Yuri Bashmet

violist
Born Jan. 24, 1953 in Rostov (Russia).

Through his virtuosity and his striking musical personality, Yuri Bashmet has given the viola a new dimension in musical life. Born in Russia in Rostov in 1953, he became a student of Vadim Borisovsky of the Beethoven Quartet and then of Feodor Druzhinin at the Moscow Conservatoire. He soon became the youngest professor at the Moscow Conservatoire and the first violist to give solo recitals, inspiring a generation of composers. His First Prize at the Munich Competition in 1976 launched his international career and now he is invited regularly by the great orchestras.

As conductor, he founded the Moscow Soloists in 1992 and in 2002 he became Principal Conductor of the New Russian Orchestra. As a chamber musician, he has performed with Sviatoslav Richter, Gidon Kremer, Viktoria Mullova, Mstislav Rostropovitch, Maxim Vengerov, Natalia Gutman, the Borodin Quartet and recently with Anne-Sophie Mutter, whom he joined for a series of concerts and a recording of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for DGG. He has also recently toured with Angelika Kirchschlager and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. He takes part in many festivals, including Verbier and Martha Argerich’s festivals in Japan and he is also Artistic Director of Sviatoslav Richter December Nights Festival in Moscow. Yuri Bashmet has enriched the viola repertoire through pieces written for him by his colleagues Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, John Tavener, Poul Ruders, Giya Kancheli and most recently Mark-Anthony Turnage. His last CD for Deutsche Grammophon was devoted to Stravinsky and Prokofiev. He plays a 1758 Testore viola.

Central picture : © DR.