Violinist David Oistrakh studied violin as a child with Stoliarsky in Odessa, making his debut there at the age of 6, and then continued his studies with Stoliarsky at the Odessa Conservatory (1923-26); then appeared as soloist in Glazunov’s Violin Concerto under the composer’s direction in Kiev in 1927.
In 1928 he went to Moscow and in 1934 he was appointed to the faculty of the Conservatory. His name attracted universal attention in 1937 when he won first prize at the Ysaÿe Competition in Brussels, in which 68 violinists from 21 countries took part.
Oistrakh died while on a visit to Amsterdam as a guest conductor with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Oistrakh’s playing was marked, apart from a phenomenal technique, by stylistic fidelity to works by different composers of different historical periods. Soviet composers profited by his advice as to technical problems of violin playing; he collaborated with Prokofiev in making an arrangement for violin and piano of his Flute Sonata. A whole generation of Soviet violinists numbered among his pupils, first and foremost his son, Igor Oistrakh.
Listen now to David Oistrakh as he performs the sonata by Debussy.
