He was a double bass player and teacher born in Moscow, Russia who initially studied the cello and received his musical education at the Tchaikovsky Conservatoire in Moscow and the Ippolativ-Ivanov College. When he was 16 years old he made the change from the cello to the double bass.
In 1983 he became the Principal Double Bass of the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra as well as ensembles that include The Soloists of the Moscow Philharmonic, the Moscow Soloists and The Moscow Academy of Music. He remained with these groups until 1997.
In 1984 he was the first prize winner of the All Soviet Union Double Bass Competition and 5 years later followed it up by winning first prize at Parma’s Giovanni Bottesini International Competition.
In 1995 he became the conductor and artistic cirector of the Moscow Instrumental Capella and remained with them until 1998 although has performed with them regularly ever since.
Around 1996/7 he accepted the position of Principal Double Bass with the London Symphony Orchestra and has given several solo performances with them.
In 2012 he performed at the Wimbledon International Music Festival but had to step down from performing with the LSO after suffering a stroke.
No stranger to the recording studio he performed on a 1991 CD released by The Soloists of the Bolshoi Theatre and a 1995 French release of music by Giovanni Bottesini as well as Rodnaya Rech’ (Tugan Tel’) by Alsou, Ideale: The Songs of Paolo Tosti by Ben Heppner and Music of Hope by Tim Janis, Gustav Holst: The Planets by the LSO and Fresh Aire 8 by Mannheim Steamroller.
In the field of musical education he was on the faculties of the Moscow Conservatoire, the Central Specialist Music School and the Moscow Conservatory Music College from 1991 to 1997. In 1999 he became a faculty member of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he was a Professor of Double Bass and in 2007 he became a professor at the Royal College of Music. He also held masterclasses as a member of the LSO. Following his stroke in 2014 he was still able to occasionally teach.
His daughter is the violinist Alina Ibragimov.
He died in September 2020 when he was 59 years old.
Sources:
- http://www.ibragimov.co.uk/page-sets/biography.html
- http://www.gsmd.ac.uk/music/staff/teaching_staff/department/1-department-of-strings-harp-and-guitar/42-rinat-ibragimov
- http://www.wimbledonmusicfestival.co.uk/events_wk3.html
- https://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=9690
- http://doublebassblog.org/2009/01/rinat-ibragimov-master-class.html
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alina_Ibragimova
- http://www.allmusic.com/artist/rinat-ibragimov-mn0001866990
- http://www.discogs.com/artist/Rinat+Ibragimov