AM 298-40: Violin Studio Class

Artur Grumiaux - esp. for unaccompanied Bach, Mozart sonatas, Beethoven Concerto, and 19th Century showpiece concerti

Nathan Milstein

Henryk Szering - great articulation of voices in unaccompanied Bach

David Oistrakh - "humanity"

Leonid Kogan - "preternatural icy perfection!"

Michael Rabin - prodigy

Gil Shaham

Stephanie Sant'Ambrosio - listen to the Brahms sonatas

Rachel Barton Pine

Hilary Hahn

Over its five centuries of history, the violin has attracted some of classical music's most virtuosic and flamboyant soloists — even the Devil, they say, plays the violin. With hundreds of truly great violinists to chose from, picking a top 20 can only be a matter of personal taste. Ariane Todes, violinist and former editor of The Strad, has selected her current favorites. Who would be on your list?

Joshua Bell (b.1967)
Giuliano Carmignola (b.1951)
James Ehnes (b.1976)
Ivry Gitlis (b.1922)
Stéphane Grappelli (1908-1997)
Ida Haendel (b.1928)
Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987)
Bronisław Huberman (1882-1947)
Janine Jansen (b.1978)
Leonidas Kavakos (b.1967)
Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)
Gidon Kremer (b.1947)
Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999)
Viktoria Mullova (b.1959)
Ginette Neveu (1919-1949)
David Oistrakh (1908-1974)
Itzhak Perlman (b.1945)
Gil Shaham (b.1971)
Joseph Szigeti (1892-1973)
Pinchas Zukerman (b.1948)