Henri Temianka

Henri Temianka (19 November 1906 – 7 November 1992) was a virtuoso violinist, conductor, author and music educator.

Henri Temianka was born in Greenock, Scotland, to parents who were Jewish Polish emigrants. He studied violin with Carel Blitz in Rotterdam from 1915 to 1923, with Willy Hess at the National Conservatory in Berlin from 1923 to 1924, and with Jules Boucherit in Paris from 1924 to 1926. He then enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he studied violin with Carl Flesch, who reported of him in 1927, “Was brought over by me. First class technical talent, somewhat sleepy personality, has still to awake.” In 1928, Flesch said, “His violinistic personality is for the moment still above his human one. Life shall be his best teacher in this regard.” Later he stated, "...he has made an intensive study of my method of teaching, of which I consider him the best exponent in England." In his memoirs he said, "...there was above all Henry [sic] Temianka, who did great credit to the Institute: both musically and technically, he possessed a model collection of talents." Temianka's playing was further influenced by Eugène Ysaÿe, Jacques Thibaud and Bronisław Huberman. He also studied conducting with Artur Rodziński at Curtis, and became its first graduate in 1930.

After a brilliant New York City debut in 1928, described by Olin Downes in The New York Times as “one of the finest accomplishments in years,” Temianka returned to Europe and rapidly established himself as one of the era’s foremost concert violinists. He made extensive concert tours through almost every country in Europe and appeared with major orchestras both in Europe and the U.S. under conductors including Pierre Monteux (who gave him his first Paris appearance), Sir John Barbirolli, Sir Adrian Boult, Fritz Reiner, Sir Henry J. Wood, George Szell, Otto Klemperer, Dimitri Mitropoulos, and William Steinberg. In Leningrad he was engaged for a single performance, but his virtuosity was so impressive that he was retained for five performances with five complete programs within a week.

...
Wikipedia