Benno Moiseiwitsch

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(22 February 18909 April 1963) was a Russian-born British pianist.

Biography

Moiseiwitsch was born to Jewish parents in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(today part of

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

), and began his studies at age seven with Dmitry Klimov at the Odessa Music Academy. He won the

Anton Rubinstein Anton Grigoryevich Rubinstein ( rus, Антон Григорьевич Рубинштейн, r=Anton Grigor'evič Rubinštejn; ) was a Russian pianist, composer and conductor who became a pivotal figure in Russian culture when he founded the Sai ...

Prize when he was just nine years old. He studied with

Theodor Leschetizky Theodor Leschetizky (sometimes spelled Leschetitzky, pl, Teodor Leszetycki; 22 June 1830 – 14 November 1915 was an Austrian-Polish pianist, professor, and composer born in Landshut in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria, then a crown land of ...

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

from 1904 to 1908, then joined his own family in England, making his English debut at Reading in 1908, his London debut the following year. While in Dublin during the war he met another Leschetizky student,

Mabel Lander __NOTOC__ Mabel Lander (1882 – 19 May 1955) was British pianist and teacher, mostly remembered today as piano tutor to the Royal Family in the 1930s and 1940s, though her real legacy comes from her teaching several generations of prominent ...

, and they began plans to establish a piano school together in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

that would use the Leschetizky method. But the plans had to be abandoned due to Moiseiwitsch's increasingly heavy international concert schedule. He toured the United States (first in 1919), Australia, India, Japan, and South America. Moiseiwitsch was invited by Director

Josef Hofmann Josef Casimir Hofmann (originally Józef Kazimierz Hofmann; January 20, 1876February 16, 1957) was a Polish-American pianist, composer, music teacher, and inventor. Biography Josef Hofmann was born in Podgórze (a district of Kraków), in Aus ...

to teach at the Curtis Institute of Music in 1927. He settled in England and took British citizenship in 1937. Moiseiwitsch was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(CBE) in 1946 for services to music during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, having performed hundreds of recitals for servicemen and charities. He married

Daisy Kennedy Daisy Fowler Kennedy (16 January 1893 – 30 July 1981) was an Australian-born concert violinist. She was born in Burra-Burra, 160 km north of Adelaide, to parents of Scottish and Irish descent.A. Eaglefield-Hull (Ed.), ''A Dictionar ...

, an Australian concert violinist, and had two daughters, Sandra and the set designer,

Tanya Moiseiwitsch Tatiana Benita Moiseiwitsch, (3 December 1914 – 19 February 2003) was an English theatre designer. Born in London, the daughter of Daisy Kennedy, an Australian concert violinist and Benno Moiseiwitsch, a Russian/Ukrainian-born classical piani ...

. He and his second wife Anita had a son, noted New Zealand National Radio broadcaster Boris Moiseiwitsch. He was a friend of

Nikolai Medtner Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (russian: Никола́й Ка́рлович Ме́тнер, ''Nikoláj Kárlovič Métner''; 13 November 1951) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. After a period of comparative obscurity in the 25 years immedi ...

and commissioned the Piano Concerto No. 3 "Ballade" (1940–43). Like his friend

Mark Hambourg Mark Hambourg (russian: Марк Михайлович Гамбург, 1 June 1879 – 26 August 1960) was a Russian British concert pianist. Life Mark Hambourg was the eldest son of the pianist Michael Hambourg (1855–1916), a pupil o ...

he was a member of the

Savage Club The Savage Club, founded in 1857, is a gentlemen's club in London, named after the poet, Richard Savage. Members are drawn from the fields of art, drama, law, literature, music or science. History The founding meeting of the Savage Club took ...

.Summers, Jonathan
'Mark Hambourg', notes to ''A–Z of Pianists''
Naxos CD (2007) 8.558107–10 He was also a skilled

wrestler Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat sport ...

, and arranged several friendly matches with the critic Ralph Hill, also a wrestling enthusiast.

Playing style

Moiseiwitsch was particularly known for his interpretations of the late Romantic repertoire, especially the works of

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

(who was an admirer of his playing and referred to Moiseiwitsch as his "spiritual heir") and

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

, whose piano music gave Moiseiwitsch "more emotional and spiritual satisfaction than anyone else." At the piano, Moiseiwitsch was noted for his elegance, poetry, lyrical phrasing, brilliance, rhythmic freedom, and relaxed virtuosity. He made recordings for

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...

(now EMI) starting in the

78RPM A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

shellac era, continuing with long-playing records and into the early stereo era. His distinctive style can be heard in his recording of Rachmaninoff's ''

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini The ''Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'', Op. 43, (russian: Рапсодия на тему Паганини, ''Rapsodiya na temu Paganini'') is a concertante work written by Sergei Rachmaninoff for piano and orchestra, closely resembling a piano ...

'' and the

Barcarolle A barcarolle (; from French, also barcarole; originally, Italian barcarola or barcaruola, from ''barca'' 'boat') is a traditional folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, or a piece of music composed in that style. In classical music, two of the ...

