Michael Kugel

Michael Ball (Russian: Михаил Бенедиктович Кугель / Mikhail Benediktowitsch ball; born December 5, 1946 in Kharkov ) is a Russian violist and composer.

Life

Ball was born in Kharkov (USSR). He studied music at the Beethoven Music School in Kharkov, at the music school in Kharkov and later at the Leningrad Conservatory.

In 1975 he won the first prize - shared with Zoltán Tóth - on Viola Competition in Budapest, Yuri Bashmet this before, who received second prize.

From 1975 to 1990, principal violist of the ball Moscow Philharmonic, violist of the Beethoven Quartet and professor at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory. In 1990 he emigrated to Israel and taught at the Rubin Academy.

Since 1996, Ball lives in Belgium, where he is a professor at the Conservatory of Ghent; next he taught at the conservatory in Maastricht.

He has appeared as soloist with numerous symphony orchestras around the world, likewise as a conductor. Ball took, among others, at the festivals in curls Hausen, Lille, Passau, Jerusalem, Venice, Dubrovnik, Cincinnati and other part. He also acted as a jury member at the renowned viola competitions such as the Tertis and the Primrosewettbewerb.

Composition activity

Sphere enriched the viola repertoire with numerous Transkripitionen and own compositions: A solo sonata for viola, a concerto for viola and orchestra, a dedicated Shostakovich Suite for viola and piano and more.

Recordings

Ball played against 20 CDs and LPs, many of them also with the viola d' amore.