Yehudi Menuhin

Max Pollak

A portrait of 11 year old violin prodigy Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999). Throughout Pollak's career he did portraits; dancers scientists, social leaders, and musicians, a few of whom were violinists.

New York born Yehudi Menuhin began playing the violin at age four, his first public appearance, when he was seven years old, was as solo violinist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in 1923 and began recording in 1928.

He performed for Allied soldiers during World War II and, accompanied on the piano by English composer Benjamin Britten, for the surviving inmates of a number of concentration camps in July 1945 after their liberation in April of the same year, most famously the Bergen-Belsen.

Menuhin also had a long association with Indian musician Ravi Shankar, beginning in 1966 with their joint performance at the Bath Festival and the recording of their Grammy Award-winning album 'West Meets East'(1967). During this time, he commissioned composer Alan Hovhaness to write a concerto for violin, sitar, and orchestra to be performed by himself and Shankar.

His recording contract with EMI lasted almost 70 years and is the longest in the history of the music industry. He made his first recording at age 13 in November 1929, and his last in 1999, when he was nearly 83 years old. He recorded over 300 works for EMI, both as a violinist and as a conductor.