 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Sometimes opportunity knocks twice. In 1972, the young violinist Eugene Fodor took first prize in the International Paganini Competition in Genoa, Italy, thereby winning a chance to do what very few violinists anywhere have ever done: perform a concert on the del Gesù "Cannon" (see the November/December issue, page 130). Now, more than a quarter century later, Fodor will get to play the famous violin again. On October 26, 1999, he will play pieces by Paganini, Lalo, and others in a recital presented by San Francisco’s Amici Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes Italian culture and supports music and arts programs for local schoolchildren. The black-tie fund-raiser will bring together the mayors of Genoa and San Francisco, which are sister cities, as honorary hosts. It will also be only the second time the instrument will have been played in concert on the American continent. Fodor himself came to widespread public attention when, at 22, he won the Paganini prize. Just two years later, he won the highest prize awarded in the 1974 Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow. His astonishing technique, fiery playing, and good looks all took the musical world by storm—as did the fact that he was an American winning the top Soviet prize during a particularly frosty stretch of the Cold War. A native of Turkey Creek, Colorado, Fodor had a dream lineup of teachers. His first ten years of study were with Harold Wippler, himself a student of Ephraim Zimbalist. Later Fodor earned full scholarships to Juilliard, Indiana University, and the University of Southern California, where he studied with some of the great names of the violin world: Ivan Galamian, Josef Gingold, Jascha Heifetz. His solo debut, a performance of the Bruch Concerto with the Denver Symphony, came at age ten. He began touring two years later and by the age of 17 was a seasoned concertizer with numerous national-contest wins to his credit. He was also an audience favorite. But now, as he approaches 50, Fodor looks back at his early successes with a bit of amusement. "I think there is a general misconception regarding youth and performing on the violin—and piano," he says. "Technically I’ve continued to develop. I could play anything in my twenties, but now I play it with a more developed foundation and musical sense." Fodor’s concert schedule has remained intense throughout his career, and he has recordings on RCA Red Seal, Sony Essential, Clarity, Laurel, and other labels. On November 6 he will be presented with the European Soloist Award (Prix Européen du Soliste) while in Paris—the award comes on the day of his scheduled concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. Fodor is excited about this latest prize, but he is arguably even more thrilled about the recital that will take place two weeks earlier, half a world away. "It’s almost holy," Fodor says, returning with unbridled enthusiasm to the topic of the "Cannon," and his San Francisco performance. Made by Joseph Guarneri (del Gesù) in Cremona in 1742, the violin was the one on which Nicolò Paganini built his spectacular career. He bequeathed it to the city of Genoa upon his death. Now considered a national treasure, the instrument spends most of its time behind glass. Its San Francisco visit is possible because Amici Foundation cofounder Angelo Quaranta, who is a native of Genoa and now a city commissioner in San Francisco, has a deep love for the violin and its heritage—and possesses the political connections and savvy needed to convince all parties involved that the event will be a hit. Fodor needed no convincing. He is openly thrilled that he will have another chance to play the instrument, and to give it its West Coast debut. "This is the furthest the violin will ever have been from Italy," Fodor notes, adding that the conditions of its travel include a multimillion-dollar insurance policy and an armed escort of Italian police officers. After the concert, Fodor will give a lecture on Paganini, with a focus on the performer’s impact upon the musical world of the 19th century. Fodor is nothing if not enthusiastic—and knowledgeable—about Paganini and has long championed his music as more than just a set of pyrotechnics. "His compositions provided technical solutions later used in nearly every great violin concerto," Fodor maintains. "And his presence changed the lives of countless artists, and uplifted the masses in times of prosperity as well as during oppression and plague." As for Fodor himself, he says that his own busy schedule of performance tours has served not as a drain but as a regular source of renewal. "I think the element of continued growth and inspiration, working with new conductors and orchestras, has expanded my repertoire and my artistic spontaneity. I find that my interpretations are deepening every year, through playing a great variety of music." —Mary VanClay
|
