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.
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Showpieces
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jan 1, 1956
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 - Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major
David Oïstrakh, French National Radio Orchestra, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Regis Records on Jan 1, 2010
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David Oistrakh - Concertos and Encores
David Oïstrakh, Vladimir Yampolsky, USSR State Symphony Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Jan 1, 2008
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Bach: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1-6, BWVV 1014-1019
Chamber Music - Released by Archipel on Jun 3, 2022
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Brahms: Violin Concerto, Op. 77
David Oïstrakh, The Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jul 17, 2020
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Debussy/Ravel/Ysaÿe: Violin Sonatas/Prokofiev: 5 Mélodies
Classical - Released by Decca Music Group Ltd. on Jan 1, 1966
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Igor Stravinsky: Violin Concerto, Pulcinella Suite, Jeu de Cartes, Movements
David Oïstrakh, Bernard Haitink, Otto Klemperer, Igor Stravinsky, Margrit Weber, Ferenc Fricsay
Symphonies - Released by Praga Digitals on Jun 1, 2016
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The Very Best of David Oistrakh
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 6, 2012
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Khachaturian: Violin Concerto, Taneyev: Suite de concert
David Oïstrakh, Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Aug 7, 2006
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Beethoven: Violin Concerto [2011 - Remaster] (2011 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 9, 2012
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Shostakovich & Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos
Classical - Released by Sony Classical on Jan 1, 1956
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Brahms: Double Concerto - Violin Concerto [2011 - Remaster] (2011 - Remaster) (2011 Remastered Version)
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jul 13, 2012
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Brahms: Double Concerto - Beethoven: Triple Concerto
David Oïstrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter
Classical - Released by Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga Musica on Jan 1, 1969
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
David Oistrach: Tchaikovsky / Brahms - Concierto para Violín y Orquesta en Re Mayor Op. 35 y Op. 77
Classical - Released by Classic Themes on Apr 20, 2004
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David Oistrakh in Prague [Bartók, Janáček, Ysaÿe, Prokofiev, Ravel]
Chamber Music - Released by Praga Digitals on Dec 1, 2015
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Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 4 & 5, Violin Sonata No. 32, K. 454
Classical - Released by Musical Concepts on Apr 21, 2023
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Listening to David Oistrakh
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on Sep 23, 2022
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Beethoven: Violin Sonatas Nos. 5 & 9
David Oïstrakh, Lev Oborin, Vladimir Yampolsky
Chamber Music - Released by Archipel on Dec 10, 2021
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Brahms: Double Concerto
David Oïstrakh, Mstislav Rostropovich, The Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Mar 24, 2017
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Bach Sonatas BWV 1014-1019
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on Dec 2, 2016
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Tchaikovsky & Sibelius Violin Concertos
David Oïstrakh, Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Classical - Released by Musical Concepts on Dec 22, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo