This DVD/CD set is devoted to one of the most admired violinists of our time, Ivry Gitlis, particularly noted for his originality and his distinctive style. Included are works by Sibelius, Paganini, Brahms, Hindemith, and Leibowitz.

Yitzhak-Meir (Isaac) Gitlis was born in Haifa, Palestine Mandate to Jewish parents, who emigrated in 1921 from Kamianets-Podilskyi, Russia, now Ukraine. In 1951, as suggested by his teacher Alice Pashkus, Gitlis participated in the Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris, where he took fifth place. During the preliminary stages of the competition a rumor circulated that he had stolen a Stradivarius violin during the war, which caused a scandal on the day of the final. Six years after the fall of Hitler, being a Jew in France was still causing debate. In 1963, he was the first Israeli violinist to play in the Soviet Union. He gave a series of concerts under the cultural exchange program of the Soviet Union and Israel, starting in Vilnius. His other concerts were given in Moscow, Leningrad, Kiev and Odessa. In the same year, invited by Giancarlo Menotti, he played in Italy at Spoleto’s “6th Festival dei Due Mondi.” This release features early recordings from Gitlis, dated between 1949 and 1963.

Martha Argerich and Ivry Gitlis, two of the the greatest musicians of all time, have performed and recorded together many years. Included here is a collection from their live performances given in European festivals

After 9CD in memoriam "inédits et introuvables" (RH-019), this is another treasure recording of Ivry Gitlis. From the never published studio recording in Denmark. With Natalia Likhopoi (Great Russian violinist Viktor Tretiakov's wife), Gitlis plays Concerto for 2 Violins in D minor.

Israeli violinist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Ivry Gitlis enjoyed a long and successful career performing alongside the world’s top orchestras including the London Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. In his latest years, Ivry Gitlis listened to all our restored and remastered audio tracks via video-chats and over the phone, and being very pleased with the final result, he approved them for release, as his greatest wish was that his live legacy would never be forgotten. This present collection has been conceived as a double tribute to Ivry’s art: posthumous, in memoriam of his death, and, in perspective, as a celebration for the centenary of his birth.