David Oïstrakh
David Oistrakh is considered the premiere violinist of mid-20th century Soviet Union. His recorded legacy includes nearly the entire standard violin repertory up to and including Prokofiev and Bartók. Oistrakh's violin studies began in 1913 with famed teacher Pyotr Stolyarsky. Later he officially joined Stolyarsky's class at the Odessa Conservatory, graduating in 1926 by playing Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto. Performances of the Glazunov concerto in Odessa and Kiev in 1927, and a 1928 debut in Leningrad (Tchaikovsky concerto), gave Oistrakh the confidence to move to Moscow. He made his premiere there in early 1929, but the event went largely unnoticed. In 1934, however, after several years of patiently refining his craft, Oistrakh was invited to join the Moscow Conservatory, eventually rising to the rank of full professor in 1939. Meanwhile, Oistrakh was gaining success on the competition circuit, winning the 1930 All-Ukrainian contest, and the All-Soviet competition three years later. In 1935 he took second prize at the Wieniawski competition. In 1937 the Soviet government sent the now veteran violinist to Brussels to compete in the International Ysaÿe Competition, where he took home first prize. With his victory in Brussels, Soviet composers began to take notice of their young compatriot, enabling Oistrakh to work closely with Myaskovsky and Khachaturian on their concertos in 1939 and 1940, respectively. In addition, his close friendship with Shostakovich led the composer to write two concertos for the instrument (the first of which Oistrakh played at his, and its, triumphant American premiere in 1955). During the 1940s Oistrakh's active performing schedule took him across the Soviet Union but his international career had to wait until the 1950s, when the political climate had cooled enough for Soviet artists to be welcomed in the capitals of the West. The remaining decades of Oistrakh's life were devoted to maintaining the highest possible standards of excellence throughout an exhausting touring schedule (he returned to the U.S. six times in the 1960s), and he began a small but successful sideline career as an orchestral conductor. His death came suddenly in Amsterdam in 1974, during a cycle of Brahms concerts in which he both played and conducted. Oistrakh's unexpected death left a void in the Soviet musical world which was never really filled. Throughout his career David Oistrakh was known for his honest, warm personality; he developed close friendships with many of the leading musicians of the day. His violin technique was virtually flawless, though he never allowed purely physical matters to dominate his musical performances. He always demanded of himself (and his students) that musical proficiency, intelligence, and emotion be in balance, regardless of the particular style. Oistrakh felt that a violinist's essence was communicated through clever and subtle use of the bow, and not through overly expressive use of vibrato. To this end he developed a remarkably relaxed, flexible right arm technique, capable of producing the most delicate expressive nuances, but equally capable of generating great volume and projection. As a teacher, David Oistrakh maintained that a teacher should do no more than necessary to help guide the student toward his or her own solutions to technical and interpretive difficulties. He rarely played during lessons, fearing that he might distract the student from developing a more individual approach, and even encouraged his students to challenge his interpretations. Perhaps the best evidence of the Oistrakh's gift for teaching is that he felt that he gained as much from the teaching experience as his students did.© TiVo Read more
David Oistrakh is considered the premiere violinist of mid-20th century Soviet Union. His recorded legacy includes nearly the entire standard violin repertory up to and including Prokofiev and Bartók. Oistrakh's violin studies began in 1913 with famed teacher Pyotr Stolyarsky. Later he officially joined Stolyarsky's class at the Odessa Conservatory, graduating in 1926 by playing Prokofiev's First Violin Concerto. Performances of the Glazunov concerto in Odessa and Kiev in 1927, and a 1928 debut in Leningrad (Tchaikovsky concerto), gave Oistrakh the confidence to move to Moscow. He made his premiere there in early 1929, but the event went largely unnoticed. In 1934, however, after several years of patiently refining his craft, Oistrakh was invited to join the Moscow Conservatory, eventually rising to the rank of full professor in 1939.
Meanwhile, Oistrakh was gaining success on the competition circuit, winning the 1930 All-Ukrainian contest, and the All-Soviet competition three years later. In 1935 he took second prize at the Wieniawski competition. In 1937 the Soviet government sent the now veteran violinist to Brussels to compete in the International Ysaÿe Competition, where he took home first prize.
