The violinist was known for his razor sharp technique and silken tone
New York-born violinist David Nadien has died at the age of 88. A student of Adolfo Betti, Ivan Galamian and Adolf Busch, he served as concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic from 1966 to 1970 under Leonard Bernstein. He had in fact made his solo debut with the orchestra many years earlier, at the age of 14.
Renowned for his perfect technique and sight-reading skills, Nadien gave technical guidance to both David Oistrakh and Yehudi Menuhin, who sought his advice. He forged a successful career as a studio musician, and recorded the concertos of Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Glazunov, as well as a number of violin showpieces. He also recorded extensively for the Suzuki Violin School.
Nadien was a teacher as well and served on the faculty of the Mannes College of Music for many years.
Listen to him performing Sarasate's Introduction et Tarantelle below:
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