André Navarra

André Navarra (born October 13, 1911 in Biarritz , † July 31, 1988 in Siena ) was a French cellist who, together with Pierre Fournier , Paul Tortelier and Maurice Gendron , shaped the great French cello tradition.

Life

Navarra was born the son of a double bass player of Italian descent and entered the class of his teacher ring iron at the Toulouse Conservatory at the age of nine . At the age of 13 he was awarded First Prize by the Toulouse Conservatory. In his youth he was considered an excellent middleweight boxer and swimmer. In 1926 he moved to Jules Loeb at the Paris Conservatory . Here, at the age of 15, he received the First Prize of the Paris Conservatory. From 1927 he was a member of the Kretly String Quartet for seven years.

In 1933 he joined the Orchester de l'Opera de Paris and played in concerts by the conductor Walter Straram (1876–1933), alongside conductors such as Arturo Toscanini , Bruno Walter and Wilhelm Furtwängler . In 1937 he won first prize at the first international cello competition in Vienna. As a soloist he gave concerts with the orchestras Pasdeloup and Lamoureux. First concerts on French radio followed , then in Austria , Poland and Italy.

From 1945 he was exclusively a soloist a. a. active with concerts in London , The Hague , Geneva , Rome and Berlin . The first performances of contemporary works dedicated to him followed in 1946: Cantilene Variee by Tony Aubin. - In 1949 he was appointed professor at the Conservatoire National Superieur in Paris to succeed Pierre Fournier . In 1952 he started his summer courses at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. The beginning of his recordings as a soloist dates back to 1959. He has twice received the Grand Prix du Disque . In 1965 he completed his first concert tour through the USA with the conductor Charles Münch . From 1967 he was professor at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold , 1968-1970 he gave courses at the Royal Academy of Music in London. In 1969 he made his first concert tour through the USSR . 1970–1973: Summer courses at the Maurice Ravel Summer Academy in Samt Jean de Luz. From 1973 until his death, Andre Navarra was also a visiting professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.

Navarre died on July 31, 1988 at the age of 76. He shaped numerous students, including Christoph Richter , Xenia Jankovic, Susanna Pflüger, Florian Kitt , Tadao Kataoka , Valentin Erben , Stephan Haack, Johannes Goritzki , Friedrich Sellheim , Tobias Kühne , Alexander Baillie , Roel Dieltiens, Martin Ostertag , Bernhard Gmelin , Walter Nothas , Rudolf Gleißner , Michael Veit, Marcio Carneiro, François Guye , Heinrich Schiff and Christophe Coin .

source

• Tobias Kühne: André Navarra and the mastery of the bow. Viennese conversations and memories of his students. Edited by Andrea Welker. Verlag Bibliothek der Provinz, Weitra 1998, ISBN 3-85252-136-X , (Edition Munich).