David Oistrakh
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David Fiodorovich Oistrakh (Russian: Давид Фёдорович Ойстрах; September 30, 1908 – October 24, 1974) was a Soviet Ukrainian violinist who made many recordings, and was the dedicatee of numerous violin works. His recordings and performances of Shostakovich's violin concerti are particularly well known, but he was also a performer of classical concerti. He worked with orchestras in Russia, and also with musicians in Europe and the United States. Another famous recording is the one he made of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Sviatoslav Richter and Mstislav Rostropovich. Aram Khachaturian's violin concerto is dedicated to him.
Oistrakh received his first and only training from the violin pedagogue Pyotyr Stolyarsky. Contrary to popular belief, Oistrakh was not a born virtuoso. He actually started by playing viola in the Conservatoire orchestra. Only a couple months later he rose to the level of soloist and made his debut playing the Bach A minor concerto with the orchestra. A year later, he made his debut as a solo recitalist. He toured Russia for the next two years, and finally made his Leningrad debut on the Tchaikovsky violin concerto.
In 1936 Oistrakh won second prize at the Wieniawski Competition, losing to the 15 year old Ginette Neveu. This further dispels the myth that Oistrakh was a born virtuoso. He finally made a mark on the international scene by capturing top prize in the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Oistrakh's career was set from this point, except for one small hitch - the Soviet Union was ulta-protective of its people and refused to let him leave. He continued to teach in the Moscow Conservatory, but when Russia went to war against Hitler, he went to the front lines and played for all the troops to keep morale up.
Oistrakh was also a well respected pedagogue, who spent his formidable years on the faculty of the Moscow Conservatory among such greats as Yuri Yankelevich and Boris Goldstein.
David Oistrakh was the father of violinist Igor Oistrakh. The two made numerous recordings together.
He passed away while in Amsterdam in 1974. His remains were returned to Moscow where he was interred in Novodevichy Cemetery.
External links
- Discography (http://www.oistrakh.com/discographie_geffen.html)da:David Oistrakh
de:David Fjodorowitsch Oistrach fr:David Oïstrakh hu:David Ojsztrah ru:Ойстрах, Давид Фёдорович sv:David Ojstrach