"The day when I will no longer play my violin, I will be dead," he said.
World-renowned virtuoso violinist, loving to share his passion with the wider audience, Ivry Gitlis died Thursday at the age of 98, in Paris, his family announced.
The death of this musician who has played in the most prestigious venues and with the largest orchestras occurred Thursday morning, said one of his four children, David Gitlis.
Unesco Goodwill Ambassador, this Israeli residing in France had a special place in the classical musical world: renowned for his sometimes atypical interpretations of the repertoire, he was also at ease in jazz or gypsy music. .
Fierce and narcissistic
The cellist Gautier Capuçon expressed on social networks his "immense sadness" after the death of this "legend of the violin", while his brother, Renaud Capuçon greeted "a star for all violinists", "the last of the Tsars of the violin to have crossed the 20th century ”.
Ivry Gitlis was a star for all violinists.
His game was incandescent.
He was the last of the violin tsars to cross the 20th century.
We are losing a friend and a great artist and will be sadly missed.
pic.twitter.com/nqhYY0PEi2
- renaud Capuçon (@RCapucon) December 24, 2020
The first Israeli artist to perform in the USSR (in 1955), founder of numerous festivals (in Vence, Menton, Saint-André-de-Cubzac, etc.), he was also an ardent defender of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
White bushy hair and piercing blue eyes, a charismatic, whimsical, fierce and narcissistic personality, Ivry Gitlis generally played, motionless and with his eyes closed.
His violin: a 1713 Stradivarius acquired in 1964.
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He was a popular artist, readily present on television at the end of the 20th century.
He was one of the favorite guests of Jacques Chancel's cult program "Le Grand Échiquier".
