Sentimental Work: Boris Kuschnir on Mozart Violin Concerto no.4

I was first introduced to Mozart’s Fourth Violin Concerto when I was 15 years old. My father was the first concertmaster of the Ukrainian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Kiev, and one day he brought home a recording of Yehudi Menuhin playing all five Mozart concertos. It was an inspirational moment for me, hearing these masterpieces so well played, with Menuhin’s big, wonderful and nice sound. Later I was able to compare his interpretation with those by Soviet violinists, and I was amazed by the contrast – Menuhin’s had an elegance and softness to it, especially in the endings of the phrases, with a complete lack of aggression and pressure. 

Soon after, I went to study at the Moscow Conservatory. My teacher was Boris Belenky, who went through each piece with me in a very detailed way. Of course I studied all the Mozart concertos, although it was unfortunate that there was no urtext to learn from in those days; there were always mistakes in the editions we had. David Oistrakh was teaching at the Conservatory at that time as well, but I didn’t cross paths with him until my second year…