David Oistrakh

One of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, David Oïstrakh was born in Odessa on September 20, 1908 and died in Amsterdam on October 24, 1974. He achieved international renown after winning the prestigious Eugène Ysaÿe Competition, later to become the Queen Elisabeth Competition of Belgium, in 1937. Well-known in the Soviet Union, where he was trained from an early age by Piotr Stoliarski, he attracted growing attention for his ease in tackling all repertoires, from Bach to Bartok and Glazunov. In 1939 and 1940, Miaskovsky and Khachaturian dedicated works to him, as did his friend Shostakovich and later Prokofiev. However, because of the ruling powers, he had to wait until the 1950s to perform in Europe and the United States, where his legendary recordings are now available. Also a renowned violist, David Oïstrakh began his conducting career in 1959, and died during a series of concerts in Amsterdam at the age of 66. His heir is Igor Oistrakh (b. 1931), who enjoys a brilliant solo career. His finest interpretations are archived, depending on the label, in the compilations The Great Recordings (2008) and The David Oistrakh Edition (2016).