# Rudolf Barshai has died



## World Violist

On Nov. 2nd, 2010, Rudolf Barshai passed away. A master violist, he was a founding member of the Borodin Quartet. He was also a great conductor and arranger/orchestrator: apart from orchestrating several of Shostakovich's string quartets for string orchestra, he also contributed a performing edition of the Mahler 10th and recorded it, and also recorded a complete cycle of Shostakovich's symphonies which is considered by many to be the finest ever recorded. Interestingly, he also recorded the complete Shostakovich string quartets with the Borodin quartet.

I was rather saddened to hear about this, especially considering that he was going strong right up until the end, apparently finishing an arrangement of the Art of Fugue.


----------



## Sid James

Yes, he was definitely one of the greatest musicians of the C20th. Another great ensemble that he was at the helm of was the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, from the 1950's to about the '70's. I have a cd with them playing Bartok's _Divertimento_ & two of Vivaldi's _L'Estro Armonico _concertos, and they are very fine performances, imo. Another work that he arranged for string orchestra was Prokofiev's _Visions Fugitives_, originally a piano work. He was a man of many talents and will surely be missed...


----------



## Delicious Manager

Andre said:


> Another great ensemble that he was at the helm of was the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, from the 1950's to about the '70's. I have a cd with them playing Bartok's _Divertimento_ & two of Vivaldi's _L'Estro Armonico _concertos, and they are very fine performances, imo.


Interestingly, Barshai was not only 'at the helm' of the magnificent Moscow Chamber Orchestra (their recordings of Mozart symphonies are fantastic), he actually founded it in 1956 and it was the first (and, for some time, the ONLY) independent orchestra in the former USSR. I was fortunate enough to work with Barshai on several occasions. He was a quiet, unassuming man, a consummate musician and a great orchestral trainer. Perhaps he wasn't the most exciting, dynamic of the Russian conductors, but his performances were always thoroughly thought through and beautifully crafted. His set of Shostakovich symphonies on Brilliant Classics must simply be one of the great bargains of all time.

I never liked the arrangements of the Shostakovich quartets. As a quartet musician himself, I was always surprised he made them. The quartet is such a unique, intimate medium (especially in Shostakovich's case), that I think the pieces lose something in their expansion for larger forces.

His edition of Mahler's 10th Symphony (the most recent realisation, I think) is superb and well work getting. Also on Brilliant Classics, it comes in a 2-CD set which also includes one of the best Mahler 5s on disc.


----------

