Szigeti, Josef

views updated

Szigeti, Josef (b Budapest, 1892; d Lucerne, 1973). Hung.-born violinist (Amer. cit. 1951). Début Berlin 1905. London début 1907, living there until 1913 and giving f.p. of Harty's vn. conc. 1909. Taught at Geneva Cons. 1917–24. Salzburg Fest. 1922 (Mozart conc. K218, cond. R. Strauss). Settled in USA 1926 after NY début with Philadelphia Orch. 1925 (Beethoven conc.). Wide repertory from Bach to modern composers such as Prokofiev, Bartók, and Bloch, whose conc. he championed. Retired to Switz. 1960. Wrote cadenzas and made many transcriptions for vn. and pf., including one of Elgar's Serenade for pf. (1932).