Proud of Our People! David Oistrakh, a musician from God.

David Oistrakh is one of the world-famous violinists born in Soviet Union. His musical legacy comprises nearly the entire standard violin repertoire up to and including Prokofiev and Bartok. This year marks the celebration of his 115th birth anniversary. Apart from being an exceptional violinist, he was a gifted teacher, a distinguished conductor, and a delightful viola player. 

David Oistrakh was born on September 30, 1908, in Odessa. His father was a clerk, and his mother was a chorister at the Odessa Opera House. Coming from a musical family, David Oistrakh devoted his entire life to music from his earliest years. "I was three and a half years old when my father brought home a toy fiddle," recalled the musician later. “Playing it, I imagined myself a street musician. At that time it seemed to me that there was no greater happiness than going around the with a violin. No one knew how jealous I was of the violinists, trumpeters, harmonica players, even charm players, who often visited Odessa courtyards. Sometimes I would stand with my toy violin in the middle of the courtyard and put some notes in front of me. I didn't understand anything about the notes then, but I would look at them for the sake of appearances. Surrounded by little kids, I diligently fiddled. The sounds extracted from the canary-yellow instrument seemed divine to me."

From the age of five David studied violin and viola privately with the famous Odessa teacher Pyotr Stolyarsky, the founder of the first specialized music school for gifted children in the USSR.

Oistrakh was not a prodigy. He did not perform solo concerts at an early age. From 1923 to 1926 he received higher musical education at the Odessa Conservatory, and only in 1928, at the age of 20, he gave his first recital. As a student, he showcased his talent by performing as a soloist and conducting with the Odessa Symphony Orchestra.

Oistrakh crossed paths with pianist Tamara Rotareva at on of the concerts. They were soon married. Concurrently, the budding musician embarked on his inaugural tour,  giving concerts in Kiev, Leningrad and Moscow. The young family decided to move to Moscow in 1928. 

While in Moscow, Oistrakh immersed himself in the teachings of eminent violin professors at the Moscow Conservatory such as Lev Tseytlin, Abram Yampolsky, and Konstantin Mostras. He also avidly attended performances by a myriad of Soviet and foreign musicians. While Oistrakh drew inspiration from various influences, he adeptly nurtured a unique and unparalleled talent of his own.

Oistrakh soon became a soloist with the Moscow Philharmonic. The 1930s marked a transformative period for David Oistrakh, witnessing his rise to all-Union and international recognition. He emerged victorious at the 2nd All-Union Competition of Performing Musicians in 1935, and in 1937 he achieved a resounding triumph at the Eugène Ysaÿe Competition in Brussels, organized by Dowager Queen Elizabeth of Belgium. This was a pivotal moment that solidified his reputation as a world-class violinist.

Distinguished US violinist Isaac Stern eloquently captured the impact of Oistrakh's performances: "Oistrakh gives the impression of a colossus on stage. He stands firmly on the ground, holds his violin proudly, and creates music that flows in an endless stream of beauty and grace."

In the midst of the Great Patriotic War, Oistrakh and his family were evacuated to Sverdlovsk, but by 1943 they had returned to Moscow. Throughout the war, the musician tirelessly performed, presenting concerts at mobilization stations, for the sailors of the Northern Fleet, and even in besieged Leningrad. In a remarkable instance, during one of his concerts, an enemy air raid occurred. Despite the danger, not a single member of the audience left the hall, and Oistrakh, undeterred, continued his performance.

In 1943 David Oistrakh was awarded the Stalin Prize of the first degree for his active concert activity during this difficult time for the country.

Oistrakh was truly a virtuoso violinist, effortlessly conquering technical challenges. His repertoire was vast, encompassing major works like concertos by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Shostakovich, and Prokofiev, as well as chamber pieces. Remarkably, he avoided repetition, consistently presenting fresh interpretations of familiar compositions. 

By the musician's own admission, he did not like to listen to his own recordings, so that they did not prevent him from experiencing and interpreting music in a new way. A number of works were written by leading contemporary composers especially for Oistrakh, such as Prokofiev's Violin Sonata and the violin concertos by Shostakovich and Khachaturian.

