Jean-Jacques Kantorow

Jean-Jacques Kantorow embodies the distinguished French-Belgian tradition of violin playing while incorporating distinctive elements drawn from his Russian heritage. He has earned widespread recognition throughout Europe for his parallel achievements as a conductor.

Born in Cannes, France, on October 13, 1945, Kantorow displayed early promise and studied first at the Nice Conservatory before entering the Paris Conservatory at age 13, where he captured a premier prize in 1960. During the 1960s he stood among the most reliable winners of major European competitions, establishing an international performance career centered on the core concerto repertoire. Glenn Gould singled him out as a “staggering” talent and the most original violinist he had encountered. The Grove dictionary characterized his style as one that “combines the best features of the French and Russian schools.” In 1974 Kantorow made his first appearance on disc with the soundtrack to the film Un coeur en hiver.

He developed his conducting skills through leadership roles, directing the Orchestre de Paris in 1977 and 1978 and serving as principal conductor of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra from 1978 to 1984. In 1985 he assumed the same post with the Auvergne Chamber Orchestra. Additional conducting commitments took him beyond France to the Tapiola Sinfonietta and the Helsinki Chamber Orchestra, where he later became artistic director.

As a violinist Kantorow has documented much of the standard concerto literature, devoting particular attention to demanding Russian works. More than 160 recordings to his credit remain widely available; many of the violin performances first appeared on the Denon label. In his conducting capacity he has maintained a close association with BIS, notably as leader of the Tapiola Sinfonietta. In 2019 that partnership yielded a recording of Saint-Saëns’s Piano Concertos Nos. 3, 4, and 5, a composer whose music has long engaged Kantorow in both capacities; the soloist was his son, pianist Alexandre Kantorow. His teaching appointments have included posts at the conservatories of Strasbourg and Rotterdam as well as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris.

Kantorow sustained his activity through the COVID-19 period, issuing further Saint-Saëns albums on BIS with the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège and the Tapiola Sinfonietta. In 2024 he moved to the Avie label, leading the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in a recording of recently rediscovered violin-and-orchestra pieces by Eugène Ysaÿe performed by violinist Philippe Graffin.