Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Poland, Stern came to the US when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

and China, and performing extensively in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, a country to which he had close ties since shortly after its founding. Stern received extensive recognition for his work, including winning the

Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, along with the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by the president of the United States to recognize people who have made "an especially merit ...

and six Grammy Awards, and being named to the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. The Isaac Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall bears his name, due to his role in saving the venue from demolition in the 1960s.

Biography

The son of Solomon and Clara Stern, Isaac Stern was born in

Kremenets Kremenets ( uk, Крем'янець, Кременець, translit. ''Kremianets'', ''Kremenets''; pl, Krzemieniec; yi, קרעמעניץ, Kremenits) is a city in Ternopil Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center o ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

(now

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

), into a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

family. He was 14 months old when his family moved to San Francisco in 1921. He received his first music lessons from his mother. In 1928, he enrolled at the

San Francisco Conservatory of Music The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) is a private music conservatory in San Francisco, California. As of 2021, it had 480 students. History The San Francisco Conservatory of Music was founded in 1917 by Ada Clement and Lillian Hodg ...

, where he studied until 1931 before going on to study privately with Louis Persinger. He returned to the San Francisco Conservatory to study for five years with Naoum Blinder, to whom he said he owed the most. At his public début on February 18, 1936, aged 15, he played Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor with the San Francisco Symphony under the direction of Pierre Monteux. Reflecting on his background, Stern once memorably quipped that cultural exchanges between the U.S. and Soviet Russia were simple affairs: :: "They send us their Jews from Odessa, and we send them our Jews from Odessa." During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Stern was rejected from military service due to flat feet. He then joined the

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

and performed for US troops. During one such performance on Guadalcanal, a Japanese soldier, mesmerized by his playing, sneaked into the audience of US personnel listening to his performance before sneaking back out. Stern toured the

in 1951, the first American violinist to do so. In 1967, Stern stated his refusal to return to the USSR until the Soviet regime allowed artists to enter and leave the country freely. His only visit to Germany was in 1999, for a series of master classes, but he never performed publicly in Germany. Stern was married three times. His first marriage, in 1948 to ballerina

Nora Kaye Nora Kaye-Ross (January 17, 1920 – February 28, 1987) was an American prima-ballerina known for her ability to perform dramatic roles. Called the ''Duse of Dance'' after the acclaimed actress Eleonora Duse, she also worked in films as a chore ...

, ended in divorce after 18 months, but the two of them remained friends. On August 17, 1951, he married Vera Lindenblit (1927–2015). They had three children together, including conductors

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

and

David Stern David Joel Stern (September 22, 1942 – January 1, 2020) was an American lawyer and business executive who was the commissioner of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 2014. Stern oversaw NBA basketball's growth into one of t ...

. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1994 after 43 years. In 1996, Stern married his third wife, Linda Reynolds. His third wife, his three children, and his five grandchildren survived him. Stern died September 22, 2001 of heart failure in a Manhattan, New York, hospital after an extended stay.

Music career

In 1940, Stern began performing with Russian-born pianist

Alexander Zakin Alexander Zakin (22 January 190316 October 1990) was a Russian-born pianist, best known for being the accompanist of the violinist Isaac Stern between 1940 and 1977. They appeared together in many of the world's most prestigious concert halls and ...

, collaborating until 1977. Within musical circles, Stern became renowned both for his recordings and for championing certain younger players. Among his discoveries were cellists

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma ('' Chinese'': 馬友友 ''Ma Yo Yo''; born October 7, 1955) is an American cellist. Born in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from ...

and Jian Wang, and violinists Itzhak Perlman and

Pinchas Zukerman Pinchas Zukerman ( he, פנחס צוקרמן, born 16 July 1948) is an Israeli-American violinist, violist and conductor. Life and career Zukerman was born in Tel Aviv, to Jewish parents and Holocaust survivors Yehuda and Miriam Lieberman Zuk ...

. In the 1960s, he played a major role in saving New York City's Carnegie Hall from demolition, by organising the Citizens' Committee to Save Carnegie Hall. Following the purchase of Carnegie Hall by New York City, the Carnegie Hall Corporation was formed, and Stern was chosen as its first president, a title he held until his death. Carnegie Hall later named its main auditorium in his honor. Among Stern's many recordings are concertos by

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sym ...

Sibelius Jean Sibelius ( ; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

, and

Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widesprea ...

and modern works by

Barber A barber is a person whose occupation is mainly to cut, dress, groom, style and shave men's and boys' hair or beards. A barber's place of work is known as a "barbershop" or a "barber's". Barbershops are also places of social interaction and publi ...