, Ballade No. 4 and Nocturne, Op. 62 of

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

. In 1950 critic and musicologist

Irving Kolodin Irving Kolodin (February 21, 1908April 29, 1988) was an American music critic and music historian. Biography Irving Kolodin was born in New York City, New York. He wrote for the ''New York Sun'' from 1932 to 1950 and for the '' Saturday Review'' ...

said about the Ballade in F minor of Chopin played by Moiseiwitsch: "A featherweight touch in the opening section of this work, an apt feeling for its "once upon a time" narrative quality give Moiseiwitsch pre-eminence among present day interpreters...", thus summing up the sensitivity of the playing by Benno Moiseiwitsch. He worked meticulously and amicably as a chamber musician, including in Rachmaninoff's ''Trio Élégiaque'' and Cello Sonata in G minor. American critic

Harold C. Schonberg Harold Charles Schonberg (29 November 1915 – 26 July 2003) was an American music critic and author. He is best known for his contributions in ''The New York Times'', where he was List of chief music critics, chief music critic from 1960 to 198 ...

praised Moiseiwitsch's formidable technique and free approach to the music, adding that such freedom was "always tempered by impeccable musicality."Harold C. Schonberg, ''The Great Pianists from Mozart to the Present'', Simon & Schuster, Second Edition (1987)

Discography

A comprehensive list of Moiseiwitsch's discography does not exist, but much of his recorded output is available on CD. Although there are duplicates of his recordings on various labels, they differ in sound quality because of the different restoration techniques employed by each of the companies.

Releases by Naxos Records Historical

*Vol. 1: SCHUMANN: Kinderszenen / MUSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition (8.110668) *Vol. 2: LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 / WEBER-TAUSIG: Rondo Brillante, etc. (8.110669) *Vol. 3: TCHAIKOVSKY: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 (8.110655) *Vol. 4: RACHMANINOV: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (8.110676) *Vol. 5: GRIEG / SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concertos / LISZT: Hungarian Fantasy (8.110683) *Vol. 6: DELIUS: Piano Concerto / RAVEL: Jeux d'eau, etc. (8.110689) *Vol. 7: RACHMANINOV: Preludes / MEDTNER: Sonata, etc. (8.110675) *Vol. 8: BEETHOVEN: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 5 (8.110776) *Vol. 9: BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8, 14, and 21 (8.111115) *Vol. 10: MOISEIWITSCH, Benno: Acoustic Recordings 1916–1925 (8.111116) *Vol. 11: CHOPIN: Piano Works (1917–1927) (8.111117) *Vol. 12: CHOPIN: 24 Preludes / Ballades / Fantaisie-Impromptu (1938–1952) (8.111118) *Vol. 13: CHOPIN: Recordings 1939–1952 (8.110770) *BEETHOVEN/BRAHMS/FRANCK: Violin Sonatas (Heifetz) — Moiseiwitsch accompanies Jascha Heifetz in Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, Op. 47

Releases by APR

*The complete Rachmaninov recordings 1937–43 (APR 5505) *Benno Moiseiwitsch plays SAINT-SAENS Concerto 2 / GRIEG Concerto / LISZT Hungarian Fantasia (APR 5529) *Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Beethoven Volume 1 (APR 5530) *Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Beethoven Volume 2 (APR 5610) *Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Chopin Volume 1 (APR 5575) *Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Chopin Volume 2 (APR 5576) *Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Tchaikovsky

Releases by Pearl

*Benno Moiseiwitsch – The Complete Acoustic Recordings (0142) *Benno Moiseiwitsch Vol 1 – Brahms, Mendelssohn, et al. (9135) *Moiseiwitsch In Recital (9192)

Releases by Testament

*Benno Moiseiwitsch Plays Schumann & Brahms (1023) *Chopin, Schumann, Weber, Medtner, et al. / Benno Moiseiwitsch (1196) *Delius: Concertos for Violin and Piano, Legende, etc. (1014) *Moiseiwitsch – Schumann, Grieg: Piano Concertos (1187) *Benno Moiseiwitsch 3-CD set – Beethoven Piano sonata No. 21 / Schumann – Kreisleriana Op. 16 / Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition / Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat, Op. 73 / Rachmaninov – Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Op. 43 /Chopin – Ballade No. 3 in A flat, Op. 47 / Moiseiwitsch in Interview (SBT31509)

Other releases

*Moisewitsch In Recital – Chopin, Stravinsky, Liszt (ARBITER 120) *Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2, Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 (BBC LEGENDS 4074) *Benno Moiseiwitsch (Great Pianists of the 20th Century series by Phillips) *Benno Moiseiwitsch (GHCH 2326 Label: Guild Historical) — Live recordings of Delius's Piano Concerto and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini from the Proms in 1955. Also included is a studio recording of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto also from 1955.

Bibliography

*MOISEIWITSCH, Maurice. ''Moiseiwitsch, biography of a Concert Pianist'', London: F.Muller, 1965.

Filmography

*Georges Cziffra (EMI DVD Classics 4906819) — Bonus footage of Moiseiwitsch playing Wagner-Liszt: Overture to Tannhauser *The Art of Piano: Great Pianists of the 20th Century — Moiseiwitsch plays Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2 (excerpt), Prelude in B minor Op.32 (the beginning contains commentary) and speaks about a conversation he had with Rachmaninov.

References

External links

Playing in the Grand Style
– Moiseiwitsch discusses the "Grand Style" {{DEFAULTSORT:Moiseiwitsch, Benno 1890 births 1963 deaths 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century British musicians 20th-century British male musicians British classical pianists British male pianists Ukrainian classical pianists Jewish classical pianists Jewish Ukrainian musicians Male classical pianists Child classical musicians Musicians from Odesa Odesa Jews Ukrainian-Jewish emigrants to the United Kingdom Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Honorary Members of the Royal Philharmonic Society Pupils of Theodor Leschetizky Russian classical musicians Russian classical pianists Russian pianists Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom Jews from the Russian Empire Russian Jews