Description

RICARDO ODNOPOSOFF (BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA, FEBRUARY 24, 1914 – VIENNA, AUSTRIA, OCTOBER 26, 2004)

Ricardo Odnoposoff was a Jewish Argentine-Austrian-American violinist of the 20th century. He was a former concertmaster of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic. He was dismissed on September 1, 1938 because he was unable to produce an Ariernachweis (Aryan certificate). He eventually became a citizen of the United States. Ricardo was one of three children born in Buenos Aires to Mauricio (alternate spelling: Moisés) Odnoposoff and Juana (née Veinstien; alternate spelling Weinstien). Mauricio Odnoposoff had emigrated from Russia to Argentina with his father. Ricardo first learned to play the violin in Buenos Aires. Mauricio and Juana Odnoposoff moved to Germany where their children, Ricardo, Adolfo, and Nélida, continued studying music. Ricardo studied at the Academy of Music in Berlin from 1928 and in 1931 studied violin under Carl Flesch and composition under Paul Hindemith. At the end of his studies, at the age of just 17, he first appeared as a soloist with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Erich Kleiber. In 1932 he won the second prize at the prestigious Violin Competition in Vienna and in 1937 the second prize in the Eugène Ysaÿe Competition in Brussels. Odnoposoff was already a follower of Arnold Rosé, concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and taught at the State Academy, where Norbert Brainin, the future leader of the Amadeus Quartet was one of his students. In 1933, without an audition, Clemens Krauss, director of the Vienna State Opera, offered the 19-year-old Odnoposoff a position as concertmaster. After the Anschluss (annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany), Odnoposoff was unable to produce an Ariernachweis (Aryan certificate). He was therefore dismissed on September 1, 1938 from the Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and the Vienna Philharmonic and had to return to Argentina. In the early 1940s Odnoposoff moved to the United States, where he gave his Carnegie Hall debut in 1944. According to the New York Times, Odnoposoff “took his audience by storm by the virtuosity, power and fire of his performances. During this time he worked with conductors such as Leonard Bernstein, Arturo Toscanini, Fritz Busch and André Cluytens and worked as a teacher. In 1953 he became an American citizen. In 1956 he returned to Vienna and taught until 1993 at the Academy of Music, where Joseph Sivo was one of his students. He produced some recordings with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne under Franz Marszalek, including the Violin Concerto no. 22 of Viotti. From 1964 Odnoposoff also taught at the University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart, where, among others, Michael Jelden, Alfred Csammer, Michael Eichinger, Helmut Mebert and Rainer Kussmaul were among his pupils. From 1975 to 1984 he taught at the Academy of Music in Zurich. Odnoposoff played on the “ex Ladenburg” Guarneri del Gesù of 1735. His violin playing was outstanding with a great sonorous, yet mellow sound, with masterly mastery of technique. Many of his photographs reflect the great joy that lay behind his playing. His grave is located in Vienna on the Grinzinger Cemetery (Group 19, no. 36A).

TRACKLIST

1. Concerto for violin and orchestra in A Minor, Op. 53 I. Allegro ma non troppo (Dvorak) Walter Goehr Les Concerts de Paris Symphony Orchestra
2. Concerto for violin and orchestra in A Minor, Op. 53 II. Adagio ma non troppo (Dvorak)  Walter Goehr Les Concerts de Paris Symphony Orchestra
3. Concerto for violin and orchestra in A Minor, Op. 53 III. Finale Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo (Dvorak) Walter Goehr Les Concerts de Paris Symphony Orchestra
4. Concerto for violin and orchestra in D Major, Op. 35 II. Canzonetta (Tchaikovsky) Walter Goehr, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
5. Concerto for violin and orchestra in E Major, BWV 1042 I. Allegro (Bach) Walter Goehr
6. Concerto for violin and orchestra in E Major, BWV 1042 II. Adagio (Bach) Walter Goehr, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
7. Concerto for violin and orchestra in E Major, BWV 1042 III. Allegro assai (Bach) Walter Goehr, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra
8. Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19 I. Allegro (Prokofiev) Heinrich Hollreiser Zürich Radio Symphony Orchestra
9. Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19 II. Adagio (Prokofiev)  Heinrich Hollreiser Zürich Radio Symphony Orchestra
10. Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 1 in D Major, Op. 19 III. Allegro assai (Prokofiev) Heinrich Hollreiser Zürich Radio Symphony Orchestra
11. Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 I. Allegro Moderato  (Bruch) Walter Goehr
12. Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 II. Adagio (Bruch) Walter Goehr
13. Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 26 III. Finale (Bruch)  Walter Goehr
14. Havanaise In E Major, Op. 83 (Saint-Saëns) Orchestre Simphonique De Radio Genève Gianfranco Rivoli (conductor)
15. Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28 (Saint-Saens) Gianfranco Rivoli Geneva Radio Symphony Orchestra
16. La Campanella (Paganini) Valentin Pavlovsky, Kristine Kochanski
17. La Vida Breve, Act II Spanish Dance (de Falla) with Jean Antonietti (piano)
18. Perpetuum Mobile with Otto Herz (piano)
19. Peter and the Wolf Theme & processional (Prokofiev) Valentin Pavlovsky
20. Poème, Op. 25 (Chausson) Orchestre Simphonique De Radio Genève Gianfranco Rivoli (conductor)

21. Praeludium And Allegro In The Style Of Pugnani with Jean Antonietti (piano)
22. Recitative And Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6 (Kreisler) with Jean Antonietti (piano)
23. Sonata for solo violin Ballade No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 27 (Ysaye)
24. Sonata for violin and piano in G Minor I. Allegro Vivo (Debussy) Leonid Hambro
25. Sonata for violin and piano in G Minor II. Intermède (Fantasque et léger) (Debussy) Leonid Hambro
26. Sonata for violin and piano in G Minor III. Finale (Très Animé) (Debussy) Leonid Hambro
27. Sonata for violin and piano No. 3 I. Adagio non troppo (Villa-Lobos) with Leonid Hambro
28. Sonata for violin and piano No. 3 II. Allegro Vivace (Villa-Lobos) with Leonid Hambro
29. Sonata for violin and piano No. 3 III. Finale (Villa-Lobos) with Leonid Hambro
30. Song of the black swan (Villa-Lobos)
31. Spanish dance for violin and piano, Op. 211 Malagueña (Sarasate) Gregor Ashman
32. Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra, Op. 21 I. Allegro non troppo (Lalo) Utrecht Symhpony Orchestra, Walter Goehr
33. Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra, Op. 21 II. Scherzando Allegro molto (Lalo) Utrecht Symhpony Orchestra Walter Goehr
34. Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra, Op. 21 III. Andante (Lalo) Walter Goehr, Utrecht Symphony Orchestra
35. Symphonie Espagnole for violin and orchestra, Op. 21 IV. Rondo Allegro (Lalo) Utrecht Symhpony Orchestra, Walter Goehr
36. Variations On A Theme By Corelli In The Style Of Tartini (Kreisler) with Jean Antonietti (piano)
37. Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 77 I. Allegro Non Troppo (Brahms)
38. Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 77 II. Adagio (Brahms)
39. Violin Concerto In D Major, Op. 77 III. Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Vivace (Brahms)
40. Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20 (Sarasate) Orchestre Simphonique De Radio Genève Gianfranco Rivoli (conductor)