Jidl mitn Fidl? Great Jewish violinists

Taking the legendary American-Polish film Jidl mitn Fidl (1936) as its starting point, this programme explores the extent to which the violin can be considered a characteristic instrument of Jewish musical tradition. Selected film portraits of outstanding Jewish violinists—from Jascha Heifetz and David Oistrakh to Yehudi Menuhin, Itzhak Perlman, and Gidon Kremer – will be presented. In a conversation with Heidy Zimmermann, violinist Ilya Gringolts and musicologist Felix Meyer discuss the distinctive profiles of these figures and their significance within the great violin tradition since the beginning of the 20th century.