“When the American violinist Aaron Rosand, who died yesterday aged 92, performed Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy … in 2009, he rounded off a 77-year playing career,” reads an unsigned Wednesday (7/10) obituary in The Strad. Rosand accepted commercial work during his career, “putting him in a position to take on the loan with which he bought his 1741 Guarneri ‘del Gesù’, the ‘Kochanski.’ … Rosand was born in Hammond, Indiana in 1927 to a Polish cabaret singer father and a Russian cinema pianist mother…. He made his recital debut in 1936 at the age of nine and orchestral debut the following year with the Chicago Symphony under Frederick Stock playing the Mendelssohn concerto. From age 12 he studied at the Chicago Music College with Leon Sametini, a student of Ševčík and Ysaÿe, before joining Efrem Zimbalist’s class at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Acclaimed for his performances of romantic repertoire and his sweet tone, Rosand recorded prolifically and appeared with all the major orchestras around the world, making a particularly busy European career during the 1960s and 70s…. His teaching style was demanding but also nurturing.… Former students include Stephen Waarts, Stephanie Jeong, Benjamin Schmid, Alexander Kerr and Ray Chen.”
Posted July 12, 2019
