PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Isaac Stern

PEOPLE IN AMERICA -January 13, 2002: Isaac Stern

By Shelley Gollust
VOICE ONE:

I’m Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Today we tell about

one of the world’s greatest musicians, violinist Isaac Stern.
((VIOLIN INSTEAD OF THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
Isaac Stern was more than a great violin player. He was one of the most honored musicians in the world. He was

an international cultural ambassador. He was a major supporter of the arts in America and in other countries. He

was a teacher and activist 1.

For more than sixty years, Mister Stern performed excellent music. He performed in
concerts around the world and on recordings 3. He played with major orchestras and in small
groups. Here he plays Sergey (ser-GAY) Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto 4 (Opus Nineteen)
with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

((CUT ONE: VIOLIN CONCERTO))

VOICE TWO:

Isaac Stern was born in Nineteen-Twenty in what is now Ukraine. His parents moved to
San Francisco, California, the following year. His mother began teaching Isaac the piano
when he was six years old. He began taking violin lessons after hearing a friend play the instrument.

Later, he began studying music at the San Francisco Conservatory 5. He progressed quickly. When he was sixteen,
he played with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The next year, he performed in New York City and was
praised by music critics.

VOICE ONE:

During World War Two, Mister Stern played for thousands of American soldiers. It was the first time many of
them had heard classical music. After the war, he was the first American violinist to perform in concert in the
Soviet 6 Union. Later, he declared that he would not perform there again until artists had more freedom to leave the
country.

Mister Stern had a strong connection to Israel. He supported young musicians and cultural organizations there.
He performed in Israel many times, including during the Persian Gulf 7 War in Nineteen-Ninety-One.

VOICE TWO:

Isaac Stern became one of the busiest musicians of his day. He played more than one-hundred concerts a year. He
also became one of the most recorded musicians in history. This recording 2 is Ludwig van Beethoven’
s
Romance in F-Major (Opus Fifty.) Mister Stern performs with the Franz Liszt Chamber 8 Orchestra.

((CUT 2: ROMANCE IN F-MAJOR [OPUS FIFTY]))


VOICE ONE:

Carnegie Hall in New York City is one of the most famous places for the performance of classical music. All of
the world’s best musicians have played there. In Nineteen-Sixty, there were plans to tear down Carnegie Hall
and build a tall office building in its place.

Mister Stern organized a committee of citizens, politicians and artists to oppose the plan. He successfully led the
effort to save Carnegie Hall. Then he became president of the newly established Carnegie Hall Corporation. He
held that office for forty years. In recent years, he gave a series of classes for young musicians at Carnegie Hall.

Isaac Stern also supported artistic 9 development and freedom. He was an advisor 10 when the National Endowment
for the Arts was established. This is the government agency that supports the arts in America.

VOICE TWO:

In Nineteen-Seventy-Nine, Isaac Stern visited China. He met with Chinese musicians and students. He taught
them about classical Western music. His visit was made into a film. It is called “From Mao to Mozart: Isaac
Stern in China.
”
It won an Academy Award for best documentary film.

Mister Stern loved to play music by many different composers. He found the works of Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart to be among the most difficult. Here he plays Mozart’s Adagio 11 for Violin and Orchestra with the Franz
Liszt Chamber Orchestra.

((CUT THREE: ADAGIO FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA))

VOICE ONE:

In Nineteen-Eighty -Four, Isaac Stern received the Kennedy Center Honors Award for his gifts to American
culture through music. He expressed his thoughts about the part that music plays in life. He said he believed that
music makes life better for every one, especially children. He said music is an important part of a civilized 12 life.
He said people need music as much as they need bread.

Mister Stern supported and guided younger classical musicians. They include violinists Itzhak Perlman and
Pinchas Zukerman, cellist 13 Yo-Yo Ma, and pianist Yefim Bronfman.

Isaac Stern died in Two -Thousand -One at the age of eighty-one. He was a major influence on music in the
Twentieth Century. He leaves the world richer with his many recordings. This one is “Humoresque”
by
Antonin Dvorak (DVOR -zhak) performed with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra.

((CUT FOUR: HUMORESQUE))

VOICE TWO:

This Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Caty Weaver 14. Our studio
engineer was Max Carroll. I’m Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I’m Sarah Long. Join us again next week for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of
America.

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