Biography
With the death of violinist Yehudi Menuhin at age 82 on March 12, 1999, the music world lost one of its most remarkable talents. Though long identified with the classical repertoire, Menuhin continually explored other avenues for his exceptional technique. Partnerships with Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar produced the pioneering recordings East Meets West and In Celebration, while sessions alongside French violinist Stephane Grappelli generated four landmark albums: Play Berlin, Kern, Porter & Rodgers & Hart, Play Gershwin, Play "Jalousie" and Other Great Standards, and Tea for Two. Classical violinist Isaac Stern characterized him as "an extraordinary musician and a great humanitarian. His style of playing, particularly in his early years, was a stunning patrician elegance with a very natural musical line."
Menuhin revealed musical ability almost from infancy. He began violin lessons at four and appeared with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra three years afterward. His 1927 account of Beethoven's Violin Concerto at Carnegie Hall brought worldwide recognition. The first album he made, captured when he turned sixteen, earned France's Prix du Disque.
Born the eldest child of Russian-Jewish immigrants Moshe and Marutha Menuhin, he was still an infant when the family settled in San Francisco. Under the guidance of Louis Persinger, concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, his progress proved rapid. When Persinger relocated to New York in 1925, Menuhin and his relatives accompanied him.
A prosperous attorney soon sponsored the violinist's initial European journey. Although Belgian violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye remained unimpressed, Romanian violinist and composer Georges Enesco accepted him as a pupil; Menuhin worked with Enesco until his return to the United States in 1927. During his teenage years he continued to draw notice, recording Elgar's Violin Concerto under the composer's baton and prompting Béla Bartók to write his second Violin Concerto for him.
At nineteen, despite widespread acclaim, Menuhin withdrew from the concert platform for two years to refine his technique at the family property in Los Gatos, CA.
He resumed performing with undiminished authority. Throughout World War II he gave hundreds of recitals at military installations and medical facilities. After the dissolution of his marriage to Nola Nicholas, however, technical command began to slip; a relationship and later marriage to ballet dancer and actress Diana Gould restored the assurance required to regain full command.
Following the war's conclusion, Menuhin presented several landmark programs across Europe. In 1947 he joined composer and conductor Benjamin Britten on a journey to Poland that featured a concert for Bergen-Belsen survivors, and he became the first Jewish musician to appear in Germany since the pre-war period, performing with the Berlin Philharmonic under Wilhelm Furtwangler. Over the ensuing four decades he stood among classical music's most commanding figures. After moving to England in 1985 he entered the House of Lords in 1993 and subsequently settled in Switzerland. Esteem remained high in the United States, where President Reagan awarded him a Kennedy Center honor in 1986. Menuhin maintained an active philanthropic life, establishing roughly five hundred charitable bodies. In 1962 he founded a boarding school for musically gifted children in Stoke D'Abergnon; a comparable institution followed in Gstaad, Switzerland.
Menuhin revealed musical ability almost from infancy. He began violin lessons at four and appeared with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra three years afterward. His 1927 account of Beethoven's Violin Concerto at Carnegie Hall brought worldwide recognition. The first album he made, captured when he turned sixteen, earned France's Prix du Disque.
Born the eldest child of Russian-Jewish immigrants Moshe and Marutha Menuhin, he was still an infant when the family settled in San Francisco. Under the guidance of Louis Persinger, concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, his progress proved rapid. When Persinger relocated to New York in 1925, Menuhin and his relatives accompanied him.
A prosperous attorney soon sponsored the violinist's initial European journey. Although Belgian violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye remained unimpressed, Romanian violinist and composer Georges Enesco accepted him as a pupil; Menuhin worked with Enesco until his return to the United States in 1927. During his teenage years he continued to draw notice, recording Elgar's Violin Concerto under the composer's baton and prompting Béla Bartók to write his second Violin Concerto for him.
At nineteen, despite widespread acclaim, Menuhin withdrew from the concert platform for two years to refine his technique at the family property in Los Gatos, CA.
He resumed performing with undiminished authority. Throughout World War II he gave hundreds of recitals at military installations and medical facilities. After the dissolution of his marriage to Nola Nicholas, however, technical command began to slip; a relationship and later marriage to ballet dancer and actress Diana Gould restored the assurance required to regain full command.
Following the war's conclusion, Menuhin presented several landmark programs across Europe. In 1947 he joined composer and conductor Benjamin Britten on a journey to Poland that featured a concert for Bergen-Belsen survivors, and he became the first Jewish musician to appear in Germany since the pre-war period, performing with the Berlin Philharmonic under Wilhelm Furtwangler. Over the ensuing four decades he stood among classical music's most commanding figures. After moving to England in 1985 he entered the House of Lords in 1993 and subsequently settled in Switzerland. Esteem remained high in the United States, where President Reagan awarded him a Kennedy Center honor in 1986. Menuhin maintained an active philanthropic life, establishing roughly five hundred charitable bodies. In 1962 he founded a boarding school for musically gifted children in Stoke D'Abergnon; a comparable institution followed in Gstaad, Switzerland.
Albums

