David Oistrakh is one of the major violinists of the last century. His playing was noticed, apart from a marvelous technique, by stylistic accuracy to the music of different eras.
David was born in Odessa (Ukraine) in 1908. His father was an accountant and amateur fiddler, while his mother sang in the operatic chorus. David made his first public performance at the age of 12, playing a Beethoven concerto for an audience that included Serge Prokofiev.
In the years before his health began to decline, Oistrakh gave recitals in all the major music centres and played with most progressive orchestras in the world. His recordings of the concertos and sonatas are regarded amid the treasures of the sound recording era. His fame was built on playing the music of Brahms, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky, but he wasn't just another interpreter: Oistrakh developed a great relaxed and versatile right arm technique for generating perfect sound volume and projection.
Throughout his career, David Oistrakh was known for his warm personality, having cultivated friendships with many prominent musicians of his time.