The Soul and the String Hardcover – November 22, 2024

Ivry Gitlis (1922-2020), one of the greatest violinists of the 20th and 21st centuries, humanitarian, philosopher, humorist, non-conformist, and innovator, gives readers a personal glimpse into one of music history’s most colorful personalities on and off the stage. A child prodigy, he won 1st prize at the Paris Conservatory at 13 and would study with some of the greatest teachers in Europe: Carl Flesch, Georges Enesco, and Jacques Thibaud. Gitlis had a way of connecting to people, all people. He brought music to peoples everywhere without guile and without partiality, participated in peaceful social protests, believed in music’s power to penetrate the heart. Through his illustrious career he avoided the pretension that infects so many distinguished persons; his career stayed behind the person, the soul before the string. His inimitable style bleeds through every sentence as he explores his complex love for the violin, for the public, for his teachers, and especially for his family, those he knew and those he never knew, but still knew. Readers will enjoy his genuine spirit, coming away with a greater appreciation of art and life. Read more