The Menuhin Century - The Historic Recordings
2026

The Menuhin Century - The Virtuoso & His Landmark Recordings
2026

The Menuhin Century - Live Performances and Festival Recordings
2026

Yehudi Menuhin, The Absolute Violin
2025

Viotti: Violin Concertos & Violin Duet
2024

Bartók, Beethoven & Brahms
2023

Brahms, Schubert & Felix Mendelssohn
2023

Bruch & Elgar: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 26 - Violin Concerto, Op. 61
2023

Yehudi Menuhin - Concert Magic
2023

Yehudi Menuhin Plays Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
2023

Yehudi Menuhin Plays Beethoven
2022

Wandda Landowska plays Bach, Mozart, Händel, Scarlatti, Rameau
2022

Yehudi Menuhin Plays Brahms
2022

Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 3 & 5 and Serenades, KV 239 & KV 525
2022

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto, Mwv O 3
2022

Mozart: Violin Concerto NO. 7, K 271A
2022

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 "Pathetique"
2021

Beethoven & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos (Remastered)
2021

Brahms: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56a & Violin Concerto, Op. 77
2021

Milestones of Legends Royal Conductors, Vol. 1
2021

Yehudi Menuhin and Wilhelm Furtwängler
2021

Artur Balsam plays Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Hindemith, Clementi, CPe Bach, Paganini, Hummel, Ravel, Debussy
2021

Louis Kentner plays Brahms, Bartok, Walton, Balakirew, Dvorak et al
2021

Fake Paganini Recordings 1936 - 1943
2021

David Oistrakh Bach and Beethoven Recordings
2021

Schumann: Cello Concerto & Violin Concerto
2020

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring" & No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96
2020

West Meets East, Vol. 2
2020

J.S. Bach: Violin & Keyboard Works
2019

Enescu: Composer, Conductor, Pianist, Violinist & Teacher, Vol. 2
2019

Baroque & Religious Arias
2019

Milestones of a Cello Legend: Gaspar Cassadó, Vol. 6
2019

Brahms: Violin Concerto, Op. 77
2018

Yehudi Menuhin, Vol. 2: Bach Sonatas for Violin & Harpsichord
2017

Handel Favourites – Arrival of the Queen of Sheda, Water Music, and more – Mackerras, Szell, Menuhi,n Somary
2017

The Official Classical Collection, Vol. 5 J.S. Bach
2016

Yehudi Menuhin - The Complete American Victor Recordings
2016

Yehudi Menuhin Plays Bach, Debussy, Schubert, Rachmaninoff and Händel
2016

Yehudi Menuhin - First Recordings (1928 - 1930)
2016

Lalo: Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21 - Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 26
2016

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas No. 5 & 9 - Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 4
2016

Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 26 - Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in D Minor, MWV 03
2016

The Menuhin Century - Unpublished Recordings and Rarities
2016

Yehudi! - The Art of Menuhin
2016

Bach: Complete Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo
2016

Corelli: 12 Violin Sonatas, Op. 5
2016

Schubert: String Quintet & Octet
2016

Walton: Violin Concerto, Viola Concerto & Violin Sonata
2016

Jealousy
2016

Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1, Caprices & La campanella
2016

Menuhin - The First Recordings on HMV
2016

Menuhin - Virtuoso of the Century
2016

Brahms: Violin Sonatas Nos 1 - 3
2016

Beethoven: Violin Concerto & Romances
2016

Leclair & Tartini: Violin Concertos
2016

Elgar: Violin Concerto & La Capricieuse
2016

Showpieces
2016

Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio
2016

West Meets East
2016

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
2016

Schumann: Concerto
2016

Elgar: "Enigma" Variations; Nursery Suite; Introduction and Allegro for Strings
2015