With his victory in Brussels, Soviet composers began to take notice of their young compatriot, enabling Oistrakh to work closely with Myaskovsky and Khachaturian on their concertos in 1939 and 1940, respectively. In addition, his close friendship with Shostakovich led the composer to write two concertos for the instrument (the first of which Oistrakh played at his, and its, triumphant American premiere in 1955). During the 1940s Oistrakh's active performing schedule took him across the Soviet Union but his international career had to wait until the 1950s, when the political climate had cooled enough for Soviet artists to be welcomed in the capitals of the West.
The remaining decades of Oistrakh's life were devoted to maintaining the highest possible standards of excellence throughout an exhausting touring schedule (he returned to the U.S. six times in the 1960s), and he began a small but successful sideline career as an orchestral conductor. His death came suddenly in Amsterdam in 1974, during a cycle of Brahms concerts in which he both played and conducted. Oistrakh's unexpected death left a void in the Soviet musical world which was never really filled.
Throughout his career David Oistrakh was known for his honest, warm personality; he developed close friendships with many of the leading musicians of the day. His violin technique was virtually flawless, though he never allowed purely physical matters to dominate his musical performances. He always demanded of himself (and his students) that musical proficiency, intelligence, and emotion be in balance, regardless of the particular style. Oistrakh felt that a violinist's essence was communicated through clever and subtle use of the bow, and not through overly expressive use of vibrato. To this end he developed a remarkably relaxed, flexible right arm technique, capable of producing the most delicate expressive nuances, but equally capable of generating great volume and projection.
As a teacher, David Oistrakh maintained that a teacher should do no more than necessary to help guide the student toward his or her own solutions to technical and interpretive difficulties. He rarely played during lessons, fearing that he might distract the student from developing a more individual approach, and even encouraged his students to challenge his interpretations. Perhaps the best evidence of the Oistrakh's gift for teaching is that he felt that he gained as much from the teaching experience as his students did.
© TiVo
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Beethoven: Violin Concerto, Op. 61
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1959
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto - Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto, Humoresques Op. 87 Nos. 1 & 2
David Oïstrakh
Concertos - Released by Praga Digitals on 1 Feb 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Violin Concertos & Violin Romances
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 20 Feb 1995
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Ludwig van Beethoven: Triple Concerto & Violin Concerto
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Praga Digitals on 1 Jul 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn & Mozart: Violin Concertos (Remastered)
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on 16 Apr 1956
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043 - Vivaldi: Concerto for 2 Violins in A Minor, RV 522 (Bonus: Franck: Violin Sonata)
David Oïstrakh
Symphonies - Released by Berlin Classics on 30 Sep 2016
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach, J.S.: Violin Concertos BWV 1041-1043
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 1 Jan 1962
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 99
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mendelssohn : Concerto pour violon, Trio Op. 49 & Canzonetta (Diapason n°567)
David Oïstrakh
Symphonic Music - Released by Les Indispensables de Diapason on 28 Sep 2008
Diapason d'or16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Violin Concertos & Sinfonia concertante for Violin and Viola
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Op. 56
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 25 Nov 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms : Violin Concerto in D/Violin Sonata No.3 in D minor
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 15 Feb 2003
Diapason d'orThis isn't the transcendent recording of Brahms' Violin Sonata in D minor by David Oistrakh. That was the 1968 live recording with Sviatoslav Richter, ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Violin Recital: Oistrakh, David - MOZART, W.A. / SCHUBERT, F. / BEETHOVEN, L. van (The Last Recital with Paul Badura-Skoda) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Franz Schubert - Ludwig van Beethoven)
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Genuin on 1 Jan 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 by David Oistrakh
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Alexandre Bak - Classical Music Reference Recording on 30 Dec 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Brahms: Violin Concerto, Op. 77
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Jan 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bruch: Concerto pour violon, Op. 26 - Prokofiev: Concerto pour violon, Op. 19 (Mono Version)
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by BnF Collection on 1 Jan 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart & Shostakovich: Violin Concertos
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Orfeo on 27 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante/Bruch: Scottish Fantasia; Hindemith: Violin Concerto
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on 1 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Prokofiev : Violin Concertos 1 & 2, Violin Sonata No. 2
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on 1 Aug 2004
Diapason d'orWhile it is true that violinist David Oistrakh made earlier recordings of Prokofiev's Violin Concertos in the USSR, for most Westerners his '50s recor ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
David Oistrach - Violin Concertos
David Oïstrakh
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 20 Feb 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Johannes Brahms: The Violin Sonatas
David Oïstrakh
Chamber Music - Released by Praga Digitals on 1 Jan 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo