David Oistrakh experienced a public humiliation when Prokofiev, after hearing him play, sat at the piano and demonstrated how the piece should be played.
Performer Biography
As a child, David Oistrakh would cut his violin strings and bow hairs on Friday evenings to avoid practicing, guaranteeing himself a free weekend.
Performer Biography
David Oistrakh used several Stradivari violins throughout his career, including the 1690 'Yussupov', the 'Havemann', the 'Fontana', and the 1705 'Marsick'.
Performer Biography
David Oistrakh's teacher, Pyotr Stolyarsky, was an Odessa character who had given up playing violin at the Opera to become a pedagogue.
Composer Biography
Zara Levina, a pianist-composer whose 1928 First Sonata is featured, was a close contemporary of David Oistrakh and known to him from Odessa and Moscow.
Performer Biography
David Oistrakh, born David Kolker in Odessa in 1908, took his stepfather's name; his stepfather was a violinist who also sold sunflower seeds.
Interpretation
David Oistrakh aimed for a 'middle path' in interpreting Bach's works, avoiding both overly strict and overly emotional approaches.
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