Bach and Immigration…
Sixty years ago, in October, 1951, my family and I got off a ship in New York harbor after a long ocean journey from France. We were all seasick, so it was good to be on solid ground again…
My parents had decided that there was a promising future in the US, and so we left our earlier home in Jerusalem for a new home in America.
We settled in Brooklyn, where my uncle, Dr. Arnold Fischer, was a physician. Very soon my sister and I were attending Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, and my mother located a local symphony orchestra and she encouraged me to try out for a position in the violin section.
I had never previously played with an orchestra, but I loved the violin and had played the instrument since age 7. To this day I recall the many wonderful compositions we performed as an amateur orchestra in Brooklyn. Our conductor was a former Oboe player under Toscanini.
After several months of orchestral experience I had an opportunity to participate in a public concert and to perform the concerto for two violins by Johann Sebastian Bach. The first violin part was played by none other than my father, who was a terrific violinist, but kept his playing strictly as a hobby. I still remember that event…
In those days, the most popular violinist of the day was David Oistrakh, a Russian violinist who became known in the west, as well.
This DVD preserves the genius and wonderful musical interpretations of David Oistrakh. He and his son, Igor, perform the Bach Double Concerto on this DVD.
David Oistrakh Performs:
• Bach: Concerto for two violins
• Mozart: Sinfonia concertante
• Brahms: Violin Concerto
Here are David and Igor Oistrakh in Bach’s Double Concerto, second movement
And here is David Oistrakh in Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor
Tags: Bach, David Oistrakh, Igor Oistrakh