Maestro Yuri Bashmet

Violin soloist

Indisputably the world's greatest living violist, Yuri Bashmet has one simple ambition, to continue producing world class performances on the concert platform and on record. 

His commitment to music and musicians is phenomenal, not only as a soloist either in concerto or in recital, but also as a chamber player, as a conductor of one of his two orchestras, and as a teacher, either at home in Moscow, at Siena every summer, and at the Kronberg International Academy.

In some senses the viola only achieved solo status in the 20th century and Bashmet has championed the concertante works of Bartуk, Walton and (fellow violist) Hindemith, and also solo works such as Shostakovich's last ever composition, his Viola Sonata. Building from that, Bashmet has been the inspiration (if not the commissioner) of a number of contemporary works which have laid the foundation for the solo viola repertoire for a new millennium, from composers such as Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, Giya Kancheli, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Alexander Raskatov.

Maestro Yury Bashmet is GRAMMY WINNER 2007 "Best Small Ensemble Performance - Best Conductor").

Maestro Yury Bashmet official website www.yuribashmet.com