Ivry Gitlis, arguably the last great 20th-century violinist, died on December 24 in Paris aged 98.Born in 1922 in Haifa into a family of immigrants from Ukraine, he got his first violin at age five.At eight, as a child prodigy, he was introduced to the founder of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Bronislaw Huberman. The latter prompted a fundraising campaign, which allowed him to study in France.At 11, Gitlis entered the Conservatoire de Paris. He later studied with outstanding violinists such as George Enescu, Jacques Thibaud and Carl Flesch.During World War II, he went to London where, afte…
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