Christian Ferras

2025-04-09T23:29:16Z

72.74.53.181: /* Death */Less problematic phrase for death by suicide.

{{Short description|French violinist (1933–1982)}}
{{for|the pop singer|Ferras}}

'''Christian Ferras''' (17 June 1933 – 14 September 1982) was a French [[violin]]ist.

==Early years==
Ferras was born at [[Le Touquet]] in 1933.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Christian Ferras|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/849674-Christian-Ferras|access-date=2020-11-12|website=Discogs|language=en}}</ref> He began studying the violin with his father. He entered the [[Conservatory of Nice|Conservatoire de Nice]] as a student of Charles Bistesi in 1941, and in 1943 obtained the First Prize.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jisho.org: Japanese Dictionary|url=https://jisho.org/word/51869154d5dda7b2c601d2f7|access-date=2020-11-12|website=jisho.org}}</ref> In 1944 he went to the [[Conservatoire de Paris]]. In 1946 he won the First Prize in both disciplines (violin and chamber music), and started his performing career with the [[Pasdeloup Orchestra]] under [[Albert Wolff (conductor)|Albert Wolff]], and later [[Paul Paray]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2014-02-13|title=Joseph Keilberth And Christian Ferras Play Music Of Schubert, Berg And Bruckner – 1960 Salzburg Festival – Past Daily Mid-Week Concert|url=https://pastdaily.com/2014/02/12/joseph-keilberth-christian-ferras-play-music-schubert-berg-bruckner-1960-salzburg-festival-past-daily-mid-week-concert/|access-date=2020-11-18|website=Past Daily: News, History, Music And An Enormous Sound Archive.|language=en-US}}</ref> He worked with Romanian violinist and composer [[George Enescu]], who also acted as an instructor.<ref>{{Cite web|title=George Enescu|url=https://rhapsodyinwords.com/tag/george-enescu/|access-date=2020-11-26|website=rhap.so.dy in words|language=en}}</ref>

The Violin Concerto by [[Fred Elizalde|Federico Elizalde]] was premiered by [[Ginette Neveu]] in Paris in 1944,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pristineclassical.com/Covers/MA837.pdf |title=Pristine Classical |access-date=2011-04-03 |archive-date=2011-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718161119/http://www.pristineclassical.com/Covers/MA837.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> but Christian Ferras gave its London premiere under the direction of [[Gaston Poulet]], in the presence of the composer,<ref>[http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/January%201948/25/780596/ELIZ+kLDE+Jazz%E2%80%94what+of+the+future+++wrote+Fred+Elizalde+in+THE+GRAMOPHONE+in+1929.+Three+years+later+he+was+still+looking+ahead+recording+his+impression+of+what+might+happen+in+1933Much+has+happened+to+Fred+Ehizalde+since+those+days.+He+has+fought+for+the+Caudillo+in+Spain,+written+an+opera+on+the+life+of+Gaugin,+a+puppet+opera+with+Lorca,+four+symphonic+poems,+a+piano+concerto+and+a+violin+concerto.+It+was+this+last+work+that+brought+him+back+to+London+last+month.+After+an+initial+performance+by+Ginette+Neveu,+the+concerto+was+given+its+London+premiere+by+the+boy+prodigy+Christian+Ferras+with+the+L.S.O.+under+Gaston+Poulet+at+the+Central+Hall+in+the+presence+of+the+composer.+It+is+a+romantic+work,+varied+in+style,+and+if+it+is+hardly+a+candidate+for+the+1.5CM.+it+might+well+commend+itself+to+violinists+wanting+a+change+from+the+standard+repertory.+As+Decca+announce+that+Christian+Ferras+and+Gaston+Poulet+are+under+contract,+perhaps+we+shall+have+the+work+on+records+to+go+on+those+same+shelves+where+the+old,+yet+ever+new,+Elizalde+records+of+Savoy+days+rest,+when+they+are+not+being+played+to+show+the+younger+generation+what+jazz+once+was.+It+is+ave+Federico,+even+if+it+is+sale+Fred.+R.W. Gramophone, January 1948]</ref><ref>[http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page/May%201948/21/853818/ Gramophone, May 1948]</ref> and made the world premiere recording on 7 November 1947, at the age of 14. In 1948 Ferras won First Prize at the international [[Scheveningen]] Festival; [[Yehudi Menuhin]] was among the judges. He premiered [[Arthur Honegger]]'s [[Sonata]] for Solo Violin in the [[Gaveau|Salle Gaveau]] on 16 November 1948. The next year, he won the second prize (the first prize was not awarded) in the international [[Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition|Marguerite Long-Jacques Thibaud Competition]]. It was there that he met [[Pierre Barbizet]], with whom he formed one of the most famous partnerships in the history of piano-violin collaboration. In 1950 he, along with [[Jean-Pierre Rampal]] and George Enescu, recorded various works by [[Johann Sebastian Bach|J.S. Bach]]. It was at this point that his career took off when he was invited by [[Karl Böhm]] to play with the [[Berlin Philharmonic]]<ref>Christian Ferras plays Beethoven and Berg Violin Concertos [https://www.audite.de/en/product/CD/95590-christian_ferras_plays_beethoven_and_berg_violin_concertos.htm Audite:]</ref> in 1951. He subsequently gave a series of concerts in, amongst other places, [[Japan]] and [[South America]].<ref>[http://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010988338:mpeg21:p001''Christian Ferras: van de muzen begenadigd''], Amigoe Di Curaçao, 21 November 1956, Curaçao.</ref>