, Bartók, Stravinsky, Bernstein, Rochberg, and

Dutilleux Henri Paul Julien Dutilleux (; 22 January 1916 – 22 May 2013) was a French composer active mainly in the second half of the 20th century. His small body of published work, which garnered international acclaim, followed in the tradition of ...

. The Dutilleux concerto, entitled ''L'arbre des songes'' The Tree of Dreams"was a 1985 commission by Stern himself. He also dubbed actors' violin-playing in several films, such as '' Fiddler on the Roof''. Stern served as musical advisor for the 1946 film, ''

Humoresque Humoresque (or Humoreske) is a genre of Romantic music characterized by pieces with fanciful humor in the sense of mood rather than wit. History The name refers to the German term ''Humoreske'', which was given from the 1800s (decade) onward to h ...

'', about a rising violin star and his patron, played respectively by

John Garfield John Garfield (born Jacob Julius Garfinkle, March 4, 1913 – May 21, 1952) was an American actor who played brooding, rebellious, working-class characters. He grew up in poverty in New York City. In the early 1930s, he became a member of ...

and

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was si ...

. He was also the featured violin soloist on the soundtrack for the 1971 film of Fiddler on the Roof. In 1999, he appeared in the film ''

Music of the Heart ''Music of the Heart'' is a 1999 American biographical musical drama film directed by Wes Craven and written by Pamela Gray, based on the 1995 documentary '' Small Wonders''. The film is a dramatization of the true story of Roberta Guaspari, po ...

'', along with Itzhak Perlman and several other famed violinists, with a youth orchestra led by

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

(the film was based on the true story of a gifted violin teacher in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

who eventually took her musicians to play a concert in Carnegie Hall). In his autobiography, co-authored with Chaim Potok, ''My First 79 Years'', Stern cited

Nathan Milstein Nathan Mironovich Milstein ( – December 21, 1992) was a Russian-born American virtuoso violinist. Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and ...

and

Arthur Grumiaux Baron Arthur Grumiaux (; 21 March 1921 – 16 October 1986) was a Belgian violinist, considered by some to have been "one of the few truly great violin virtuosi of the twentieth century". He has been noted for having a "consistently beautiful t ...

as major influences on his style of playing. He won Grammys for his work with

Eugene Istomin Eugene George Istomin (November 26, 1925October 10, 2003) was an American pianist. He was a winner of the Leventritt Award and recorded extensively as a soloist and in a piano trio in which he collaborated with Isaac Stern and Leonard Rose. Car ...

and

Leonard Rose Leonard Joseph Rose (July 27, 1918 – November 16, 1984) was an American cellist and pedagogue. Biography Rose was born in Washington, D.C.; his parents were Jewish immigrants, his father from Bragin, Belarus, and his mother from Kyiv, ...

in their famous chamber music trio in the 1960s and '70s, while also continuing his duo work with Alexander Zakin during this time. Stern recorded a series of piano quartets in the 1980s and 1990s with

Emanuel Ax Emanuel "Manny" Ax (born 8 June 1949) is a Grammy-winning American classical pianist. He is a teacher in the Juilliard School. Early life Ax was born to a Polish-Jewish family in Lviv, Ukraine, (in what was then the Soviet Union) to Joachim and ...

Jaime Laredo Jaime Laredo (born June 7, 1941) is a violinist and Conducting, conductor. He was the conductor and Music Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and he began his musical career when he was five years old. Laredo was born in Cochabamba, Boliv ...

and Yo-Yo Ma, including those of Mozart,

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

and Fauré, winning another Grammy in 1992 for the

quartets Opp. 25 and 26. In 1979, seven years after

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

made the first official visit by a US president to the country,

the People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

offered Stern and pianist

David Golub David Golub (March 22, 1950 – October 16, 2000) was an American pianist and conductor. Biography Born in Chicago, Golub moved with his family to Richardson, Texas when he was five years old. He began piano lessons not long thereafter wh ...

an unprecedented invitation to tour the country. While there, he collaborated with the China Central Symphony Society (now China National Symphony) under the direction of conductor

Li Delun Li Delun (; 1917–2001) was a Chinese conductor who devoted his life to the promotion of classical music in China. Hailed as the father of China’s classical music, the Li Delun National Conducting Competition was named after him in honour of h ...

. Their visit was filmed and resulted in the

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-winning documentary, '' From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China''.

Ties to Israel

Stern maintained close ties with

. Stern began performing in the country in 1949.Noam Ben Zeev (1 November 2012)
"New Tel Aviv street to honor Isaac Stern."
'' Haaretz'' Daily. Retrieved 6 June 2013. In 1973, he performed for wounded Israeli soldiers during the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by E ...

. During the 1991

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

and Iraq's Scud missile attacks on Israel, he had been playing in the

Jerusalem Theater The Jerusalem Theatre ( he, תיאטרון ירושלים, The Jerusalem Centre for the Performing Arts) is a centre for the performing arts in Jerusalem. The theatre opened in 1971. The complex consists of the Sherover Theatre, which seats 9 ...

. During his performance, an air raid siren sounded, causing the audience to panic. Stern then stepped onto the stage and began playing a movement of

. The audience then calmed down, donned gas masks, and sat throughout the rest of his performance. Stern was a supporter of several educational projects in Israel, among them the America-Israel Foundation and the

Jerusalem Music Center The Jerusalem Music Centre is an institute for musical education in Mishkenot Sha’ananim, Jerusalem. The centre helps young Israeli musicians to develop their talents through multi-annual programs and courses, master classes, and performances.

Instruments

Stern's favorite instrument was the Ysaÿe Guarnerius, one of the violins produced by the Cremonese luthier

Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù Bartolomeo Giuseppe "del Gesù" Guarneri (, , ; 21 August 1698 – 17 October 1744) was an Italian luthier from the Guarneri family of Cremona. He rivals Antonio Stradivari (1644–1737) with regard to the respect and reverence accorded his in ...

. It had previously been played by the violin virtuoso and composer

Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (; 16 July 185812 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar". Legend of the Ysaÿe violin Eugène Ysa� ...

. Among other instruments, Stern played the "Kruse-Vormbaum"

Stradivarius A Stradivarius is one of the violins, violas, cellos and other string instruments built by members of the Italian family Stradivari, particularly Antonio Stradivari (Latin: Antonius Stradivarius), during the 17th and 18th centuries. They are c ...

(1728), the "ex-Stern" Bergonzi (1733), the "Panette" Guarneri del Gesù (1737), a Michele Angelo Bergonzi (1739–1757), the " Arma Senkrah" Guadagnini (1750), a Giovanni Guadagnini (1754), a J. B. Vuillaume copy of the "Panette" Guarneri del Gesu of 1737 (c.1850), and the "ex-Nicolas I" J.B. Vuillaume (1840). He also owned two contemporary instruments by

Samuel Zygmuntowicz Samuel Zygmuntowicz (born 1956) is a contemporary luthier and is widely regarded as one of the finest violin makers of his generation. He began his instrument making training at age 13, and studied making and restoration under Peter Prier, Carl B ...

and modern Italian Jago Peternella Violins. In 2001, Stern's collection of instruments, bows and musical ephemera was sold through

Tarisio Auctions Tarisio Auctions is a web-based auction house that specializes in string instruments and bows. Founded in 1999 with locations in New York and London, it provides a service to clients around the world. Locations Tarisio's New York offices and galle ...

. The May 2003 auction set a number of world records and was at the time the second highest grossing violin auction of all time, with total sales of over $3.3M.

Awards and commemoration

* Sonning Award (1982;

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

) *

Wolf Prize The Wolf Prize is an international award granted in Israel, that has been presented most years since 1978 to living scientists and artists for ''"achievements in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among people ... irrespective of nati ...

* Kennedy Center Honors (1984) *

Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with orchestra) was awarded from 1959 to 2011. From 1967 to 1971, and in 1987, the award was combined with the award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra) and aw ...

(1962, 1963, 1965, 1982) *

Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance The Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance was awarded from 1959 to 2011. The award was discontinued in 2012 in a major overhaul of Grammy categories; since 2012, recordings in this category have fallen under the Best Small Ensemble Perfor ...

(1971, 1992) * National Medal of Arts (1991) *

(1992) *Elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

(1995) *

Polar Music Prize The Polar Music Prize is a Swedish international award founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, best known as the manager of the Swedish band ABBA, with a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music. The award is annually given to one contemporar ...

(2000; Sweden) * Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur (1990) * Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society (1991) * Carnegie Hall Midtown Manhattan, New York: main auditorium was named for Isaac Stern in 1997. In 2012, a street in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

was named for Stern.

Discography

:: *1944 ::Brahms: String Sextet No. 1 (with

Alexander Schneider Abraham Alexander Schneider (October 21, 1908 – February 2, 1993) was a violinist, conductor and educator. Born to a Jewish family in Vilnius, Lithuania, he later moved to the United States as a member of the Budapest String Quartet. Early li ...

, Milton Katims, Milton Thomas, Pablo Casals and Madeleine Foley) *1944
Brahms: Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello No. 1 in B Major, op. 8
(with

Myra Hess Dame Julia Myra Hess, (25 February 1890 – 25 November 1965) was an English pianist best known for her performances of the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Schumann. Career Early life Julia Myra Hess was born on 25 February 1890 to a J ...

and Pablo Casals) *1946 ::Violin selections from the movie

Humoresque (1946 film) ''Humoresque'' is a 1946 American melodrama film by Warner Bros. starring Joan Crawford and John Garfield in an older woman/younger man tale about a violinist and his patroness. The screenplay by Clifford Odets and Zachary Gold was based upon ...

with

Oscar Levant Oscar Levant (December 27, 1906August 14, 1972) was an American concert pianist, composer, conductor, author, radio game show panelist, television talk show host, comedian and actor. He was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for rec ...

on the piano,

Columbia Masterworks Records Columbia Masterworks was a record label started in 1924 by Columbia Records. In 1980, it was separated from the Columbia label and renamed CBS Masterworks. In 1990, it was revived as Sony Classical after its sale to the Sony Corporation. History ...

set MM-657 *1951 ::Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major (with

Sir Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, CH (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic orchestras. He was also closely associated with th ...

and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), Columbia Records *1952 ::Bach: Partita in E Minor & G Minor for Violin and Piano, Sonata No.3 in E Major for Violin and Piano (with

) *1957
Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Minor, op. 22
(with Philadelphia Orchestra; conductor:

Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association with ...

) *1958
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major op. 35
(with Philadelphia Orchestra; conductor:

)
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in e minor op. 64
(with Philadelphia Orchestra; conductor:

) *1959
Saint-Saens: Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso op. 28
(with Philadelphia Orchestra; conductor:

) ::Beethoven: Violin Concerto op. 61 (with

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

; conductor: Leonard Bernstein) *1964 ::Hindemith: Violin Concerto (1939) (with

; conductor: Leonard Bernstein) *1978 ::Penderecki: Violin Concerto No. 1 (1976)(with Minnesota Orchestra; conductor: Stanislaw Skrowaczewski) *1983 ::Bach, Vivaldi: Concertos for 2 Violins ::Isaac Stern: 60th Anniversary Celebration ::Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto; Beethoven: Romances in G & F Major ::Haydn: London Trios *1984 ::Barber Violin Concerto *1985 ::An Isaac Stern Vivaldi Gala *1986 ::Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos *1987 ::Dutilleux: L'Arbre des Songes (Concerto pour Violin et Orchestre) ::Maxwell Davies: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra ::Celebration ::Bach: Double Concerto; Violin Concertos Nos.1 & 2 ::Beethoven: Violin Concerto ::Mozart: The Flute Quartets ::Bach: Concertos for Violin, BWV 1041–43 & 1060 *1988 ::Shostakovich: Piano Trio No.2; Cello Sonata ::Brahms: Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra in A Minor, Op. 102 & Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60 ::Prokofiev: Violin Concertos No. 1 & 2 ::Brahms: Violin Concerto *1989 ::The Japanese Album ::Music, My Love ::Prokofiev: Concertos No. 1 & 2 for Violin and Orchestra ::Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos.4 & 5 *1990 ::Brahms, Mendelssohn, Schubert: Trios ::Brahms: The Piano Quartets ::Rameau: Pieces de clavecin en concerts ::Lalo, Bruch, Wenianski, others: Violin Concertos ::Bach, Mozart, Brahms, others: Violin Concertos ::Mozart, Telemann, J.C. Bach, Reicha: Trios, Quartets ::Schubert: Violin Sonatas ::Humoresque: Favorite Violin Encores *1991 ::Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.5 "Emperor"; Triple Concerto ::Beethoven: Complete Trios ::Concert of the Century: Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of Carnegie Hall ::Dvorák: Cello Concerto; Violin Concerto ::Webern: Complete Works, Op. 1 – Op. 31 *1992 ::Brahms: Sextets; more ::Beethoven & Schumann Piano Quartets (with

