When violinist/violist Pinchas Zukerman emerged on the international scene in the 1960s, his relaxed playing seemed to epitomize the contemporary ideal of cool. Blessed with unusually supple hands and a supremely natural style, Zukerman created the deceptive impression that playing the violin was a breeze. Yet behind the charmed illusion of nonchalance lay a deeply serious musician with a captivating sound of beguiling clarity. Born in Tel Aviv in 1948, Zukerman had such exceptional ability that by just age 12 he became a student of the legendary Ivan Galamian at the Juilliard School in New York. A joint win with Korean violinist Kyung-Wha Chung at the 1967 Leventritt Competition led to a recording contract with CBS (mentor Isaac Stern’s record label), and concerts with the English Chamber Orchestra, directing Mozart concertos from the violin. Unusually for the time, Zukerman proved equally compelling, whether rejoicing in the virtuoso intricacies of the Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky concertos with respectively Leonard Bernstein and Antal Doráti on his debut album (CBS/Sony, rec. 1968), or turning inward alongside close friends, pianist Daniel Barenboim and cellist Jacqueline Du Pré, on Beethoven’s violin sonatas and piano trios (EMI/Warner, rec. 1969-70). More than 100 albums later, the wheel has come full circle as Zukerman passes on decades of accumulated wisdom to the next generation of players, demonstrating the same qualities of charm, humility, and profound insight that distinguish his playing.