Yuri Bashmet
Encyclopedia
Yuri Abramovich Bashmet is a Russian conductor and violist
.
Direct patrilineal descendant of Besht.
in the family of Abram Borisovich Bashmet and Maya Zinovyeva Bashmet (nee Krichever). "Father's mother, Tsilya Efimovna, studied singing at the conservatory for two years in her youth. Mother's mother, Darya Axentyevna, interpreted wonderfully her native Huzul songs" (http://yanko.lib.ru/books/music/bashmet_vokzal_mechtu.htm#_Toc34416664).
In 1971, he graduated from the Lviv
secondary special music school. From 1971 till 1976, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory
. His first viola teacher was Professor Vadim Borisovsky
; after whose death in 1972 was succeeded by Professor Fyodor Druzhinin
. Druzhinin was also the tutor of Yuri Bashmet for the probation period and for his postgraduate study at the Moscow Conservatory (1976–1978).
In 1972, Bashmet purchased a 1758 viola made by Milan
ese luthier
Paolo Testore
, which he uses for his performances to date. When he was a student, he was granted the Second Award at the International Contest of Violists in Budapest (1975) and Grand Prix at the ARD International Music Competition
in Munich (1976), attaining worldwide recognition.
In the late 1970s – early 1980s, Bashmet developed his career as a solo performer. He began his active concert activities in 1976, with a tour of Germany with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra founded by R. Barshay. He has performed in leading concert halls the world over: in Europe, USA, Canada, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. He was the first violist to perform a solo recital in such halls as New York
's Carnegie Hall
, the Amsterdam
Concertgebouw
, the Barbican
in London, the Berlin Philharmonic, La Scala
of Milan
, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, and the Great Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic.
Yuri Bashmet has performed under many noted conductors, including Rafael Kubelík
, Mstislav Rostropovich
, Seiji Ozawa
, Valery Gergiev
, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
, Colin Davis
, John Eliot Gardiner
, Yehudi Menuhin
, Charles Édouard Dutoit
, Neville Marriner
, Paul Sacher
, Michael Tilson Thomas
, Kurt Masur
, Bernard Haitink
, Kent Nagano
, Simon Rattle
, Yuri Temirkanov
, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt
.
He started his conducting activity in 1985, consistent with his reputation as a bold contemporary artist not afraid of taking risks.
In 1992, Bashmet reconstituted the orchestra featuring some of the most talented young musicians of Russia who are graduates and postgraduate students of the Moscow Conservatory
. This orchestra performs in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and has toured extensively abroad. Its performances have been recorded for broadcast by major radio companies, including the BBC
, Bayerischer Rundfunk
, Radio France
, and Radio Luxembourg
.
The orchestra has recorded several CDs, among these a recording of the Alfred Schnittke
Triple Concerto (ЕМI Records), soloists: Gidon Kremer
, Yuri Bashmet and Mstislav Rostropovich
. Another CD, of the Thirteenth String Quartet by Shostakovich
and the quintet by Brahms
(Sony
Classics), was acclaimed "Best Album of 1998" by The Strad
magazine, and was nominated for a Grammy Award
.
As a soloist and a conductor, Bashmet has performed with leading symphony orchestras: Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin Symphony, New York Philharmonic
, Вауrische Rundfunk, San Francisco Symphony
, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic, French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Paris Orchestra, etc. Repertoire with these orchestras has included the symphonic works of Brahms, Haydn, Schubert, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven. A particularly noted concert at the Bolshoi Theatre
in Moscow featured Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13.
Bashmet has performed recitals, as well as his joint performances together with noted musicians including Mstislav Rostropovich
, Gidon Kremer
, Sviatoslav Richter
, Isaac Stern
, Anne-Sophie Mutter
, Martha Argerich
, Mischa Maisky
, M. Portal, Shlomo Mintz
, Oleg Kagan
, Roberto Carnevale
, Viktor Tretiakov
, and Maria João Pires
.
