Lev Nikolayevich Oborin (russian: Лев Николаевич Оборин, ''Lev Nikolaevič Oborin'';

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...

, Moscow, 5 January 1974) was a Soviet and Russian pianist, composer and pedagogue. He was the winner of the first International Chopin Piano Competition in 1927.

Life and career

Oborin's family moved frequently during his early childhood. When they settled down in Moscow in 1914, he was sent to music school. He studied with

Elena Gnesina Elena Fabianovna Gnesina (sometimes transcribed Gnessina) (Russian Елена Фабиановна Гнесина) (30 May 1874 – 4 June 1967) was a Soviet and Russian composer and music educator, a sister of the composer Mikhail Gnesin. Gnesi ...

, a pupil of Ferruccio Busoni. At the same time, he studied composition with

Alexander Gretchaninov Alexander Tikhonovich GretchaninovAlso commonly transliterated as ''Aleksandr/Alexandre'' ''Grechaninov/Gretchaninoff/Gretschaninow'' ( rus, Алекса́ндр Ти́хонович Гречани́нов, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɡrʲɪtɕɐˈnʲin� ...

and achieved admirable results. In 1921, Oborin was accepted into

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

as a student of piano and composition. He completed his piano studies in 1926. In the same year, news reached Moscow of the First International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition, to be held in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

in 1927, and his piano teacher

Konstantin Igumnov Konstantin Nikolayevich Igumnov (russian: Константи́н Никола́евич Игу́мнов; , 1873 – March 24, 1948) was a Soviet and Russian pianist and pedagogue. People's Artist of the USSR (1946). Biography Igumnov studie ...

immediately thought of him. After winning first prize in the competition, he gave concerts in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

and in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Until 1945 he performed exclusively in Russia and taught at the Moscow Conservatory at the same time. In 1935 he played his first concert with the violinist

David Oistrakh David Fyodorovich Oistrakh (; – 24 October 1974), was a Soviet classical violinist, violist and conductor. Oistrakh collaborated with major orchestras and musicians from many parts of the world and was the dedicatee of numerous violin ...

, with whom he continued to collaborate all of his life.

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; rus, Арам Ильич Хачатурян, , ɐˈram ɨˈlʲjitɕ xətɕɪtʊˈrʲan, Ru-Aram Ilyich Khachaturian.ogg; hy, Արամ Խաչատրյան, ''Aram Xačʿatryan''; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet and Armenia ...

dedicated his Piano Concerto in D flat to Oborin, and wrote ''"When I was working on my concerto I dreamed of hearing it played by Lev Oborin. My dream came true in the summer of 1937. The wonderful performance by this outstanding pianist ensured its success"''.Source: CD insert from ASV platinum (?CD PLT8510) ("Khachaturian Gayaneh Suite, Piano Concerto, The Valencian Widow Suite"): authors, Robert Matthew-Walker,

Noël Goodwin Trevor Noël Goodwin (25 December 1927 – 27 March 2013) was an English music critic, dance critic and author who specialized in classical music and ballet. Described as having a "rare ability to write about music and dance with equal distincti ...

. During the years 1941 to 1963, Oborin played in a

piano trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of m ...

with David Oistrakh and the cellist Sviatoslav Knushevitsky, achieving international fame. Khachaturian's three concertos, one each for piano, violin and cello, were written for the individual members of this trio. He gave first public performances of the works of several modern composers, including Khachaturian, Shebalin, Myaskovsky,

Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

(including the Violin Sonata No. 1 with Oistrakh), and

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

. He trained many pianists, including

Vladimir Ashkenazy Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy (russian: Влади́мир Дави́дович Ашкена́зи, ''Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazi''; born 6 July 1937) is an internationally recognized solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. He ...

(winner of the second prize at the 1955 Chopin Competition), Anatoly Dokumentov,

Mikhail Voskresensky Mikhail Voskresensky (; born 1935) is a Russian pianist who left Russia for the United States in 2022 protesting against Russian invasion of Ukraine. Training Mikhail Voskresensky is known internationally as a pianist in the great Romantic tradi ...

, Minoru Nojima, Dmitri Sakharov, Alexander Bakhchiev, Andrei Egorov,

Lev Natochenny Lev Natochenny (Russian: Лев Наточенный) (born January 26, 1950) is a Russian-American classical pianist and professor of piano. Born in Moscow, Natochenny graduated from the Moscow "Tchaikovsky" Conservatoire, where he was taught by ...

, Boris Berman, Eduard Miansarov and Olga Kiun. Oborin was a member of the jury of the Fourth and Fifth International Chopin Competitions, and of other competitions in Moscow, Lisbon,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

and

Zwickau Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), the fourth-largest city of Saxony after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz and it is the seat of the Zwickau District. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ...

. He died in 1974, aged 66.

Honours and awards

Stalin Prize Stalin Prize may refer to: * The State Stalin Prize in science and engineering and in arts, awarded 1941 to 1954, later known as the USSR State Prize The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, ...

, second class (1943) - for a concert and performing activities *

People's Artist of the RSFSR People's Artist of the RSFSR (russian: Народный артист РСФСР, ''Narodnyj artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet Union artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchest ...

(1955) * People's Artist of the USSR (1964) * Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR (1966) - for a concert and performing activities * Two

Orders of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

(1946, in connection with the 80th anniversary of the

; 1966, in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Moscow Conservatory) *

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour (russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени, translit=Orden Trudovogo Krasnogo Znameni) was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to th ...

Order of the Badge of Honour The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union. It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...

(1937)

Notes

External links

Biography at Fryderyk Chopin Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oborin, Lev 1907 births 1974 deaths 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century composers 20th-century Russian male musicians Musicians from Moscow Gnessin State Musical College alumni Moscow Conservatory alumni Moscow Conservatory academic personnel People's Artists of the RSFSR People's Artists of the USSR Stalin Prize winners Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR winners Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour International Chopin Piano Competition winners Prize-winners of the International Chopin Piano Competition Male classical pianists Russian classical pianists Russian male composers Russian music educators Soviet classical pianists Soviet male composers Soviet music educators Piano pedagogues Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery