Jascha Heifetz

This book traces Jascha Heifetz's little-known upbringing and the events and experiences that shaped him. It explores his meteoric rise in the Russian music world from his first violin lessons with his father, to his studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with the well-known pedagogue Leopold Auer, to his tours throughout Russia and Europe. Spotlighting Auer's close-knit circle of musicians, this book uncovers the lives of artists in Russia's 'Silver Age' - an explosion of artistic activity amid the rapid social and political changes of the early 20th century.--From book jacket.