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"Gruppman
revived the Miklos Rozsa Violin Concerto, an excruciatingly
difficult virtuoso showpiece created in 1953 for
Jascha Heifetz, and sounded almost as if he were
Heifetz. ...The challenges for the violinist are
those stratospheric trills, ferocious cadenza
and complicated bowings and double stops tossed
off at high speeds in grueling succession. Gruppman
not only managed them immaculately, he played
with terrific intensity and a dark, rich Heifetz-like
tone."
- Miami Herald
Critically
acclaimed for the richness and beauty of tone,
elegant phrasing, drive, passion and virtuosity,
Igor Gruppman enjoys a career as soloist, chamber
musician, concertmaster and conductor. Having
been a frequent guest leader of such orchestras
as the London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal
Philharmonic, he has worked with conductors such
as Solti, Rostropovich, Colin Davis, Eschenbach,
Gatti and Haitink. He has appeared as soloist
and chamber musician in most European capitals
and in the major cities of North America, Israel
and New Zealand. Today he also serves as concertmaster
and associate conductor of the Florida Philharmonic
under James Judd, and as conductor of the orchestra's
chamber orchestra.
Igor Gruppman's
recordings have met with enthusiastic reception
by the critics. "Sinfonia Concertante" by Miklos
Rosza on Koch International Classics; Berlioz'
"Reverie and Caprice" on Naxos, and the Rozsa
Violin Concerto for Koch, which marks the first
release of the concerto since the recording by
Heifetz for whom this piece was written. In addition,
he led the principal members of the Academy of
St. Martin-in-the Fields in the world-premiere
recording of the original version of Brahms' Quintet
in F Minor.
With his
violinist/violist wife, Vesna Stefanovich Gruppman,
Mr. Gruppman has been appearing in a duo that
has been heralded as "violin archangels" for their
recording of Malcolm Arnold's Concerto for Two
Violins and Orchestra, which won its producer
a Grammy in 1994.
Igor Gruppman
is a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory where
he studied with Leonid Kogan and M. Rostropovich,
followed by studies with Jasha Heifetz in Los
Angeles. He has collaborated with such artists
as Sviatoslav Richter, Yuri Bashmet, Natalia Gutman,
Oleg Kagan, Jaime Laredo and Lynn Harrell.
To contact
Igor Gruppman e-mail:
igor@miamipianofest.com
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