Alexander Borisovich Goldenweiser (or ''Goldenveyzer''; russian: Алекса́ндр Бори́сович Гольденве́йзер; 26 November 1961), was a Soviet and Russian pianist, teacher and composer. Goldenweiser was born in Kishinev,

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Be ...

, Russia. In 1889 he was admitted to the Moscow Conservatory in the class of

Alexander Siloti Alexander Ilyich Siloti (also Ziloti, russian: Алекса́ндр Ильи́ч Зило́ти, ''Aleksandr Iljič Ziloti'', uk, Олександр Ілліч Зілоті; 9 October 1863 – 8 December 1945) was a Russian virtuoso pianist, ...

(also Ziloti). He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1895 in the piano class of Pavel Pabst (previously with A.I.Siloti), winning the Gold Medal for Piano, in 1897 – in the composition class of Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. He also studied composition with

Anton Arensky Anton Stepanovich Arensky (russian: Анто́н Степа́нович Аре́нский; – ) was a Russian composer of Romantic classical music, a pianist and a professor of music. Biography Arensky was born into an affluent, music-loving ...

and counterpoint with Sergei Taneyev (1892–1893). He joined the faculty of the Conservatory shortly afterward, and during his tenure there, his pupils included Grigory Ginzburg,

Lazar Berman Lazar Naumovich Berman (russian: Ла́зарь Нау́мович Бе́рман, ''Lazarʹ Naumovič Berman''; February 26, 1930February 6, 2005) was a Soviet Russian classical pianist, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1988). He was hailed for a h ...

, Samuil Feinberg,

Rosa Tamarkina Rosa Vladimirovna Tamarkina ( rus, Ро́за Влади́мировна Тама́ркина) (23 March 19205 August 1950) was a Soviet pianist who won second prize in the III International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw (1937). Tamarkina, ...

Dmitry Kabalevsky Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky (russian: Дми́трий Бори́сович Кабале́вский ; 14 February 1987) was a Soviet composer, conductor, pianist and pedagogue of Russian gentry descent. He helped set up the Union of Soviet Co ...

Galina Eguiazarova Galina Eguiazarova (russian: Галина Егиазарова, also latinized ''Yegiazarova'') is a Russian pianist and professor. Biography Galina Eguiazarova was born in Russia. She studied at Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoty, where she was a ...

Nikolai Kapustin Nikolai Girshevich Kapustin (russian: link=no, Никола́й Ги́ршевич Капу́стин ; 22 November 19372 July 2020) was a Soviet composer and pianist of Russian-Jewish descent. He played with early Soviet jazz bands such as the ...

Alexander Braginsky Alexander Iosifovich Braginsky (russian: Александр Иосифович Брагинский, ''Aleksandr Iosifovič Braginskij''; May 29, 1944) is a Russian-born pianist and pedagogue, currently living in the United States. Life and care ...

, Sulamita Aronovsky, Tatiana Nikolayeva,

Dmitry Paperno Dmitry Paperno (1929 in Kyiv – 2020 in Northbrook, IL) was a Soviet and American concert pianist. In 1955, Paperno won 6th Prize in the V International Chopin Piano Competition, and then recorded and performed widely under the Soviet regime. He a ...

, Nodar Gabunia,

Oxana Yablonskaya Oxana Yablonskaya (russian: Оксана Михайловна Яблонская; born December 6, 1938, Moscow) is a Russian pianist who has had an active international performance career since the early 1960s. She began her career in the USSR ...

Nelly Akopian-Tamarina Nelly Akopian-Tamarina (born in Moscow) is a Russian pianist. Akopian-Tamarina had performed Haydn concertos publicly with orchestras by age 9. She studied with Anaida Sumbatyan at the Moscow Central Music School. At the Moscow Conservatory she ...

, Dmitri Bashkirov, Dmitry Blagoy and many others. Rachmaninoff's Second Suite, Op. 17, was dedicated to him as well as Medtner's ''Lyric Fragments'', Op. 23. He was a close friend of Leo Tolstoy. He published memories of his relationship with Tolstoy in his book ''Vblizi Tolstogo''. He made a number of renowned recordings as a pianist, including four recordings on piano roll for the Welte-Mignon reproducing piano in 1910. He died in 1961, in

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally "under Moscow"), is a federal subject of Rus ...

Honours and awards

* People's Artist of the RSFSR (1931) * Stalin Prize, first class (1947) * Two Orders of Lenin (including 9 March 1945) * Order of the Red Banner of Labour, three times (27 April 1937, 29 April 1950, 9 March 1955) *

People's Artist of the USSR People's Artist of the USSR ( rus, Народный артист СССР, Narodny artist SSSR), also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to artists of the Soviet Union. Nomenclature and significan ...

(1946)

Selective discography

*Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 31. Leonid Kogan, violin.

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered by many to be the greatest cellist of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was wel ...

, cello. Composer, piano. Melodiya D-9123-4 (LP); released 1961 *''Contrapuntal Sketches'', Op. 12. ''Sonata Fantasia', Op. 37. 'Skazka'', Op. 39. Jonathan Powell, piano. Toccata TOCC 044, CD, released 2009. The ''Contrapuntal Sketches'' were written in the 1930s. With this work Goldenweiser can perhaps stake claim as being the first Russian composer to write a set of polyphonic pieces in each of the major and minor keys, all of which appear on this recording. *Russian Piano School, Vol 1: Alexander Goldenweiser. Music by Tchaikovsky, Arensky, Borodin, Rachmaninoff (also with G. Ginsburg), Medtner, Goldenweiser – original recordings 1946–1955 by Melodiya. NoNoise transfers distributed BMG 74321 25173 2

References

* ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' London: Macmillan, 1980 * Archive o
Alexander Goldenweiser Papers
at the International Institute of Social History

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Goldenweiser, Alexander Borisovich 1875 births 1961 deaths 20th-century classical pianists Musicians from Chișinău People from Kishinyovsky Uyezd People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Stalin Prize winners Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Russian classical pianists Male classical pianists Soviet classical pianists Russian composers Russian male composers Soviet composers Soviet male composers Russian music educators Piano pedagogues Jewish classical pianists Pupils of Nikolai Zverev Pupils of Pavel Pabst