Niccolò Paganini
2015

Johann Sebastian Bach
2015

Beethoven: Orchestral Works
2015

Mozart: Concerto No. 4 & 5
2014

Violin Masterpieces: Yehudi Menuhin Plays Beethoven & Brahms
2014

Violin Concertos
2014

Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
2013

The Great Violin Concertos
2013

The Great Conductors: Wilhelm Furtwängler, Vol. 2
2013

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto - Bartok: Violin Concerto No. 2 [2011 - Remaster]
2012

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto - Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1
2012

The Very Best of: Yehudi Menuhin
2011

Bach: Sonata for Violin, Nos. 1, 2 & 3
2011

Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso & Havanaise, Debussy: La Mer
2011

Bach: Orchestral Suites & Concertos
2010

Radioscopie (Artistes): Jacques Chancel reçoit Yehudi Menuhin
2010

Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Major
2010

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Violin Sonata No. 1
2009

Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 - Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E
2009

Icon: Menuhin and Grappelli
2009

Yehudi Menuhin plays Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1
2009

Bartok, B.: Violin Concerto No. 2 / Violin Sonata No. 1 (Menuhin) (1947, 1953)
2009

100 Best Menuhin
2009

Yehudi Menuhin Performs Elgar's Violin Concerto in B Minor, Op. 61
2009

Variations on an Original Theme "Enigma", Op. 36
2009

Handel Sarabande
2008

Yehudi Menuhin: Bach - Sonatas y Partitas para Violín Solo
2008

Bach: Violin Concertos, BWV 1041 - 1043 & Chaconne, BWV 1004
2007

The Ravi Shankar Collection: West Meets East: The Historic Shankar/Menuhin Sessions
2007

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos 5, 7, 9 & 10
2007

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 5, 7, 9 & 10
2007

Elgar: Violin Concerto, Froissart, Cockaigne
2007

Berlioz: Harold en Italie & Rêverie et caprice
2007

Rossini Overtures
2007

Berlioz: Harold in Italy . Rêverie et caprice
2007

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 / Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1 (Menuhin) (1934-1952)
2006

Bach, J.S. / Enescu / Pizzetti: Violin Sonatas (Menuhin) (1929, 1936, 1938)
2006

Violin Concertos Nos. 1 - 5/ Sinfonia Concertante - Mozart
2005

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 38 - 40
2005

Beethoven / Franck / Lekeu: Violin Sonatas (Menuhin) (1936-1940)
2005

Mendelssohn / Bruch: Violin Concertos (Menuhin) (1951-1952)
2005

Nielsen: Concerto For Violin & Orchestra, Op. 33
2005

Yehudi Menuhin
2005

Yehudi Menuhin: Bach - Concierto Para Violín Nº 1 y Nº 2
2004

Mozart / Beethoven: Violin Sonatas (Menuhin) (1929-1947)
2004

Mozart: Flute & Harp Concertos - Flute Concertos
2004

Beethoven: Sonatas / Schubert: Rondo (Menuhin) (1934-1938)
2004

Brahms / Schumann: Violin Sonatas (Menuhin) (1934-1940)
2003

Bartók: Violin Concertos, Nos. 1 - 2 - Viola Concerto - Rhapsodies, Nos. 1 - 2
2003

Menuhin conducts Handel : The Messiah
2003

Bartók: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3, Rhapsodies Nos. 1 & 2
2003

Dvořák: Cello Concerto No. 2 - Brahms: Double Concerto
2003

The unpublished recordings. Beethoven: Violin Concerto No. 1 & Romance - Tchaikovsky: Sérénade mélancolique
2003

Dvořák: Cello Concerto - Brahms: Double Concerto
2003

Schumann: Violin Concerto
2002

Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto / Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole (Menuhin) (1933, 1938)
2002

Dvorak / Schumann: Violin Concertos (Menuhin) (1936, 1938)
2002

Mozart: The Abduction from the Seraglio
2002

Elgar: Cello Concerto / Enigma Variations
2002

Brahms: String Sextets Nos 1 & 2
2001

Bach, J.S.: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (Menuhin) (1932-1936)
2001

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty & The Nutcracker (Highlights)
2001

