Emanuel Vardi, Viola
Born 1915, Jerusalem, Isreal

Emanuel Vardi's illustrious musical career has spanned over 70 years. His vast knowledge, unparalleled experience, and unrivaled virtuosity and musicianship prompted the title "Master of His Instrument" by the New York Times.

His remarkable versatility and expertise range from the orchestral knowledge he gained from his association with Arturo Toscanini, as the youngest member of the famed NBC Symphony Orchestra, to acclaimed chamber musician and viola virtuoso.

He has been a member of numberous chamber ensembles and string quartets such as the Stuyvesant, Mishakoff, and Guillet String Quartets, along with the famed Navy String Quartet during WWII which also included violinist Oscar Shumsky and cellist Bernard Greenhouse.

Mr. Vardi has established himself as a conductor of such ensembles as the Concertmasters of New York, the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra, and the South Dakota Symphony, which he conducted for 6 seasons; and was awarded an honerary doctorate from Yankton College for his work in music for the state of South Dakota. He has also become known as a composer of movie scores and classical music with an emphasis on his compositions for the viola.

He is best known, however, as an incomparable viola virtuoso, with tours taking him throughout the world during his long career. He is the only violist to have ever recorded all 24 Paganini Caprices, and he is the only violist, besides William Primrose, to have ever given a solo recital in Carnegie Hall.

Of this recording, Mr. Vardi has this to say, "It was certainly a very difficult endeavor for my physically, but the results and feeling of achievement were worth the price my poor body had to pay! And, for the record and to put a rumor that I heard about several times to rest . . . I recorded all of the Caprices on this recording on a 17 inch Dodd viola and didn't 'cheat' with a small instrument! Just ask my hands, which still hurt when reminded of the task!"

Following a severe accident in 1993 which aborted his concert career, Emanuel Vardi has dedicated himself to painting his abstracts of musicians, and to imparting his vast musical knowledge and experience to others.

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