Igor Davidovich Oistrakh (; April 1931 – 14 August 2021) was a Soviet and Russian violinist. He was described by ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

'' as "noted for his lean, modernist interpretations".

Life and career

Oistrakh was born in

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

, to a Jewish family. the son of Tamara Rotareva and the violinist

David Oistrakh David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (; – 24 October 1974) was a Soviet Russian violinist, List of violists, violist, and Conducting, conductor. He was also Professor at the Moscow Conservatory, People's Artist of the USSR (1953), and Laureate of the ...

. He began studying violin with Valeria Merenbloom at age 6, though his main teacher was his father. In 1943, the 12-year-old Oistrakh enrolled in the Central Music School, Moscow, studying with

Pyotr Stolyarsky Pyotr Solomonovich Stolyarsky (; 29 April 1944) was a Soviet violinist and eminent pedagogue, honored as People's Artist of UkSSR (Ukrainian SSR) (1939). He was a member of CPSU (Communist Party of the Soviet Union) from 1939. Biography St ...

who had taught both his father and

Nathan Milstein Nathan Mironovich Milstein ( – December 21, 1992) was a Russian and American virtuoso violinist. Widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time, Milstein was known for his interpretations of Bach's solo violin works and for wo ...

. He made his concert debut in 1948; the next year he won the International Violin Competition in Budapest and enrolled in the

Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

. He won the

Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition The International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition ( Polish: ''Międzynarodowy Konkurs Skrzypcowy im. Henryka Wieniawskiego'') is a competition for violinists up to age 30 that takes place every five years in Poznań, Poland, in honor of the v ...

in 1952 and graduated from Moscow Conservatory in 1955. He then joined the faculty of the Conservatory in 1958, becoming a lecturer in 1965. Beginning in 1996, Oistrakh held the post of Professor of the Royal Conservatory in Brussels. Oistrakh appeared frequently internationally, both as a soloist and in joint recitals with his father, or with his father conducting. His wife Natalya Zertsalova is a pianist and has performed with him. Their son, Valery, is an active violinist. On 14 August 2021, Oistrakh died at age 90; however, media generally reported this on 1 September 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oistrakh, Igor 1931 births 2021 deaths Ukrainian classical violinists Musicians from Odesa Soviet classical violinists Russian male classical violinists Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition prize-winners Moscow Conservatory alumni Academic staff of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels Jewish classical violinists 21st-century Russian classical violinists 20th-century male musicians 21st-century male musicians Jewish Ukrainian musicians Soviet conductors (music) 20th-century Russian conductors (music) Odesa Jews Russian classical musicians Academic staff of Moscow Conservatory Russian Jews Soviet Jews Soviet music educators Russian music educators Belgian music educators Honored Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery