire, Isaac Stern (1920-2001) attained an unusually high profile and, above all, popularity in the United States of America. Important composers of the 20th century composed and devoted important works to him: Penderecki, Peter Maxwell Davies and Dutilleux dedicated their violin concertos to him, Leonard Bernstein his “Serenade”. Stern was only a year old when his parents emigrated from Ukraine to the United States.
After debuting in New York in 1937, he returned to study with Naoum Blinder at the SFCM for another two years. He subsequently felt prepared for a career as a soloist, which he began with a terrific concert success New York in 1939. He demonstrated his quality as a chamber musician when he attended Pablo Casals’ festivals in the south of France at the cellist’s invitation at the beginning of the 1950s. This 10-CD set presents impressive examples of these appearances as well.