Of particular note were Bashmet's performances in collaboration with Sviatoslav Richter, two performers of different generations but with common artistic views. They performed together at the "December Evenings" festival in the Pushkin museum in Moscow, as well as on world tours. Another of Bashmet's longstanding artistic friendships, personal and in performance, is with Mstislav Rostropovich.
Numerous modern composers have composed works especially for Yuri Bashmet or dedicated to him, including 50 viola concertos and other works: A. Schnittke - "Concerto", "Monologue"; S. Gubaidullina - "Concerto", E. Denisov -"Concerto", D. Tavener - "The Myth Bearer"; M. Pletnev – "Concerto", A. Golovin - "Sonata-breve". A. Raskatov - "Sonata"; G. Kancheli - "Liturgy " and "Styx"; A. Tchaikovsky – two "Concertos"; Barkauskas - "Concert", A. Eshpay - "Concert"; P. Ruders - "Concerto". A. Schnittke - "Concerto for three" (dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich, Yuri Bashmet, Gidon Kremer), and many other. Yuri Bashmet has transcribed the "String Trio" by A. Schnittke for string orchestra; this work was issued by "Sikorsky" (Vienna) under the name "Trio - Sonata").
Particular works for which Bashmet is known include "Chakona by J.S. Bach, Sonata "Arpeggioni" by F. Schubert, Symphonia Concertante for violin and viola by W. Mozart, Viola Sonata by D. Shostakovich, and the Concerto for viola and orchestra by A. Schnittke.
Yuri Bashmet has participated in many festivals al over the world: Tanglewood (USA), Bordeaux, Biarritz, Menton (France), Brussels, Kainuu, Mikkeli (Finland), Kroyt (Germany), Siena, Sorrento, Camerino, Streza (Italy), and "March Music Lias" (Ruse, Bulgaria). He is an Artistic director and one of the organizers of the festivals in Rolandsek (Germany), Tur (France) and Elba Island (Italy). He is a regular participant of the Promenade-Concerts in Albert-Hall (London, UK). The highest appraisal of Bashmet's talent was his appointment to the position of the art director of the "December evenings" music festival in Moscow, a position held for 17 years by Sviatoslav Richter.
Yuri Bashmet is a founder and a Jury Chairman of the International Contest of Violists in Moscow, the only event of its kind in Russia. He is the President of the L. Tertis International Contest of Violists in Great Britain, the member of Jury for the violists’ contests in Munich and "Maurice Vie" in Paris.
Bashmet has won acclaim with music critics on the international scene. Quotation from the German press: "the first violist of the world" - Yuri Bashmet. "...His perfect interpretation and the brilliance of sound he can be compared only to David Oistrakh..."
Cinema and TV broadcasting companies of different countries (Great Britain, France, Russia) have filmed several movies about his art. Several times his CDs won prestigious European awards, including the "Diapason d’or" and "Choc".
Bashmet's artistry has won recognition in various awards and regalia in Russia and abroad. He has been granted the high titles of the Honorary Artist of RSFSR (1983), Honorary Artist of the USSR (1991), State Award of the USSR (1986), State Awards of the Russian Federation (1994 and 1996), Аward-1993 "Best Musical Instrument Performer of the Year" (a title comparable to the "Oscar" in cinema). Yuri Bashmet is an Honorary Academician of the London Academy of Arts.
In 1995, he was awarded one of the most prestigious awards in the world, of the "Sonnings Musikfond" in Copenhagen. Previous recipients include Igor Stravinsky
, Leonard Bernstein
, Benjamin Britten
, Yehudi Menuhin
, Isaac Stern
, Arthur Rubinstein
, Dmitri Shostakovich
, Mstislav Rostropovich
, Sviatoslav Richter
, and Gidon Kremer
.
