Mehr lesen
Alongside Fritz Kreisler, Jascha Heifetz, Nathan Milstein and Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh is universally recognised not only as one of the few truly great violinists of the 20th century and as one of music's most striking personalities. As a result of the political situation of the time, and in particular of Stalinism and the Second World War, Oistrakh's career in the West developed relatively late. It was not until 1953 that he began to make regular appearances in the West, by which time he was already 45 years old, although his legendary reputation had already made him the subject of endless speculation throughout the Western musical world. His first proper international tours instantly confirmed the legend and from then until his death in Amsterdam in 1974 he pursued a varied career both in the concert hall, as soloist and conductor, and as a teacher. His genius as a musician inspired numerous composers to write for him - one thinks of sonatas and concertos by Prokofiev, Khachaturian and Shostakovich, among others, which he not only premiered but continued to perform all over the world. Oistrakh grew up in exceptionally troubled circumstances (he was born in Odessa in 1908) and was largely self-taught as a violinist, yet he became the true founder and undisputed master of the Soviet school of violinplaying, the most prestigious school of our times. Last but not least, Bruno Monsaingeon, the renowned film-maker, brings David Oistrakh's genius to life.
David Oistrakh