Eduard Sõrmus

Julius Eduard Sõrmus ( German also: Soermus; born July 9, 1878 in Luunja; † August 16, 1940 in Moscow) was an Estonian violinist. As a convinced communist, he became involved in the labor movement and became known as the red violin.

Life

Sõrmus studied in Tartu history and philosophy and received his training at the Conservatory violinistic Petersburg. In 1901 he took part in the revolutionary movement and participated in the Russian Revolution of 1905, on the part of the revolutionaries in part. In 1904 he began a solo career, had to flee in 1906 from the Tsarist Russia and at first it took some concert tours through Northern Europe. Later he studied with Henri Marteau in Berlin and Lucien Capet in Paris. After concerts in several European countries, he worked in the 1920s, mainly in Germany.

Since 1921 Sõrmus occurred at a variety of solidarity events communist parties, the International Workers' Aid and the International Red Aid. Special commitment he showed for children's homes in Elgersburg and Worpswede.

Following a solidarity concert for the workers assistance to Russia in Magdeburg crystal palace, he was arrested by the German secret police on May 1, 1923. Here his valuable Vitaszek violin was destroyed. Students and teachers of the Leipzig Conservatory donated him a new precious violin. A 1975 at the Crystal Palace mounted, but now there no longer existing plaque recalled this incident.

On 31st July 1926 Soermus joined once again on the People's House of Weimar, where he was now forbidden to collect donations for the children of Soviet Russia. Also talk to the concert-goers the violinist had been prohibited - instead, his wife said.

In 1912, created by Marc Chagall Picture The violinist was inspired by the person Sõrmus.

The violin playing of Soermus ( " Immortal victims ", recorded in 1918 ) can be heard on the CD: Brothers, to the sun, to freedom. Music workers of the Weimar Republic in the original recordings. PLANS 88775, LC 0972nd

In many of his concerts he performed together with his wife, pianist Virginia Tchaikovsky Sõrmus.

Honor

The city of Zwickau named a street in his honor as Edward Soermus Street, which still bears that name. Also in Radebeul Soermusstraße bears his name.