Post-war, Oistrakh continued his active concert schedule at an elevated level. In 1945, his performance of Bach's Double Concerto in Moscow, alongside the renowned American violinist Yehudi Menuhin, the first foreign performer to visit the USSR after the war, stirred immense public excitement.

After Stalin's death in 1953, the musician began to tour abroad. Serving as an ambassador for the Soviet school of music, he traversed Europe, North America, Australia, and Asia, showcasing his talent with the world's finest orchestras and commanding impressive fees for a Soviet musician. Despite his success, a significant portion of his earnings went to the state.

"When my father returned from yet another foreign trip and had to hand back the money he earned to the State Concert Committee," shared Oistrakh's son Igor, "my mother usually took on this task. However, on one occasion when she was unwell, my father decided to go himself to the accounting office. Peering through the window, he noticed a middle-aged woman engrossed in her work, paying no attention to him. My father politely inquired if he could receive the money he earned during his recent tour. The woman glanced at him and mumbled something like, 'Can't you see I'm busy? Wait!' For the next five minutes, my father observed the scores clicked (the computer age was yet to come). When the woman was ready to proceed with his royalties, my dad noted: "What a hard job you have...",  to which he received a memorable response: "You bet—it's not like playing the violin!"

The Soviet violin school blossomed in the epoch of David Oistrakh. Much credit for this goes to the musician himself. Gidon Kremer, Liana Isakadze, Valery Klimov, Oleg Kagan, Viktor Pikaizen, and many others—all stood as pupils under Oistrakh's influence. Following in his father's footsteps, Igor pursued the violin, studying alongside him at the Moscow Conservatory. The father-son duo graced the stage together on numerous occasions, showcasing a musical legacy gracefully transmitted through generations.

David Fedorovich's students often fondly recall Oistrakh as a lively and sympathetic man with a great sense of humor. In his class, he always fostered unique atmosphere of love and profound respect for the art of music.

He always worried about their carrier and motivated them to constantly grow, expanding both their life and musical horizons.

Oistrakh himself followed this advice all the time being a very versatile man. In true Odessa fashion, he had an appreciation for jokes, could spin a good one himself, engaged passionately in chess and tennis, cherished books, particularly those on art. He loved to drive around in Zhiguli car, and in general was interested in technical innovations.

It is known that Oistrakh was very fond of chess and became quite a strong chess player. Composer Sergei Prokofiev was his regular chess partner. The game between them for the prize of the Masters of Arts Club took place in Moscow in 1937. The game was very persistent, and in the end the victory went to David Oistrakh. 

For several decades David Oistrakh represented the Soviet stage to the world and was the face of the musical art of the Soviet Union. His almost "official" status in the realm of music granted him the freedom to travel globally and perform the repertoire of his choosing. But at the same time it imposed some restrictions: he was supposed to say only approved words, and the authorities constantly sought to use him for social and political campaigns.

In 1948, during another round of the "struggle against formalism", the works of Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Khachaturian and other composers were severely criticized from a high rostrum. Oistrakh made a compromise postponing the premiere of Shostakovitch’s First Violin Concerto for years in agreement with the composer. Nevertheless, the violinist continued to perform works by “discredited composers.”

Oistrakh showcased Sergei Prokofiev's First Sonata in 1949 in Budapest and Helsinki, followed by performances in 1951 during concerts in Italy. In a significant moment, he performed it in Moscow right after Stalin's death in March 1953. Additionally, from 1949 to 1953, Oistrakh consistently featured Aram Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in his programs across the Soviet Union and internationally. Notably, he played it multiple times under the direction of the composer himself.

Once after one of his concerts in London, Bernard Shaw sent Oistrakh a note. It said: "You play so inhumanly well that God may envy you, and you will die young." The humorous prophecy did not come true. The musician lived, though not so long (66 years), but a very rich life.

David Oistrakh died during a tour, a few hours after a concert of a heart attack, on October 24, 1974 in Amsterdam. He was buried in Moscow at the Novodevichy Cemetery. Almost half a century has passed since then, but the whole world still remembers Oistrakh and his music.