Russian-born Rudolf Barshai (1924-2010) was possibly the most famous viola player of all time. He performed as a soloist and in chamber groups with Shostakovich, Richter, Oistrakh and Rostropovich and later with Kogan and Gilels. He won numerous Soviet and international competitions.

He was the founding violist of the Borodin Quartet in 1945 and was a member until 1953.

In 1955, Barshai formed and led the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, a superb ensemble, which soon became internationally famous until he emigrated to the West in 1977. He was the artistic director of the Israel Chamber Orchestra from 1977 to 1981.

Barshai was music director of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (1981-1982), principal guest conductor of Orchestre National de France (1985-86) and music director of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (1982-88).

In addition, Barshai achieved fame as a musical interpreter and arranger of Shostakovich's and Prokofiev's music as well as a pioneer of the composer Alexander Lokshin. He was particularly noted for his arrangement of Shostakovich's String Quartet No.8 for chamber orchestra and recorded a number of Shostakovich's works, including the world premiere recording of the composer's Fourteenth Symphony in 1969.

In 2000, Barshai produced a completion of Mahler's Tenth Symphony. Many of his recordings have earned critical acclaim and have won international awards in including the 1988 Gramophone Award, as well as awards for the complete Shostakovich Symphonies.

Artists

Rudolf Barshai (viola), Vladimir Shraibman (piano), Semyon Stuchevsky (piano), Alexander Korneev (flute), Olga Erdeli (harp), Rudolf Barshai (viola/direction), Tatyana Nikolayeva (piano), Leonid Kogan (violin), Mstislav Rostropovich (cello), Emil Gilels (piano), Rostislav Dubinsky (violin), Nina Barshai (violin), Valentin Berlinsky (cello), Dmitri Shostakovich (piano), Julian Sitkovetsky (violin), Anton Sharoev (violin), Yakov Slobodkin (cello), Elizaveta Gilels (violin), Heinrich Talalyan (viola), Sviatoslav Knushevitsky (cello), Alla Vasilieva (cello), Andrei Abramenkova, Boris Kun'ev & Leonid Polees (violins), Evgeny Smirnov (violin), Naum Zaidel (flute), David Oistrakh (violin), Zara Dolukhanova (soprano), Yevgeny Nesterenko (bass), Sir Thomas Allen (baritone), Elena Prokina (soprano)

Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Great Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of Germany, Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Ensemble Resonanz der Jungen Deutschen Philharmonie, National Symphony Orchestra Taipei, Bath Festival Chamber Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, NSO String Ensemble, Nikolai Anosov