In 1999, by the Act of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of France, Yuri Bashmet was granted the rank of the Officer of Arts and Literature. In the same time the Prime Minister of Lithuania marked his invaluable impact to the Art by granting Bashmet the highest honor of the Republic of Lithuania; in 2000 the President of Italy granted him an honor "For Contribution to Motherland", and in 2002, the president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin presented him the honor "For Contribution to Motherland", 3rd grade. In 2003, Yuri Bashmet was granted the rank of Commander of the French Légion d'honneur
.
In 2000, the Russian Biographic Society granted Yuri Bashmet the honorary title "The Man of the Year", in 2001 – "Zealot of the Enlightenment". In 2003, Bashmet has become the laureate of the "Olympus" National Award.
Since 1978, Yuri Bashmet teaches students of the Moscow Conservatoire; at first at the position of docent (since 1988), now he is a professor of the Moscow Conservatoire (since 1996).
Since 1980, Yuri Bashmet conducts master classes in Japan, Europe, USA, and Hong Kong. He teaches at the summer courses in the music academies of Kidzhan (Siena, Italy) and Tours (France). His students have won many of the international contests and now are performing in orchestras worldwide.
In 1996, he created and heads the "Experimental Chair of Viola", where in addition to the works of solo viola repertoire, the curriculum includes extended studies of the viola parts in the chamber, operatic and symphonic music, as well as advanced study of the performance styles of the past and the present time.
Yuri Bashmet leads national education projects, as a presenter and art director of the TV programs The Station of Dream and Music in the Museums of the World.
Yuri Bashmet has participated in many large-scale charity actions of the international importance, in Carnegie Hall (with Elton John
and Stevie Wonder
), in London (in the memory of Princess Diana); in the concerts, whose proceeds were transferred to the funds aimed to help the victims of the natural disasters in Armenia, Japan, and to the funds helping handicapped children.
The International Charity Fund, established by Yuri Bashmet, has established the Shostakovich International Award for outstanding achievements in the field of the international art. This award was granted to Gidon Kremer, Thomas Quasthoff, Victor Tretyakov, Valery Gergiev, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Olga Borodina, Irina Antonova, Natalia Gutman, and Evgeny Kissin.
Its impact into the peacemaking activities can hardly be overestimated.
. Afterwards the musicians of the orchestra decided to stay in France; a decision untenable for Bashmet himself, who was committed contractually to return to Russia. He consequently resigned his position with the Orchestra, while inviting the musicians to return to Russia with him. Soon after that the Orchestra disbanded, and its members have joined other ensembles abroad.
Bashmet re-established the Moscow Soloists after returning to Moscow with new musicians http://www.goldbergweb.com/en/interpreters/orchestras/10756.php.
Violist
-Notable violists:A* Julia Rebekka Adler * Sir Hugh Allen , conductor* Kris Allen * Johann Andreas Amon * Paul Angerer , composer* Steven Ansell * Atar Arad * Cecil Aronowitz...
.
Direct patrilineal descendant of Besht.
Biography
Yuri Bashmet was born on 24 January 1953 in Rostov-on-DonRostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
in the family of Abram Borisovich Bashmet and Maya Zinovyeva Bashmet (nee Krichever). "Father's mother, Tsilya Efimovna, studied singing at the conservatory for two years in her youth. Mother's mother, Darya Axentyevna, interpreted wonderfully her native Huzul songs" (http://yanko.lib.ru/books/music/bashmet_vokzal_mechtu.htm#_Toc34416664).
In 1971, he graduated from the Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
secondary special music school. From 1971 till 1976, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
. His first viola teacher was Professor Vadim Borisovsky
Vadim Borisovsky
Vadim Vasilyevich Borisovsky was a Russian violist.Born in Moscow, Borisovsky entered Moscow Conservatory in 1917 studying the violin with Mikhail Press. A year later, on the advice of violist Vladimir Bakaleinikov, Borisovsky turned his attentions to the viola. He studied with Bakaleinikov and...
; after whose death in 1972 was succeeded by Professor Fyodor Druzhinin
Fyodor Druzhinin
Fyodor Serafimovich Druzhinin, also Fedor, was a Russian violist, composer and music teacher.Druzhinin studied viola at the Moscow Central Music School with Nikolai Sokolov and at the Moscow Conservatory with Vadim Borisovsky . In 1957, he won first place at the All-Union Competition of...
