Rudolf Barshai

Who was Rudolf Barshai?

Rudolf Borisovich Barshai was a Soviet and Russian conductor and violist.

Barshai was born in Stanitsa Labinskaya, Krasnodar Krai, and studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Lev Tseitlin and Vadim Borisovsky. He performed as a soloist as well as together with Sviatoslav Richter, David Oistrakh, and as a member of a trio with Mstislav Rostropovich and Leonid Kogan. He won numerous Soviet and international competitions. He was the founding violist of the Borodin Quartet in 1945 and was a member until 1953. Later, he studied conducting under Ilya Musin in Leningrad Conservatory.

In 1955, Barshai founded the Moscow chamber orchestra, which he led and conducted until he emigrated to the West in 1977. He was the artistic director of the Israel Chamber Orchestra from 1976 to 1981. From 1981 until 1982 Barshai was principal conductor of Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Principal Guest Conductor of Orchestre National de France (National Orchestra of France)1985-1986. He was principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1988.

Barshai achieved fame as a musical interpreter and arranger of Shostakovich's and Prokofiev's music. He is particularly noted for his arrangement of Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 for chamber orchestra. In 2000, Barshai produced a completion of Mahler's Tenth Symphony, which was left unfinished at the composer's death. In addition, he has recorded a number of Shostakovich's works, among which was the widely praised world premiere recording of the composer's Fourteenth Symphony. Many of his recordings have earned critical acclaim and have won international awards: