Philippe Graffin

Infobox Person
name = Philippe Graffin


caption =
birth_date = 1964
birth_place = Romilly-sur-Seine, France.
death_date =
death_place =
other_names =
known_for =
occupation = violinist
nationality = France

Philippe Graffin (born 1964) is a French violinist and recording artist. He was born in Romilly-sur-Seine, France.

About Philippe Graffin

The French Violinist Philippe Graffin was a student of the late Joseph Gingold and Philipp Hirschorn and has established a particular reputation for his interpretations of his native repertoire as well for his interest in rare and contemporary works. He rediscovered original settings of classics such as Chausson's Poème and Ravel's Tzigane and has also campioned the forgotten violin concertos of G. Fauré and the concerto by English composer Samuel Coleredge-Taylor.

Philippe has shared the stage with some of the greatest musicians of our time: Lord Menuhin, M. Rostropovich, Martha Aegerichand, and S. Commisiona. He regularly partners with cellists Gary Hoffman and Truls Mork; pianists Pascal Devoyon, Steven Kovacevich, Claire Desert and the Chilingrian Quartet and is founder and artistic director of the "Consonances" chamber music festival of St Nazaire, France. He has appeared in the BBC Proms Chamber Music series and has been Artistic Director of several chamber music projects at London's Wigmore hall. As concerto soloist, he has performed with many of the U K's major orchestras throughout Europe.

A number of composers have written works for him including David Matthews, Yves Prin, Vassili Lobanov and Philippe Hersant. The Lithuanian composer Vytautas Barkauskas dedicated his award-winning violin concerto "Jeux" to Philippe and wrote a double concerto Duo Concertante for him and violinist Nobuko Imai. Most recently Russian compose, Rodion Shchedrin has written a concerto for violin, trumpet and string orchestra, dedicated to Philippe.

Philippe has recorded the Ysaye sonatas, the complete Chausson chamber music, the tree Saint-Saëns violin concertos, a collection of rare French works for violin and orchestra and rare sonatas of Pierre de Breville and Joseph Canteloube for Hyperion. For Avie Records he made the world premiere recording of the ViolinConcerto of Afro-English composer Samuel Coleredge-Taylor and a recital disc of Debussy, Enesco and Ravel. In addition to his releases last year on Avie Records of Elgar's Violin Concerto and Chausson's Poème in original manuscript versions and on ASV Gold of the Miklos Rosza Sinfonia Concertante with Rapheal Wallfish, Graffin has recently released a double CD of Mozart duos and the Sinfonia Concertante with Nobuko Imai.

His performances included yours to Korea and Japan, a performance of Miklos Rosza's Sinfonia Concertante with Raphael Wallfish at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London and the Elgar Violin Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in a special 150th anniversary weekend. He continues to champion the Coleridge-Taylor Violin Concerto with a concert with The Philharmonia Orchestra in London to mark the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the U K and with the Orchestre Notional d'lle de France. 2007/8 also includes the U K premiere of Rodion Shchedrin's Concerto Parlando with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a concert in the Wigmore Hall's Grieg cenrenary celebrations and tours to Germany, Holland, Finland and France.

Philippe Graffin plays a Domenico Busano violin, made in Venice, 1730.

He is currently Artist in Residence at the University of New York at Stony Brook.

References

*cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/arts/music/15tull.html|title=A French Moment for the Piano – Music Review – Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center|last=Holland|first=Bernard|date=February 15, 2005|work=The New York Times|accessdate=2008-07-15
*cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9503E6DA103FF931A1575BC0A9629C8B63|title=MUSIC: CLASSICAL RECORDINGS; 'Of Mice and Men': It's Not Over Till The Slow Guy Sings|last=Kozinn|first=Allan|date=August 22, 2004|work=The New York Times|accessdate=2008-07-15
*cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-143461988.html|title=The Elgar enigma; His Violin Concerto is a standard of the repertoire, but it now seems that we haven't been hearing what the composer actually wrote. Jessica Duchen delves into a mystery.|last=Duchen|first=Jessica|date=March 21, 2006|work=The Independent (London, England)|publisher=Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.|accessdate=2008-07-16
*cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-27433356_ITM|title=Saint-Saens: Violin Concertos, all Philippe Graffin, BBC Scottish Symphony/ Martyn Brabbins.|date=January 1, 2000|work=American Record Guide|accessdate=2008-07-16

External links

* [http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/a.asp?a=A825&name=graffin Hyperion Records]