. Druzhinin was also the tutor of Yuri Bashmet for the probation period and for his postgraduate study at the Moscow Conservatory (1976–1978).
In 1972, Bashmet purchased a 1758 viola made by Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
ese luthier
Luthier
A luthier is someone who makes or repairs lutes and other string instruments. In the United States, the term is used interchangeably with a term for the specialty of each maker, such as violinmaker, guitar maker, lute maker, etc...
Paolo Testore
Carlo Giuseppe Testore
Carlo Giuseppe Testore was an Italian luthier, who worked in his later life in Milan. He was born at Novara.Testore, a student of Giovanni Grancino's, went to Milan in 1687 and had his workshop at the sign of the eagle in the Contrada larga...
, which he uses for his performances to date. When he was a student, he was granted the Second Award at the International Contest of Violists in Budapest (1975) and Grand Prix at the ARD International Music Competition
ARD International Music Competition
The ARD International Music Competition is the largest international classical music competition in Germany. It is held once a year in Munich.-History:...
in Munich (1976), attaining worldwide recognition.
In the late 1970s – early 1980s, Bashmet developed his career as a solo performer. He began his active concert activities in 1976, with a tour of Germany with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra founded by R. Barshay. He has performed in leading concert halls the world over: in Europe, USA, Canada, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. He was the first violist to perform a solo recital in such halls as New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, the Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
Concertgebouw
Concertgebouw
The Concertgebouw is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" literally translates into English as "concert building"...
, the Barbican
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
in London, the Berlin Philharmonic, La Scala
La Scala
La Scala , is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala...
of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, and the Great Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic.
Yuri Bashmet has performed under many noted conductors, including Rafael Kubelík
Rafael Kubelík
Rafael Jeroným Kubelík was a Czech conductor and composer.-Early life:Kubelík was born in Býchory, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, today's Czech Republic. He was the sixth child of the Bohemian violinist Jan Kubelík, whom the younger Kubelík described as "a kind of god to me." His mother was a Hungarian...
, Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
, Seiji Ozawa
Seiji Ozawa
is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
, Valery Gergiev
Valery Gergiev
Valery Abisalovich Gergiev is a Russian conductor and opera company director. He is general director and artistic director of the Mariinsky Theatre, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and artistic director of the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg.- Early life :Gergiev,...
, Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Gennady Rozhdestvensky
Gennady Nikolayevich Rozhdestvensky is a Russian conductor.-Biography:Rozhdestvensky was born in Moscow. His parents were the noted conductor and pedagogue Nikolai Anosov and soprano Natalya Rozhdestvenskaya...
, Colin Davis
Colin Davis
Sir Colin Rex Davis, CH, CBE is an English conductor. His repertoire is broad, but among the composers with whom he is particularly associated are Mozart, Berlioz, Elgar, Sibelius, Stravinsky and Tippett....
, John Eliot Gardiner
John Eliot Gardiner
Sir John Eliot Gardiner CBE FKC is an English conductor. He founded the Monteverdi Choir , the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique...
, Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
, Charles Édouard Dutoit
Charles Dutoit
Charles Édouard Dutoit, is a Swiss conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of French and Russian 20th century music...
, Neville Marriner
Neville Marriner
Sir Neville Marriner is an English conductor and violinist.-Biography:Marriner was born in Lincoln and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He played the violin in the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Martin String Quartet and London Symphony Orchestra, playing with the...
, Paul Sacher
Paul Sacher
Paul Sacher was a Swiss conductor, patron and impresario.-Biography:He studied under Felix Weingartner, among others. In 1926 he founded the Basel Chamber Orchestra to play works written before the classical period and modern works...
, Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas
Michael Tilson Thomas is an American conductor, pianist and composer. He is currently music director of the San Francisco Symphony, and artistic director of the New World Symphony Orchestra.-Early years:...
, Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...
, Bernard Haitink
Bernard Haitink
Bernard Johan Herman Haitink, CH, KBE is a Dutch conductor and violinist.- Early life :Haitink was born in Amsterdam, the son of Willem Haitink and Anna Haitink. He studied music at the conservatoire in Amsterdam...
, Kent Nagano
Kent Nagano
__FORCETOC__Kent George Nagano is an American conductor and opera administrator. He is currently the music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Bavarian State Opera.-Biography:...
, Simon Rattle
Simon Rattle
Sir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE is an English conductor. He rose to international prominence as conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and since 2002 has been principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic ....
, Yuri Temirkanov
Yuri Temirkanov
Yuri Khatuevich Temirkanov is a Russian conductor of Circassian origin.Yuri Temirkanov has been the Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic since 1988.-Early life:...
, and Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Nikolaus Harnoncourt is an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music from the Classical era and earlier. Starting out as a classical cellist, he founded his own period instrument ensemble in the 1950s, and became a pioneer of the Early Music movement...
.
He started his conducting activity in 1985, consistent with his reputation as a bold contemporary artist not afraid of taking risks.
In 1992, Bashmet reconstituted the orchestra featuring some of the most talented young musicians of Russia who are graduates and postgraduate students of the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
. This orchestra performs in the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory and has toured extensively abroad. Its performances have been recorded for broadcast by major radio companies, including the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk [Bavarian Broadcasting] is the public broadcasting authority for the German Freistaat of Bavaria, with its main offices located in Munich. BR is a member of ARD.- Legal foundation :...
, Radio France
Radio France
Radio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...
, and Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (French)
Radio Luxembourg - 1933-1939 and 1951- is the name of a Long Wave commercial radio station that began broadcasting from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1933 as a daytime and evening service in the French language from Monday to Saturday and until 12 Noon on Sundays.The station closed down at the...
.
The orchestra has recorded several CDs, among these a recording of the Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke
Alfred Schnittke ; November 24, 1934 – August 3, 1998) was a Russian and Soviet composer. Schnittke's early music shows the strong influence of Dmitri Shostakovich. He developed a polystylistic technique in works such as the epic First Symphony and First Concerto Grosso...
Triple Concerto (ЕМI Records), soloists: Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer is a Latvian violinist and conductor. In 1980 he left the USSR and settled in Germany.-Biography:Kremer was born in Riga to parents of German-Jewish and Latvian-Swedish origins. He began playing the violin at the age of four, receiving instruction from his father and his grandfather,...
, Yuri Bashmet and Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
. Another CD, of the Thirteenth String Quartet by Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
and the quintet by Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
(Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
Classics), was acclaimed "Best Album of 1998" by The Strad
The Strad (magazine)
The Strad is a monthly classical music magazine about string instruments, including cellists, violinists, and violists.The magazine offers practical advice on technique, profiles of leading performers, master classes by some of the great teachers in the world and the craft of instrument making such...
magazine, and was nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
.
As a soloist and a conductor, Bashmet has performed with leading symphony orchestras: Berlin Philharmonic, Berlin Symphony, New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, Вауrische Rundfunk, San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Vienna Philharmonic, French Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Paris Orchestra, etc. Repertoire with these orchestras has included the symphonic works of Brahms, Haydn, Schubert, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven. A particularly noted concert at the Bolshoi Theatre
Bolshoi Theatre
The Bolshoi Theatre is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds performances of ballet and opera. The Bolshoi Ballet and Bolshoi Opera are amongst the oldest and most renowned ballet and opera companies in the world...
in Moscow featured Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13.
Bashmet has performed recitals, as well as his joint performances together with noted musicians including Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
, Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer is a Latvian violinist and conductor. In 1980 he left the USSR and settled in Germany.-Biography:Kremer was born in Riga to parents of German-Jewish and Latvian-Swedish origins. He began playing the violin at the age of four, receiving instruction from his father and his grandfather,...
, Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
, Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...
, Anne-Sophie Mutter
Anne-Sophie Mutter
Anne-Sophie Mutter is a German violinist.- Early life :Mutter was born in Rheinfelden, Germany. She began playing the piano at age five, and shortly afterwards took up the violin, studying with Erna Honigberger, a pupil of Carl Flesch...
, Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich is an Argentine pianist.-Early life:Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and started playing the piano at age three...
, Mischa Maisky
Mischa Maisky
Mischa Maisky is a Latvian cellist.Maisky began studies at the Leningrad Conservatory and later with Mstislav Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatory whilst pursuing a concert career throughout the Soviet Union. In 1966 he won 6th Prize at the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition. In 1970,...
, M. Portal, Shlomo Mintz
Shlomo Mintz
Shlomo Mintz is an Israeli violin virtuoso, violist and conductor. He regularly appears with orchestras and conductors on the international scene and is heard in recitals and chamber music concerts around the world.- Awards :...
, Oleg Kagan
Oleg Kagan
Oleg Moiseyevich Kagan was a Soviet violinist, known for his chamber partnerships with the likes of pianist Sviatoslav Richter and cellist Natalia Gutman. He was also a significant proponent of modern music, in particular Berg's Violin Concerto...
, Roberto Carnevale
Roberto Carnevale
Roberto Carnevale is an Italian composer, pianist and conductor.- Biography and career :Born in Catania, he started studying piano at the age of seven. He took a degree in Arts at the University of Catania and he attended the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena...
, Viktor Tretiakov
Viktor Tretiakov
Viktor Tretiakov is a Russian violinist and conductor. Other spellings of his name are Victor, Tretyakov and Tretjakov.-Biography:...
, and Maria João Pires
Maria João Pires
-Musical studies:Her first recital was at the age of five, and at the age of seven she was already playing Mozart Piano Concertos publicly. Two years later she received Portugal's top prize for young musicians. In the following years, she studied with Professor Campos Coelho at the Lisbon...
.
Of particular note were Bashmet's performances in collaboration with Sviatoslav Richter, two performers of different generations but with common artistic views. They performed together at the "December Evenings" festival in the Pushkin museum in Moscow, as well as on world tours. Another of Bashmet's longstanding artistic friendships, personal and in performance, is with Mstislav Rostropovich.
Numerous modern composers have composed works especially for Yuri Bashmet or dedicated to him, including 50 viola concertos and other works: A. Schnittke - "Concerto", "Monologue"; S. Gubaidullina - "Concerto", E. Denisov -"Concerto", D. Tavener - "The Myth Bearer"; M. Pletnev – "Concerto", A. Golovin - "Sonata-breve". A. Raskatov - "Sonata"; G. Kancheli - "Liturgy " and "Styx"; A. Tchaikovsky – two "Concertos"; Barkauskas - "Concert", A. Eshpay - "Concert"; P. Ruders - "Concerto". A. Schnittke - "Concerto for three" (dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich, Yuri Bashmet, Gidon Kremer), and many other. Yuri Bashmet has transcribed the "String Trio" by A. Schnittke for string orchestra; this work was issued by "Sikorsky" (Vienna) under the name "Trio - Sonata").
Particular works for which Bashmet is known include "Chakona by J.S. Bach, Sonata "Arpeggioni" by F. Schubert, Symphonia Concertante for violin and viola by W. Mozart, Viola Sonata by D. Shostakovich, and the Concerto for viola and orchestra by A. Schnittke.
Yuri Bashmet has participated in many festivals al over the world: Tanglewood (USA), Bordeaux, Biarritz, Menton (France), Brussels, Kainuu, Mikkeli (Finland), Kroyt (Germany), Siena, Sorrento, Camerino, Streza (Italy), and "March Music Lias" (Ruse, Bulgaria). He is an Artistic director and one of the organizers of the festivals in Rolandsek (Germany), Tur (France) and Elba Island (Italy). He is a regular participant of the Promenade-Concerts in Albert-Hall (London, UK). The highest appraisal of Bashmet's talent was his appointment to the position of the art director of the "December evenings" music festival in Moscow, a position held for 17 years by Sviatoslav Richter.
