Death of long-serving Met concertmaster
NewsThe American-born violinist Raymond Gniewek died yesterday, a few weeks short of his 90th birthday.
The youngest concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera orchestra when appointed in 1957, Ray retired in 2000, having served for 43 years. James Levine once said:’ The single luckiest thing that happened to me since I have been at the Met is that Ray Gniewek was the concertmaster.’
Watch to the end of this farewell clip: half of the players are in tears.
Ray is survived by his second wife, the soprano Judith Blegen, to whom we send condolences.
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