Roman Totenberg
| Roman Totenberg | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born |
1 January 1911 Lodz, Poland |
| Died | 8 May 2012 (aged 101) Newton, Massachusetts |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Instruments | Violin |
| Years active | 1923–2012 |
| Website | http://www.romantotenberg.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Ames Stradivarius | |
Roman Totenberg (1 January 1911 – 8 May 2012) was a Polish-American violinist and educator.
Born in Warsaw in a Jewish family, the son of Adam (an architect) and Slanislava (Vinaver) Totenberg, he spent his early childhood years (1914-1921) in Moscow, where the family relocated with the outset of the World War I.
Totenberg was a child prodigy, studied with Michalowicz in Warsaw, and made his debut at the age of eleven as soloist with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. He was also awarded the gold medal at the Chopin Conservatory/Warsaw and continued his studies with Carl Flesch in Berlin, where he won the International Mendelssohn Prize in 1931, and later with George Enescu and Pierre Monteux in Paris. In 1935, he made his British debut in London and his American debut in Washington, D. C. At age 25, he played for Franklin Delano Roosevelt. At age 27 he formally immigrated to the U.S. under the distinguished artist visa program.
Totenberg toured South America with Artur Rubinstein, and gave joint recitals with Karol Szymanowski. He gave many concerts comprising the complete cycle of Beethoven sonatas and all Bach Brandenburg concertos. His diversified repertoire included more than thirty concerti. Among the many contemporary works he introduced are the Darius Milhaud Violin Concerto No. 2, the William Schuman Concerto, and the Krzysztof Penderecki Capriccio. He also premiered Paul Hindemith's Sonata in E (1935), the Samuel Barber Concerto (new version) and the Bohuslav Martinů Sonata, as well as giving the American premiere of Arthur Honegger's Sonate for violin solo. Under the patronage of the eminent violinist Yehudi Menuhin, and along with pianist Adolph Baller and cellist Gabor Rejto, Totenberg formed the Alma Trio in 1942–43 at Menuhin's Alma estate in California.
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