Ivry Gitlis was born in 1922 and began violin studies at age five, later studying with Mira Ben-Ami, a pupil of Joseph Szigeti, before entering the Paris Conservatoire at age 11 and graduating in 1935. He received advanced instruction from George Enescu, Jacques Thibaud, and Carl Flesch between 1938 and 1940, and went on to perform with major orchestras including the London Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, and Vienna Philharmonic. He died in 2020.

Gitlis was known for a flamboyant, highly individual performing style and for crossing into popular culture, appearing in the Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus (1968) and François Truffaut’s The Story of Adele H (1975). He was the first Israeli violinist to perform in the Soviet Union (1963), served as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador from 1990, and founded the Festival de Vence. His recordings of the Berg and Bartók violin concertos won major international prizes, including the Grand Prix du Disque.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivry_Gitlis