20 Facts About Nathan Milstein

Widely considered one of the finest violinists of the 20th century, Nathan Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and for works from the Romantic period.

Nathan Milstein was known for his long career: he performed at a high level into his mid-80s, retiring only after suffering a broken hand.

Nathan Milstein was born in Odessa, Russian Empire, the fourth child of seven, to a middle-class Jewish family with no musical background.

When Nathan Milstein was 11, Leopold Auer invited him to become one of his students at the St Petersburg Conservatory.

Nathan Milstein was a very gifted man and a good teacher.

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Nathan Milstein told film-maker Christopher Nupen, director of Nathan Milstein – In Portrait, that he learned almost nothing from Ysaye but enjoyed his company enormously.

Nathan Milstein met Vladimir Horowitz and his pianist sister Regina in 1921 when he played a recital in Kiev.

In 1929, Nathan Milstein made his American debut with Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Nathan Milstein eventually settled in New York and became an American citizen.

Nathan Milstein toured repeatedly throughout Europe, maintaining residences in London and Paris.

Transcriber and composer, Nathan Milstein arranged many works for violin and wrote his own cadenzas for many concertos.

Nathan Milstein was obsessed with articulating each note perfectly and would often spend long periods of time working out fingerings which would make passages sound more articulated.

Nathan Milstein renamed this Stradivarius the "Maria Teresa" in honor of his daughter Maria and his wife Therese.

Nathan Milstein performed on the 1710 ex-"Dancla" Stradivarius for a short period.

In 1948, Nathan Milstein's recording of Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, with Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philharmonic, had the distinction of being the first catalogue item in Columbia's newly introduced long-playing twelve-inch 33 rpm vinyl records, Columbia ML 4001.

Nathan Milstein was awarded the Legion d'honneur by France in 1968 and received a Grammy Award for his recording of Bach's Sonatas and Partitas in 1975.

Nathan Milstein was awarded Kennedy Center honors by US President Ronald Reagan.

Nathan Milstein discusses the personalities of important composers such as Alexander Glazunov, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Igor Stravinsky and conductors such as Arturo Toscanini and Leopold Stokowski, all of whom he knew personally.

Nathan Milstein discusses his best friends, pianist Vladimir Horowitz, cellist Gregor Piatigorsky and ballet director George Balanchine, as well as other violinists such as Fritz Kreisler and David Oistrakh.

Nathan Milstein was married twice, remaining married to his second wife, Therese, until his death.