Important album-Coulisses du Concours Reine Élisabeth 1955 ( - Lot 187

Lot n° 187
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800 - 1200 EUR
Important album-Coulisses du Concours Reine Élisabeth 1955 ( - Lot 187
Important album-Coulisses du Concours Reine Élisabeth 1955 (Frères Haine) Exceptional set comprising a period photographic album with 34 pages of silver prints, documenting the violin session of the 1955 Queen Elisabeth Competition, organized in Brussels in the wake of the legacy of the great violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. The particularly meticulous album is embossed with the cipher of Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, attesting to an official or ceremonial print run. It offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the competition: jury sessions in a packed hall, candidates' performances, instrument preparation, moments of waiting and informal scenes, rarely documented in such close-up. The presence of a photograph of the president's office, accompanied by a handwritten card mentioning "Jo Cuvelier", suggests a privileged access to the spheres of organization and reinforces the internal character of this ensemble. The jury for this edition included some of the leading figures on the international violin scene, including David Oistrakh, Yehudi Menuhin, Arthur Grumiaux and Zino Francescatti, testifying to the competition's artistic excellence. The 1955 session, now considered one of the most outstanding, was won by Leonid Kogan (First Prize), alongside such leading prizewinners as Berl Senofsky, Julian Sitkovetsky and Victor Pikayzen, illustrating the dominance of the great international violin schools of the post-war period. It also brings together numerous candidates from the great European and international schools, including Pierre Doukan, Alberto Lysy, Marine Iashvili, Igor Politkovsky, Berl Senofsky, Julian Sitkovetsky, Luben Yordanoff, as well as other young performers destined for an international career. With its wealth of viewpoints - combining official scenes and more intimate glimpses of the candidates - this album is a rare behind-the-scenes account of a competition that has become legendary, at a pivotal time in European musical life...
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