Bolesław Kon (9 December 190610 June 1936) was a Polish concert

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

who won international acclaim in his brief career. Kon was born into a poor

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. He began his piano training aged about 10, at the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory () is a higher musical educational institution located in Moscow, Russia. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in musical performance and musical research. Th ...

under

Konstantin Igumnov Konstantin Nikolayevich Igumnov (March 24, 1948) was a Soviet and Russian pianist and pedagogue. In 1946, he was recognized as the People's Artist of the USSR. Biography Igumnov studied under Nikolai Zverev, and at Moscow Conservatory under A ...

. In 1924, he returned to Poland and continued his studies, first at the Chopin Higher Academy, and then at the

Warsaw Conservatory The Chopin University of Music (, UMFC) is a musical conservatorium and academy located in central Warsaw, Poland. It is the oldest and largest music school in Poland, and one of the largest in Europe.Aleksander Michałowski Aleksander Michałowski (17 October 1938) was a Polish pianist, pedagogue, and composer. Early life and education Michałowski was born in 1851 in Kamianets-Podilskyi, Ukraine, which was a part of the Russian Empire. In 1867, at age 16, he stu ...

and afterwards under

Juliusz Wertheim Juliusz Edward Wertheim (24 September 1880 – 6 May 1928), sometimes known as Julius or Jules Wertheim, was a Polish pianist, conductor and composer, a member of a prominent family, who had a significant influence on the career of Arthur Rubins ...

and

Zbigniew Drzewiecki Zbigniew Drzewiecki (; 8 April 189011 April 1971) was a Polish people, Polish pianist who was for most of his life a teacher of pianists. He was especially associated with the interpretation of Frédéric Chopin's works. His pupils include severa ...

.J. Methuen-Campbell 1981, 116. Even as a student, he showed extraordinary powers, and a front-rank career was anticipated for him. After graduation, he moved to

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

as professor of piano at the Music Society Conservatory there, of which he became Director in 1929–1931. By now, he was giving orchestral concerts in Warsaw and Kraków, and in 1932, at Drzewiecki's urging, he entered the

II International Chopin Piano Competition The II International Chopin Piano Competition () was held from 6 to 23 March 1932 in Warsaw. Popular with the public, it attracted correspondents from all over the world, not least because of the high-profile composition of the competition jury ...

and won the third prize - having tied with Abram Lufer, and he won at the coin flipping. In the following year, after a short period of preparation living in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, he entered the second International Music Competition there and obtained the first prize. (This competition was marked by

Alfred Cortot Alfred Denis Cortot ( , ; 26 September 187715 June 1962) was a French pianist, conductor, and teacher who was one of the most renowned classical musicians of the 20th century. A pianist of massive repertory, he was especially valued for his po ...

, a member of the jury, walking out because the first prize had been awarded to Kon and not to

Dinu Lipatti Constantin "Dinu" Lipatti (; 2 December 1950) was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from effects related to Hodgkin's disease at age 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy. He comp ...

, who took second prize.) With these two prizes, Kon received many invitations to give concerts and started touring. Tragically, Kon suffered from a form of existential depression. He was afflicted with a hereditary mental illness and attended a sanatorium at regular intervals. The need to continue his career caused him to cut short a period of treatment, and it was in this way that the fatal melancholy overtook him. Kon committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

in Warsaw in June 1936. According to Professor Drzewiecki, Kon was the greatest pianistic genius that he ever heard; Mme Margerita Trombini-Kazuro described his playing as of great nobility and spontaneity. It is believed that he made no recordings, a factor that has been cited for his having "faded into oblivion" in the public consciousness after his death.

Notes

Sources

*J. Methuen-Campbell, ''Chopin Playing From The Composer To The Present Day'' (Gollancz, London 1981). *Fryderyk Chopin Institute, Website. *Vienna's Music Contests 1933 →　" Musical Courier July 15, 1933. →　http://blog.livedoor.jp/bookshell/archives/1286524.html

External links

*Fryderyk Chopin Institute biographic sketch of Kon

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kon, Boleslaw 1906 births 1936 suicides 1936 deaths Polish male classical pianists Musicians from Warsaw Academic staff of the Academy of Music in Kraków Prize-winners of the International Chopin Piano Competition Jewish classical pianists 20th-century Polish classical pianists 20th-century Polish composers 20th-century Polish male musicians Suicides in Poland Moscow Conservatory alumni