Ivry Gitlis was born in Haifa, Israel, in 1922. He took up the violin at age five and began concertizing at nine years old. With the help of virtuoso Bronislau Hubermann, he attended the National Conservatory in Paris, and his subsequent teachers included George Enescu, Jacques Thibaud, and Carl Flesch. He lived in England during the War and, after time spent as a factory worker, joined the British Army, where he was assigned to help entertain troops by giving recitals. He made his postwar debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and subsequently performed with all of the ...