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Beginning in 1963, when he was seventeen, Hirshhorn was no longer studying in Riga but in Leningrad. Initially he was accepted into the final year of the study program at the specialized music school, and from there he entered the Conservatory. Of course, at this time...
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“In the summer of 1965, Hirshhorn officially succeeded,” writes Leonid Girshovich, “passing through the selection process in Moscow for the competition in Genoa.”  Eyewitnesses tell us that at the auditions you had to play the First Concerto...
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May 1967. Brussels. The Queen Elisabeth Competition. “First Prize: the Russian violinist Philippe Hirshhorn, 20 years old,” writes the press. “With blinding virtuosity, he performed the Etude in the Form of a Waltz by Saint-Saens and the First...
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The first post-competition concert which Hirshhorn gave in Leningrad was arranged in such a way that in the choice of each of the works a certain twist was indicated. The newly minted laureate could fill both parts of the concert with virtuoso music given that his...
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The tragicomic event occurred when, following his arrival on tour in Sochi, Hirshhorn did not appear at his own concert, as was later explained, because they did not send a car to pick him up at his hotel. Even to this day, this story is told and retold in many...