Goldberg Szymon, *1 June 1909 in Włocławek, †19 July 1993 in Toyama (Japan), Polish violinist and conductor. He initially studied in Włocławek, then with Mieczysław Michałowicz at the conservatory in Warsaw. In 1917, he began studying with C. Flesch in Berlin. He made his debut in Warsaw in 1921; three years later, he caused a sensation with his performance in Berlin, playing concerts by Bach and Paganini. From 1925, he was concertmaster of the Dresdner Philharmonie, and from 1929 – the Berliner Philharmoniker. During his stay in Berlin, he also played in the Hindemith’s Trio. In 1934, he left for London, and in 1938 he moved to the United States. While performing in Java in 1942, he was interned by the Japanese. After World War II, he gave concerts in South America, Australia, and South Africa. From 1951 to 1965, he was associated with the festival in Aspen, Colorado, where he gave master classes in violin playing and chamber music and founded the Festival Quartet. In 1953, he became a US citizen, but from 1969 he lived in London. In 1955, he founded the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, making a name for himself as a high-class conductor. Goldberg excelled in the stylish interpretation of 18th-century music. His violin playing was striking for its purity of intonation, lack of any mannerisms, and aversion to virtuosity; his interpretations were dominated by clarity and logical structure. From his earliest years, he was an avid chamber musician. The breadth of Goldberg’s repertoire is evidenced by his numerous recordings, which include violin sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, trios by Haydn, Beethoven, and Hindemith, and violin concertos by Bach, Haydn, and Mozart. (Columbia, Decca, Philips, RCA Victor.)
