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Famous violinist Ruggiero Ricci passes away

Famous violinist Ruggiero Ricci passes away

THE virtuoso violinist Ruggiero Ricci has passed away. He was 94.

Born in San Franciso, Mr. Ricci began to learn the violin at six and four year’s later, in 1928, he made his stage debut in his home city playing works by Mandelssohn, Saint-Saens, Wieniawski and Vieuxtemps. This performance was set the gifted ten-year-old on the road to stardom.

His violin teacher was Louis Persinger who also taught Yehudi Menuhin.

By the age of fourteen, Mr. Ricci was making his first tour of Europe where he performed with a number of top orchestras. 

When the U.S. entered the Second World War, the young musician enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force. But his talents as a violinist were not to be wasted during his three years of service. Mr. Ricci was encouraged to perform many concerts to entertain service personnel and it was this experience as a solo performer that was to provide him with his future success across the world.

He solo repertoire was to become increasingly dominated over the years by the works of Paganini (see below).

As well as his concerts, Mr. Ricci also produced many acclaimed recordings of works by Paganini as well as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and many others.

Away from the concert stage and recording studio, the virtuoso violinist also found time to teach. At various times he taught at the Juillard School, the University of Michigan, the Mozarteum in Salzburg and Indiana University.

He brought his concert career to an end in 2003 and in recent years had been giving master classes in Los Angeles.

Mr. Ricci passed away after suffering heart failure.

To see Ruggiero Ricci play the Sauret Cadenza from Paganini’s Violin 
Concerto No. 1, click here.

To view an excerpt from an interview with Mr. Ricci, click here.

 

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