, Jaime Loredo, &

) *1993 ::Tchaikovsky: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra & Serenade for Strings ::Fauré: Piano Quartets *1994 ::Greatest Hits: Violin ::The House of Magical Sounds ::Greatest Hits: Schubert ::Greatest Hits: Brahms ::Beethoven, Schumann: Piano Quartets ::Mozart: Sonatas for Violin and Piano, K. 454, 296 & 526 ::Beethoven: Piano Trios "Ghost" & "Archduke" ::Bach: Violin Concerto, BWV 1041; Piano Concerto, BWV 1056; Brandenburg Concerto No.5; more ::Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante; Violin Concerto No.5 ::Brahms: Sextet in B-flat major, Op. 18 & Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8 ::Schubert: Quintet in C major, D956 & Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major, D485 *1995 ::Isaac Stern Presents Encores with Orchestra ::Telemann, Bach Family: Trio Sonatas ::Mendelssohn: Piano Trios 1 & 2 ::Brahms: Piano Trios, Piano Quartets ::A Life in Music, Vol.3: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, more ::Beethoven: Piano Trios "Ghost" & "Archduke"; Variations ::Schubert, Haydn: Piano Trios; Mozart: Piano Quartet ::Bartók: Violin Concertos ::Bernstein/Dutilleux: Violin Concertos ::Berg: Violin Concerto; Kammerkonzert ::Prokofiev/Bartók: Violin Concertos; Rhapsody No.1 ::Stravinsky/Rochberg: Violin Concertos ::Barber/Maxwell Davies: Violin Concertos ::Hindemith/Penderecki: Violin Concertos ::Berg: Piano Sonata; Krenek: Piano Sonata No.3; Webern: Piano Variations; Debussy, Ravel: works ::A Life in Music, Vol.1: Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Sibelius, more ::Mozart: Haffner Serenade ::Mozart: Sonatas for Violin and Piano, Vol. II ::Beethoven, Brahms: Violin Concertos ::Tchaikovsky/Sibelius: Violin Concertos ::Bach: Violin Concertos; Double Concerto; more ::Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Concertos ::Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos.1–5; Sinfonia concertante; more ::Wieniawski/Bruch/Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos ::Mendelssohn/Dvorák: Violin Concertos ::Saint-Saëns: Violin concerto n°3, Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole, Chausson: Poème, Fauré: Berceuse, Ravel: Tzigane *1996 ::More Mozart's Greatest Hits ::Mozart: Violin Sonatas, Vol. III ::Schubert and Boccherini String Quintets ::A Life in Music, Vol.4: Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, Copland, Schubert, more ::Prokofiev: Violin Sonatas ::Bartók: Violin Sonatas; Webern: Four Pieces for Violin and Piano ::Beethoven: Violin Sonatas ::J.S. & C.P.E. Bach, Handel, Tartini: Violin Sonatas ::Hindemith/Bloch/Copland: Violin Sonatas ::Schubert: Sonatinas Nos.1–3; Rondeau Brillant; Grand Duo Sonata ::Franck/Debussy/Enesco: Violin Sonatas ::Brahms: Violin Sonatas No. 1-3 ::Isaac Stern Presents Encores with Violin & Piano *1997 ::Barber: Adagio for Strings / Schuman – In Praise of Shahn etc. ::Bartók Sonatas for Violin and Piano ::Mozart: The Piano Quartets *1998 ::Isaac Stern Plays Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn ::Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D ::Bernstein: The Age of Anxiety; Foss: Serenade ::Bach, Vivaldi: Concertos ::Caprice Viennois: Music of Kreisler *1999 ::My First 79 Years ::Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos *2000 ::Dvorák: Piano Quartet No.2, Sonatina in G, Romantic Pieces ::Vivaldi: The Four Seasons; Concertos for Two Violins

References

External links

* *
Free recordings
at International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
Isaac Stern biography
at

Sony Classical Sony Classical is an American record label founded in 1924 as Columbia Masterworks Records, a subsidiary of Columbia Records. In 1980, the Columbia Masterworks label was renamed as CBS Masterworks Records. The CBS Records Group was acquired by ...

Interview with Isaac Stern
27 May 1991 * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stern, Isaac American classical violinists Male classical violinists American male violinists Jewish classical violinists Jewish American classical musicians Child classical musicians Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medallists Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Kennedy Center honorees Wolf Prize in Arts laureates San Francisco Conservatory of Music alumni American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent American people of Polish-Jewish descent People from Kremenets 1920 births 2001 deaths Recipients of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 20th-century classical violinists Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Jewish Ukrainian musicians 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American Jews Polish emigrants to the United States Members of the American Philosophical Society 20th-century American violinists