Isaac Stern

(MUSIC)

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.

(MUSIC)

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.

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

(MUSIC)

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.
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 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 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 is Ludwig van Beethoven's Romance in
F-Major, Opus Fifty. Mister Stern performs with the Franz Liszt
Chamber Orchestra.

(MUSIC)

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 development and freedom. He
was an advisor 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 for Violin and Orchestra
with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra.

(MUSIC)

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 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
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 performed with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

This Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust. It
was produced by Caty Weaver. 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.

(MUSIC)