Yuri Bashmet is a founder and a Jury Chairman of the International Contest of Violists in Moscow, the only event of its kind in Russia. He is the President of the L. Tertis International Contest of Violists in Great Britain, the member of Jury for the violists’ contests in Munich and "Maurice Vie" in Paris.
Bashmet has won acclaim with music critics on the international scene. Quotation from the German press: "the first violist of the world" - Yuri Bashmet. "...His perfect interpretation and the brilliance of sound he can be compared only to David Oistrakh..."
Cinema and TV broadcasting companies of different countries (Great Britain, France, Russia) have filmed several movies about his art. Several times his CDs won prestigious European awards, including the "Diapason d’or" and "Choc".
Bashmet's artistry has won recognition in various awards and regalia in Russia and abroad. He has been granted the high titles of the Honorary Artist of RSFSR (1983), Honorary Artist of the USSR (1991), State Award of the USSR (1986), State Awards of the Russian Federation (1994 and 1996), Аward-1993 "Best Musical Instrument Performer of the Year" (a title comparable to the "Oscar" in cinema). Yuri Bashmet is an Honorary Academician of the London Academy of Arts.
In 1995, he was awarded one of the most prestigious awards in the world, of the "Sonnings Musikfond" in Copenhagen. Previous recipients include Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
, Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin
Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
, Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...
, Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein
Arthur Rubinstein KBE was a Polish-American pianist. He received international acclaim for his performances of the music of a variety of composers...
, Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich was a Soviet Russian composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century....
, Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
, Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Richter
Sviatoslav Teofilovich Richter was a Soviet pianist well known for the depth of his interpretations, virtuoso technique, and vast repertoire. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Childhood:...
, and Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer is a Latvian violinist and conductor. In 1980 he left the USSR and settled in Germany.-Biography:Kremer was born in Riga to parents of German-Jewish and Latvian-Swedish origins. He began playing the violin at the age of four, receiving instruction from his father and his grandfather,...
.
In 1999, by the Act of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of France, Yuri Bashmet was granted the rank of the Officer of Arts and Literature. In the same time the Prime Minister of Lithuania marked his invaluable impact to the Art by granting Bashmet the highest honor of the Republic of Lithuania; in 2000 the President of Italy granted him an honor "For Contribution to Motherland", and in 2002, the president of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin presented him the honor "For Contribution to Motherland", 3rd grade. In 2003, Yuri Bashmet was granted the rank of Commander of the French Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
In 2000, the Russian Biographic Society granted Yuri Bashmet the honorary title "The Man of the Year", in 2001 – "Zealot of the Enlightenment". In 2003, Bashmet has become the laureate of the "Olympus" National Award.
Since 1978, Yuri Bashmet teaches students of the Moscow Conservatoire; at first at the position of docent (since 1988), now he is a professor of the Moscow Conservatoire (since 1996).
Since 1980, Yuri Bashmet conducts master classes in Japan, Europe, USA, and Hong Kong. He teaches at the summer courses in the music academies of Kidzhan (Siena, Italy) and Tours (France). His students have won many of the international contests and now are performing in orchestras worldwide.
In 1996, he created and heads the "Experimental Chair of Viola", where in addition to the works of solo viola repertoire, the curriculum includes extended studies of the viola parts in the chamber, operatic and symphonic music, as well as advanced study of the performance styles of the past and the present time.
Yuri Bashmet leads national education projects, as a presenter and art director of the TV programs The Station of Dream and Music in the Museums of the World.
Yuri Bashmet has participated in many large-scale charity actions of the international importance, in Carnegie Hall (with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
), in London (in the memory of Princess Diana); in the concerts, whose proceeds were transferred to the funds aimed to help the victims of the natural disasters in Armenia, Japan, and to the funds helping handicapped children.
The International Charity Fund, established by Yuri Bashmet, has established the Shostakovich International Award for outstanding achievements in the field of the international art. This award was granted to Gidon Kremer, Thomas Quasthoff, Victor Tretyakov, Valery Gergiev, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Olga Borodina, Irina Antonova, Natalia Gutman, and Evgeny Kissin.
Its impact into the peacemaking activities can hardly be overestimated.
Moscow Soloists
In 1986, Yuri Bashmet founded the chamber orchestra, "Moscow Soloists". In 1991, when the orchestra was on tour in France, Yuri Bashmet, as an Art Director of the Orchestra, signed a temporary contract with the Administration of the city of MontpellierMontpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
. Afterwards the musicians of the orchestra decided to stay in France; a decision untenable for Bashmet himself, who was committed contractually to return to Russia. He consequently resigned his position with the Orchestra, while inviting the musicians to return to Russia with him. Soon after that the Orchestra disbanded, and its members have joined other ensembles abroad.
Bashmet re-established the Moscow Soloists after returning to Moscow with new musicians http://www.goldbergweb.com/en/interpreters/orchestras/10756.php.
Honours and awards
- Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1983)
- USSR State PrizeUSSR State PrizeThe USSR State Prize was the Soviet Union's state honour. It was established on September 9, 1966. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the prize was followed up by the State Prize of the Russian Federation....
(1986) - People's Artist of the USSRPeople's Artist of the USSRPeople's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
(1991) - State Prize of the Russian FederationState Prize of the Russian FederationState Prize of the Russian Federation is a state honorary prize established in 1992 as the substitute for the USSR State Prize. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates and the status of the award was significantly changed making them closer to such awards as Nobel Prize or the Soviet Lenin...
(1993, 1995, 2000) - Sonning Award (1995; Denmark)
- Officer of the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke GediminasOrder of the Lithuanian Grand Duke GediminasThe Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas is the Lithuanian Presidential Award which was re-instituted to honour the citizens of Lithuania for outstanding performance in civil and public offices. Foreign nationals may also be awarded this Order. The Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke...
(Lithuania, 18 June 1999) - Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des LettresOrdre des Arts et des LettresThe Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
(2000, France) - Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian RepublicOrder of Merit of the Italian RepublicThe Order of Merit of the Italian Republic was founded as the senior order of knighthood by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi in 1951...
(Italy 2000) - Order of Merit for the FatherlandOrder of Merit for the FatherlandThe Order of Merit for the Fatherland was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree. The statutes describe it as a decoration for merit, not an order of knights....
, 3rd class (April 15, 2002) - for outstanding contribution to the development of national art - Officer of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(2003, France) - Order of Merit (Ukraine)Order of Merit (Ukraine)The Order of Merit first, second or third class, is the Ukrainian award, given to individuals for outstanding achievements in economics, science, culture, military or political spheres of activity...
, 3rd class (19 April 2004) - a significant personal contribution to the development of cultural ties between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, many years of fruitful creative activity - Honorary Professor of Moscow State UniversityMoscow State UniversityLomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
(2004) - Honorary Citizen of RousseRousseRuse is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is situated in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, from the capital Sofia and from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast...
, Bulgaria (2005) - Order of Honour (6 February 2008) - for outstanding contribution to the development of national music and many years of creative activity
- Grammy AwardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
(February 2008; USA) - with the orchestra "Soloists of Moscow" - for the execution of works by Stravinsky and Prokofiev in the category "Best performance by small ensembles" - Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of MusicRoyal Academy of MusicThe Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
, London. - Order of Francisc SkorinaOrder of Francisc SkorinaThe Order of Francisc Skorina is an award of Belarus. It is named after Francisc Skorina, a noted academic who, in the early 16th century, participated in the formalisation of Belarussian as a separate, recorded language and therefore the establishment of a national identity. It is a single level...
(Belarus)
External links
- Yuri Bashmet official website
- Yuri Bashmet interview by Bruce Duffie