Violin influencer, RIP
RIPThe Slovenian violinist Igor Ozim died yesterday in Salzburg, aged 92.
After winning the 1953 ARD Competition Munich, he became one of the most sought-after teachers, working mostly from Cologne and Berne. His students included Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Richard Tognetti, Gwendolyn Masin, Rachel Kolly d’Alba and Daniel Auner, as well as concertmasters of several leading orchestras. He was a great advocate of the Elgar concerto.
What really launched his career was winning the Carl Flesch competition in 1951. He was a fantastic pedagogue, very respectful and demanding with his students. Quite a loss for the violin world.
An interesting bit of video on this master class lesson. Many violinists play, and many editions of this Concerto call for, a “double down bow” early in the energetic opening accompanied solo, and this young fellow is evidently suddenly being told to bow naturally, so bow it down/up. You can see as well as hear the struggle (I suspect the music in front of him has it “down/down” and this young man has likely been doing it down/down since the day he first took up the Concerto, possibly while an adolescent) and Ozim understands this — no raised voice, no tantrum — but is insistent on his way. Were I the student (and were I worthy of being the student) I have a strong hunch I’d be going through the same struggle over that particular bowing. I’d write it into the part to avoid getting corrected again, if possible.
I also suspect that my various former teachers, after Ozim’s master class was over, would likely suggest I stay with the familiar bowing. But Ozim makes the case for his bowing and the teacher would need to make the case for theirs. Just being a tradition and used in many editions is no reason for it not to have to justify itself in the face of reasoned opposition, as we see here.
One of most underrated violinists. May he rest in peace.
“influencer”? What is this, fucking Tik Tok?
I agree. This word is superficial and doesn’t apply. Ozim was a great violinist and pedagogue. It needs to be spelled out as is.
I didn’t want to post it but as someone who had the pleasure of knowing him, Mr. Ozim would not appreciate being called influencer. Influential pedagogue would be significantly more respectful for one of the greatest teachers of all times.