Bashmet's musical education began early and after he had already learned playing the piano and won competitions at the violin, he soon switched to the viola. The Beatles fan played at that time in a band guitar he founded (he also tried on drums). A friended violist recommended switching to the viola to have less practice and to have more time for the band. Bashmet followed his advice and began playing the viola at the age of 14.
 
In 1971 he began his violin studies at the Moscow Conservatory. First, he studied with Wadim Borissowski (Beethoven String Quartet), after his death in 1972 with Fyodor Druschinin, who Dimitri Shostakovich dedicated his sonata for the viola to. Drushinin also became Bashmet's tutor and accompanied his studies beyond the conclusion.
 
In 1972 Bashmet bought a viola made in 1758 by Paolo Testore, a Milanese violin maker, which he still uses in performances to this day. Bashmet told in an interview how he had a dream in the night after his first concert at the Moscow Conservatory, where the audience admired his instrument. The next morning he received the written invitation to his professor Borissowski, who gave him the „Testore“ and gave him financial support for the purchase.

As a student, he won the second prize in Munich in 1975 and the first prize in international competitions in Munich. In 1976 Bashmet went to Germany with the Moscow chamber orchestra. In the same year, he received the first prize at the ARD Music Competition, which drove the start-up shot for his career as a soloist.
 
In 1978, he began teaching at the Moscow Conservatory, since 1988 as a lecturer and since 1996 as a professor. He also pursues teaching at Accademia Chigiana (Siena, Italy) and the Academy in Tours, France. About his teaching-style he said that he does not like to tell the students what to do, but rather to discuss with them since they also bring new knowledge and a new atmosphere. It is productive to confront them with questions and to have them thinking about it, whether they find an exact answer or not. Important is the imagination and the ability to free oneself from technical problems. The most important thing, however, is simply to play and love music. By the way, playing with young people makes him feel young again. Energetically, he continues to advocate the promotion of future generations.

Since 1985 Bashmet also began to conduct. In 1986, he founded the chamber ensemble "Moscow Soloists", where highly-talented students of the Moscow Conservatory played under his direction. In 2008 the ensemble won a Grammy Award. His work as artistic director and chief conductor of the state Orchestra "New Russia" began in 2002.

The list of famous concert halls in which Bashmet appeared, or the list of orchestras and artists with whom he collaborated - as a violist or conductor - leaves hardly any wishes unfulfilled. Particularly noteworthy is his friendly relationship and his numerous performances with Sviatoslav Richter. After Richter's death, Bashmet took over the artistic direction of the Moscow Festival "December-Evenings."
 
Yuri Bashmet also founded the first Russian competition exclusively for the viola. It takes place every year in Moscow. He is also a member of the International Lionel Tertis Viola Competition in Great Britain and a jury member at contests in Munich and Paris (Maurice Vie). He is still involved in the International Yuri Bashmet Music Festival. The artistic director is the Belarusian pianist Rostislav Krimer. The festival has been held annually since 2006.

The international charity fund, founded by Yuri Bashmet, organizes the Dimitri Shostakovich Prize for outstanding artistic achievements.

In Sergei Solovjev's cult movie "Assa 2", which appeared in 2009, Bashmet had even now his film debut. On the set, he enjoyed the loud, bustling activity. 

On the relationship between violin and viola, Bashmet said the violin was more dramatic, but the viola more philosophical. He described the peculiarly sound of the viola as the "sound of the cosmos". The viola is not male and not feminine, it is simply beauty. While some describe the viola as an "instrument between violin and cello", the viola is for him the central instrument, the others are around the viola. 
 
Read more about Yuri Bashmet in our part 2, which will appear in two weeks. Among others, with the following topics: "Bashmet and his Home", "Competitions and Awards", "Honors".

In our Music4Viola blog, you will find an interview with Natalia Wächter, a violist of the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, who enjoyed Bashmet teaching at the Moscow Conservatory.

Interesting documentation on Youtube about Yuri Bashmet in German
https://www.youtube.com

Sources:
https://de.sputniknews.com
https://rbth.com/articles
http://violacentral.com
 
Sound examples:
https://www.youtube.com
A recording of Hindemiths Sonata for Viola, op.11 Nr. 4; 1985 in Moscow. Yuri Bashmet is playing with Sviatoslav Richter
 
https://www.youtube.com
The third movement of Schnittke's Viola Concerto. The Concerto was dedicated to Bashmet. Yuri Bashmet is playing the solo viola, Waleri Gergijew is conducting.