Paganini:
Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor Op. 7

Hindemith:
Violin Concerto

Haubenstock-Ramati:
Séquences. Music for Violin and Orchestra

Bartók:
Violin Concerto No. 2 Sz 112

Brahms:
Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108

Debussy:
Sonata for Violin and Piano in G minor

Saint-Saëns:
Introduction et Rondo capriccioso Op. 28

Bloch:
Nigun (No. 2 from Baal Shem), Improvisation

Wieniawski:
Polonaise for Violin and Piano D Major Op. 4

Born in Haifa, Israel, but based in Paris for much of his life, the violinist Ivry Gitlis is a legend among violinists. Born in 1922, Gitlis is one of the most eminent musicians of the 20th century who, even today, occasionally performs and gives lessons. You might call him the György Cziffra of the violin – a man capable of impassioned, spontaneous and delicate playing, whose performances and recordings covered almost all areas of the classical, romantic and contemporary repertoire; a cosmopolitan who cooperated with so many noted musicians –Leonard Bernstein, Martha Argerich, George Szell and Hans Rosbaud, to name only a few.

These two CDs contain several highlights of Gitlis’ recording career – among them the second Bartók concerto, named Recording of the Year in 1972, and Paganini’s second violin concerto, which Gitlis rarely performed.