Conductor Rudolf Barshai dies aged 86

Rudolf Barshai studied at the Moscow Conservatory
Russian-born conductor Rudolf Barshai, who was a contemporary of composers Shostakovich and Prokofiev, has died at his home in Switzerland aged 86.
He had been in ill health for some time but continued to work until the final days of his life, his agent said.
Barshai studied composition with Dmitri Shostakovich and later recorded a complete cycle of his symphonies.
He left his homeland in 1975 after Shostakovich's death and went on to conduct in London, Paris and Berlin.