Bach, J.S.: Sonatas and Partitas (Menuhin) (1934-1944)
2001

Bach: Orchestral Suites and Concertos
2001

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Sonata for Solo Violin
2001

Legend
2000

Elgar: Cello Concerto / Saint-Saens: Cello Concerto No.1, &c
2000

Yehudi Menuhin Plays Mozart
1999

Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin, BWV 1001 - 1006
1999

Carl Nielsen: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
1999

Elgar / Bruch: Violin Concertos (Menuhin) (1931-1932)
1999

Gershwin: Summertime
1999

Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli
1999

Elgar: Violin Concerto & "Enigma" Variations
1999

Yehudi Menuhin - In Memoriam
1999

Brahms & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos
1999

MOZART: VIOLIN CONCERTO No.3, No.4, No.7
1998

Rossini: Overtures
1998

Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance Marches - Symphonies 1&2
1998

Favourite Violin Concertos
1997

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 5 "Spring" & 9 "Kreutzer"
1997

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
1996

le violon du siecle
1996

Paganini: Violin Works
1996

Bach: Violin Concertos & Orchestral Suites, Nos. 1 - 3
1995

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2; Suite No. 2
1995

Mozart: Violin Concertos
1995

Mozart: Symphony Nos. 40 & 41 "Jupiter"
1994

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique & Le Carnaval Romain
1993

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6 In B Minor - "Pathetique" & March Slave, Op. 31
1993

Schubert, Schumann & Pizzetti: Chamber Works
1992

The Young Yehudi Menuhin
1992

Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1
1992

Beethoven: Violinkonzert - Romanzen Nos. 1 & 2
1992

Tartini, Schubert, Lalo & Others: Works
1991

Brahms: Violin Concerto - Double Concerto
1990

The HMV Recordings
1990

The Young Menuhin
1990

Mendelssohn & Schumann: Violin Concertos
1990

Brahms: Violin Concerto, Op. 77 & Double Concerto, Op. 102
1990

Brahms: String Sextets Nos. 1 & 2
1990

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos.5 "Spring" & 9 "Kreutzer"
1989

Menuhin and Grappelli play ... Gershwin
1988

Menuhin & Grappelli Play Berlin, Porter, Kern, Rodgers & Hart
1988

Menuhin & Grappelli Play Jealousy & Other Great Standards
1988

Bach: Violin Concertos, Nos. 1 - 2, Double Concerto & Chaconne from Partita No. 2
1988

Menuhin Meets Shankar
1988

Beethoven: Violin Sonata Nos. 5 "Spring" & 9 "Kreutzer"
1986

Beethoven & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos
1984

Bruch & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos
1984

Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op. 61
1982

Elgar & Vaughan Williams: Violin Sonatas
1979

Improvisations: West Meets East, Vol. 3
1976

Bruch: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
1973

The Legendary Early Recordings
1972

Beethoven: The Complete Violin Sonatas Vol.II
1970

Beethoven: The Complete Violin Sonatas Vol.I
1970

Schubert: Piano Trio No. 1, D. 898 & Sonatensatz, D. 28
1970

Brahms: Horn Trio, Op. 40 & Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 87
1968

Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 7 & 10
1963

Bach: Orchestral Suites Nos. 1 - 4 & Musical Offering
1961

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2 (Antal Doráti / Minnesota Orchestra — Mercury Masters: Stereo, Vol. 5)
1958

Bach: Solo Sonates & Partitas, BWV 1001 - 1006
1957

Bartók: Violin Concerto No. 2, Sz. 112
1954

The Young Yehudi Menuhin (2025 Remastered Edition)
1936
Singles

Paganini: Moto Perpetuo, Op. 11
2023

Beethoven: Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: I. Allegro moderato
2020

Beethoven: Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: IV. Poco allegretto - Adagio espressivo - Tempo I - Allegro - Poco adagio - Presto
2020

Beethoven: Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: II. Adagio espressivo
2020

Beethoven: Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring": I. Allegro
2020

Beethoven: Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring": II. Adagio molto espressivo
2020

Beethoven: Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring": IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo
2020

Beethoven: Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96: III. Scherzo. Allegro - Trio
2020

Beethoven: Sonata No. 5 in F Major, Op. 24 "Spring": III. Scherzo. Allegro molto - Trio
2020
Live

Brahms: Symphony NO. 3, OP. 90 - Violin Concerto, OP. 77 (Live)
2022

Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61 (Live)
2020

Violin Masterpieces: Yehudi Menuhin Live at Blythburgh Church, Aldeburgh, 1958 (Live)
2020

Mozart: Violin Concertos
2018

Yehudi Menuhin, Vol. 1: 1940 Carnegie Hall Concert (Live)
2017

Brahms: Double Concerto - Bloch: Schelomo - Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme (Live)
2017

Yehudi Menuhin. Anniversary Edition (Live)
2016
