Violin wizard Stern dead

NEW YORK: Mr. Isaac Stern, considered the supreme violin virtuoso of the 20th century, died in New York aged 81, a hospital official said. Mr. Stern, one of the most recorded violinists in history with more than 100 recordings to his credit, helped save New York's famed Carnegie Hall from demolition in the 1960s. Mr. Stern, a small, plump, modest and witty man, was soloist on the Oscar-winning soundtrack of the movie ``Fiddler on the Roof'' and performed with the New York Philharmonic more than any other violinist in history. Born in Russia in 1920, Mr. Stern was brought to the U.S. as an infant. He began violin lessons at 8, studied at the San Francisco conservatory and made his orchestral debut with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra at age 16 in a concert broadcast on national radio. Among his most famous appearances was a 1991 concert in Jerusalem during the Gulf War. Sirens sounded and the audience fearing a Scud missile attack donned gas masks. Mr. Stern did not and got down to the business of playing a Bach solo.

- Reuters

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