concert Igor and David Oistrakh perform Bach, Mozart and Brahms London, 1960-1963

A Summit Meeting in London: David Oïstrakh, his son Igor, Colin Davis and Yehudi Menuhin…

He was King David. And this title was deserved: David Oïstrakh was kingly. The most fabulous violinist of the 20th century was born in Odessa in 1908. He started to work at his instrument with Piotr Stoliarski, who also taught his son Igor. Very soon, the rumour of his talent spread throughout the USSR even reaching beyond the borders that were sealed at the time. He received First Prize at the Eugène Ysaye Competition in Belgium. His playing reconciles the irreconcilable: it is Dionysian and Apollonian at the same time, firmly rooted in the ground and as light as air, virtuoso without exhibitionism... How can one define his intense, warm, powerful sound? Although he excels in the Russian repertoire, he is as happy playing all other repertoires, from the classic to the contemporary. His artistry inspires Shostakovich who writes for him the two masterpieces of the Concertos for Violin, Prokofiev who composes for him the Sonatas for Violin and Piano n°1 and 2, and Miaskovski; Khatchaturian...