==Later career==
In 1952, he premiered both [[Claude Pascal]]'s violin sonata, and (with Pierre Barbizet), he premiered Double Concerto by Ivan Semenoff. In 1954, he recorded [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s [[Violin Concerto (Brahms)|Violin Concerto]] with [[Carl Schuricht]]. 1959 was a year in which Ferras rose to real prominence: he began his career in the [[United States]] by playing Brahms's concerto under [[Charles Munch (conductor)|Charles Munch]]; recorded Bach's [[Concerto for Two Violins (Bach)|Double Concerto]] with Yehudi Menuhin; played at the [[Prades Festival]] with [[Pablo Casals]] and [[Wilhelm Kempff]]; and premiered Gyula Bando's Violin Concerto.<ref>Bando: Concerto hongrois pour violon et orchestre (1958)[https://app.idagio.com/de/albums/bando-concerto-hongrois-pour-violon-et-orchestre IDAGIO]</ref>

In 1960 he premiered [[Serge Nigg]]'s Concerto, which the composer is said to have written "for the violin and not without the violin". In 1965 he enjoyed a much acclaimed tour through Southern Africa with accompanist Jean-Clause Ambrosini.
<ref>[http://classicalmusicianstoza.blogspot.ca/2014/06/christian-ferras-french-violinist.html Profile], classicalmusicianstoza.blogspot.ca, June 2014; accessed 10 January 2016.</ref>

Ferras made many recordings with EMI, including
* [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Beethoven's violin sonatas|sonatas for violin and piano]] with [[Pierre Barbizet]] (1958)
* [[Alban Berg|Berg]]'s [[Kammerkonzert (Berg)|Chamber Concerto]] and his [[Violin Concerto (Berg)|Violin Concerto]] 'To the Memory of an Angel'.

He went on in 1964 to record the Brahms Concerto with [[Herbert von Karajan]] for the [[Deutsche Grammophon]] label, and then the concertos of [[Jean Sibelius|Sibelius]], [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]], Beethoven and Bach, which are the recordings for which he is most admired. He continued to make recordings with Deutsche Grammophon: with Barbizet, the violin sonatas of Brahms, [[Robert Schumann|Schumann]], [[César Franck|Franck]] and [[Guillaume Lekeu|Lekeu]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Christian Ferras Plays Sonatas of Schumann, Brahms, Franck, Lekeu|url=https://www.amazon.com/Christian-Ferras-Sonatas-Schumann-Brahms/dp/B001P4KG0O|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209002903/http://www.amazon.com:80/Christian-Ferras-Sonatas-Schumann-Brahms/dp/B001P4KG0O |archive-date=2014-12-09 |access-date=2020-11-20|website=www.amazon.com}}</ref>

==Awards/honours==
Ferras's 1965 Deutsche Grammophon recording of the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic won both the Grand Prix du Disque and Edison Prize.<ref>DDG Supplement Billboard May 4, 1968</ref> In 1975, he was awarded recognition by the Conservatoire de Paris for his works, and retired from regular public performance for health reasons. He returned to playing in Paris on 9 March 1982 with [[Alain Lefèvre]] and then on 6 May with Pierre Barbizet. He gave his last concert in [[Vichy]] on 25 August 1982.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Christian Ferras: The Complete HMV & Telefunken Recordings {{!}} CD {{!}} Warner 9029576308|url=https://www.radiotimescds.com/classical/134571/Christian_Ferras:_The_Complete_HMV_and_Telefunken_Recordings.htm|access-date=2020-11-20|website=www.radiotimescds.com}}</ref>

==Death==
Christian Ferras struggled with severe lifelong [[Major depressive disorder|depression]]. He died by suicide in Paris on 14 September 1982, aged 49.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Channel|first=The Violin|date=2020-09-14|title=ON THIS DAY {{!}} French Violinist Christian Ferras Died On This Day in 1982|url=https://theviolinchannel.com/violinist-christian-ferras-died-on-this-day-1982/|access-date=2020-11-20|website=The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009.|language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190609151409/http://associationferras.com/ "Les Amis de Christian Ferras"] (in French); accessed 25 February 2016.

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferras, Christian}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:1982 suicides]]
[[Category:20th-century French violinists]]
[[Category:20th-century French male musicians]]
[[Category:French male classical violinists]]
[[Category:Conservatoire de Paris alumni]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris]]
[[Category:Deutsche Grammophon artists]]
[[Category:Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition prize-winners]]
[[Category:Suicides in Paris]]
[[Category:People from Le Touquet]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]

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Christian Ferras