Soviet Violin Virtuoso Oleg Kagan Was Born On This Day in 1946

A major prizewinner of the Sibelius, Enescu and Tchaikovsky International Violin Competition, Mr Kagan was also known for his collaborations with musicians such as pianist Sviatoslav Richter, Eliso Virsaladze, and his wife, cellist Natalia Gutman.

Soviet violin virtuoso Oleg Kagan was born on this day in 1946.

A student of Boris Kuznetsov and David Oistrakh, Mr Kogan is a former major prize winner at the Sibelius, Enescu and Tchaikovsky International Violin Competitions.

After his competition success, he began touring as a soloist with orchestras, a recitalist, and a chamber music artist. He is renowned for his chamber music collaborations with musicians such as pianist Sviatoslav Richter, Eliso Virsaladze, and his wife, cellist Natalia Gutman. He also appeared frequently with the pianist Vasily Lobanov, who would later dedicate a piece to him.

With Leonid Kogan, Tatiana Grindenko, Alfred Schnittke and others Kagan was involved in performances of music deemed ‘un-Soviet’ by the Ministry of Culture, often performing them in remote locations.

Mr Kagan appeared as soloist on a number of famous recordings, including his live recorded performance of Sibelius' Violin Concerto and Alban Berg's Violin Concerto "To the memory of an angel".

He tragically passed away from cancer in 1990 following a concert in Bavaria - aged just 43.

OLEG KAGAN | SIBELIUS VIOLIN CONCERTO | TAUNO HANNIKAINEN & THE FINNISH RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 1965