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Product Description
CD Description
EMI Classics are proud to be able to present this 17-CD set of some of the finest recordings by David Oistrakh, one of the truly great violin virtuosi of the past 100 years. Like Nathan Milstein, five years before him, Oistrakh was born in Odessa in the Ukraine, on 30 September 1908, and grew up and was educated in what was soon to become the Soviet Union. In spite of this he was a frequest visitor to the West and, in his early years, took part in many of Europe's best-known instrumental competitions, winning first prize in many cases.
During World War II Oistrakh gave many concerts in his homeland: at the front, in factories and hospitals and in besieged Leningrad. Being an eager advocate of new music brought him into contact with most Soviet composers of the time and he befriended many of them. Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Miaskovsky, Khachaturian, Rakov and Vainberg all dedicated works to him, many of which were specially written for him.
Aside from his activities on the concert platform Oistrakh also taught many young and up-coming violinists amongst whom were Oleg Kagan, Gidon Kremer, Cyrus Forough and his own son, Igor Oistrakh.
After an immensely successful international career Oistrakh suffered a fatal heart attack whilst working with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam in 1974. His remains were returned to Moscow where he was interred in Moscow's famous Novodevichy Cemetery where, in 2007, Rostropovich was also buried. The asteroid '42516 Oistrakh' is named in honour of him and his son Igor.
Oistrakh was a prolific recording artist and left behind him a large legacy of incomparable recorded performances. Naturally, the majority of these recordings were made for Melodiya, the Soviet State recording company, but EMI Classics are privileged to have worked with Oistrakh in the studio more than any other record company in the West and these recordings are not only technically superior but are of immeasurable musical worth.
This unique set brings together for the first time all of Oistrakh's EMI recordings on 17 CDs. The collection includes most of the great works of the violin repertoire, both solo and concerto, and there are some fine examples of Oistrakh as a player of chamber music.
During World War II Oistrakh gave many concerts in his homeland: at the front, in factories and hospitals and in besieged Leningrad. Being an eager advocate of new music brought him into contact with most Soviet composers of the time and he befriended many of them. Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Miaskovsky, Khachaturian, Rakov and Vainberg all dedicated works to him, many of which were specially written for him.
Aside from his activities on the concert platform Oistrakh also taught many young and up-coming violinists amongst whom were Oleg Kagan, Gidon Kremer, Cyrus Forough and his own son, Igor Oistrakh.
After an immensely successful international career Oistrakh suffered a fatal heart attack whilst working with the Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam in 1974. His remains were returned to Moscow where he was interred in Moscow's famous Novodevichy Cemetery where, in 2007, Rostropovich was also buried. The asteroid '42516 Oistrakh' is named in honour of him and his son Igor.
Oistrakh was a prolific recording artist and left behind him a large legacy of incomparable recorded performances. Naturally, the majority of these recordings were made for Melodiya, the Soviet State recording company, but EMI Classics are privileged to have worked with Oistrakh in the studio more than any other record company in the West and these recordings are not only technically superior but are of immeasurable musical worth.
This unique set brings together for the first time all of Oistrakh's EMI recordings on 17 CDs. The collection includes most of the great works of the violin repertoire, both solo and concerto, and there are some fine examples of Oistrakh as a player of chamber music.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 41 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The recordings cover a 20 year or so recording period from the mid fifties and I was expecting to have to make allowances for their age. However, so good is EMI's remastering that one was rarely conscious of the vintage, even with the mono recordings. This may be partly because the recordings seem to focus, perhaps not entirely surprisingly, on the violin, so occasionally in the concertos the orchestra sounds distant if not actually on its on its way home; this means that the versions on these discs would not always be the only example you would want in your collection. But, for all that, what an extraordinary legacy it is.
My vocabulary does not stretch to describing violin tones so suffice it to say that Oistrakh played with a classical understated serenity conveying a sense of 'rightness' that makes many modern virtuosi sound mannered or intrusive.
I can't stop playing these discs even to the point of repeated listening to those works falling outside my rather conservative central European bias and to which I would not previously given the time of day. Revelatory is an over-used word in reviews but for me this collection has been that, even without allowing for the extraordinarily good value for money. If I could, I would give it 6 stars. Don't hesitate; buy it before EMI realise they have got their sums wrong.
My vocabulary does not stretch to describing violin tones so suffice it to say that Oistrakh played with a classical understated serenity conveying a sense of 'rightness' that makes many modern virtuosi sound mannered or intrusive.
I can't stop playing these discs even to the point of repeated listening to those works falling outside my rather conservative central European bias and to which I would not previously given the time of day. Revelatory is an over-used word in reviews but for me this collection has been that, even without allowing for the extraordinarily good value for money. If I could, I would give it 6 stars. Don't hesitate; buy it before EMI realise they have got their sums wrong.
57 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
What a wonderful collection - truly a definitive archive of one of the century's greatest artists. Oistrakh's combination of power and serenity, with that individual unmistakeable sound make this a must-have for anyone who enjoys listening to the violin. Even more so if you play - to hear just what the instrument is capable of. In particular, the accounts of the Beethoven and Brahms concertos are the finest I have ever heard. Recordings can be cold - you have to play a bit safe - but these recordings have all the magic of a live performance.
I had a number of these recordings on LP - if anything, the sound is better on these CDs and for the huge number of recordings - what a bargain.
I had a number of these recordings on LP - if anything, the sound is better on these CDs and for the huge number of recordings - what a bargain.
26 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Title says it all. Quality of playing and sound is good. A few works are repeated but with different orchestras/conductors. This allows some comparisons and encourages thought about interpretations, at least for me as someone musically uneducated. An amazing price. Can't go wrong.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Simply wonderful
I agree with the other reviews posted to date. These are wonderful performances by one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century and the recording quality is very good indeed... Read more
Published 4 months ago by K. Bates
Superb audiophile set
I will not say a word about the music because we all know what a genius David Oistrakh (and his old school partners) was. Read more
Published 6 months ago by V. T.
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