Bernard Zaslav

Bernard Zaslav (April 7, 1926 – December 28, 2016[1]) was an American viola soloist and chamber musician with an extensive recording and performance career. A founding member of The Composers Quartet in 1965, he went on to play with the Fine Arts Quartet, Vermeer Quartet, and the Stanford String Quartet. He has also performed and recorded as the Zaslav Duo with his wife, pianist Naomi Zaslav.[2][3]

Early life and education

Zaslav born in Brooklyn, New York and studied at the Juilliard School in 1946 as a violin student[4] of Sascha Jacobsen and Mischa Mischakoff.[5]

Career

Performing

After further study on the viola with Lillian Fuchs in 1957 at the Yale Summer School of Music at Norfolk, Connecticut, Zaslav continued his career, performing (on viola) with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell for two years,[6] subsequently returning to New York to work as a freelance musician[7]

Zaslav continued his career as violist of the Kohon String Quartet,[8] the Composers String Quartet,[9] the Fine Arts String Quartet,[10] the Vermeer String Quartet,[11] the Stanford String Quartet,[12] and the viola/piano Zaslav Duo, together with his wife, Naomi Zaslav.[5] In these ensembles he shared in commissioning, premiering, and recording new works by Elliott Carter, Milton Babbitt, Gunther Schuller, Ralph Shapey, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Roger Sessions, Ursula Mamlok, Henry Weinberg, Billy Jim Layton, Charles Wuorinen, Ben Johnston, Seymour Shifrin, Andrew Imbrie, Samuel Adler, John Downey, Karel Husa, Marc Neikrug, and William Balcom. His discography comprises 131 works of chamber music and was released on the Vox, Turnabout, Laurel, Music & Arts, Nonesuch, Everest, Gasparo, CRI, Gallante, and Orfeo labels. The Kohon Quartet was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque for Chamber Music from the Académie Charles Cros for their recording of Alban Berg's String Quartet Op. 3 in 1964.[13]

Zaslav performed on a viola made by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini in 1781 in Turin, Italy, and is described as the "ex-Villa". It is one of only ten violas attributed to that maker.[14]

Teaching

Zaslav has served on the faculties of Columbia University, New York University, Brooklyn College, the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Northern Illinois University, and Stanford University.

Writing

Bernard Zaslav's memoir, The Viola in My Life: An Alto Rhapsody, was published in 2011 by Science and Behavior Books. The hardcover book includes 2 CDs compiled from his discography.[15]

Recording

In 1993, Zaslav became a Resident Artist at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University, where he learned the digital recording and editing techniques to produce the Zaslav Duo's last series of five CDs for the Music & Arts label. The recordings have received Stereo Review's "Recording of Special Merit" and Devoteé magazine's "Debut Recording–Artist of the Year" designations.[16]

Discography

Zaslav has recorded 131 works of chamber music for the Teldec, Orfeo, Columbia, Nonesuch, Everest, Laurel, Gasparo, Orion, Vox, CRI, and Music & Arts labels.

References

  1. ↑ https://theviolinchannel.com/american-violist-bernard-zaslav-died-obituary/
  2. ↑ McBride, Marian (February 8, 1969). "Tandem Performance Sets Key For Life" The Milwaukee Sentinel
  3. ↑ Lewis, Don (May 11, 1975). "Our Quartet Has Really Been Around — the World and the Turntable". Milwaukee Journal
  4. ↑ Yeh, Molly (February 2012). "Romantic School: Juilliard Couples". The Juilliard Journal. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Concert Features Husband and Wife". Greenfield Recorder (Newspaper). July 29, 1971. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  6. ↑ "A Listing of All the Musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra". A Listing of All the Musicians of the Cleveland Orchestra with Dates and Brief Remarks. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  7. ↑ Bretz, Lynn (October 11, 1981). "Vermeer quartet launches '81–82 music season today". Lawrence Journal-World. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
  8. ↑ Lemco, Gary (June 2, 2005). "Violist Bernard Zaslav in sonatas by FRANCK, MILHAUD, BABBITT, 4 Songs by DVORAK, Meditation by BLOCH (Music&Arts)". AUDIOPHILE AUDITION. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  9. ↑ Ajemian, Anahid (July 14, 2014). "Remembering Seymour Barab (1921–2014): Composer, Cellist, Friend". NEWMUSICBOX. NEW MUSIC, USA. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  10. ↑ "fineartsquartet.com". fineartsquartet.com. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  11. ↑ "discog.com/Bernard Zaslav". Discog.com. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  12. ↑ Rockwell, John (February 4, 1989). "Review/Music; Bolcom Work on Stanford Quartet Tour". New York Times. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  13. ↑ Potter, Tully (August 2005). "Music & Arts CD-1151 (1) – "A Viola Treasury"". The Strad. Newsquest Specialist Media.
  14. ↑ Danese, Samuele (2005). II mondo della viola, p. 61. Effata Editrice (in Italian)
  15. ↑ Scott, Heather K. (March 2012). "'The Viola in My Life: An Alto Rhapsody' by Bernard Zaslav". Strings (Magazine) (203). Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Debut Recording Artist of the Year". DEVOTEE MAGAZINE. Winter 1978.
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