Benno MoiseiwitschCBE was a Russian/Ukrainian born British pianist.
Biography
Born in Odessa, Russian Empire, in present-day Ukraine, Moiseiwitsch began his studies at age seven with Dmitry Klimov at the Odessa Music Academy. He won the Anton Rubinstein Prize when he was just nine years old. He studied with Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna 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. He toured the United States, Australia, India, Japan, and South America. Moiseiwitsch was invited by Director Josef Hofmann 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 in 1946 for his services to music during the Second World War, having performed hundreds of recitals for servicemen and charities. He married Daisy Kennedy, an Australian concert violinist, and had two daughters, Sandra and the set designer, Tanya Moiseiwitsch. He and his second wife Anita had a son, noted New Zealand National Radio broadcaster Boris Moiseiwitsch. He was a friend of Nikolai Medtner and commissioned the Piano Concerto No. 3 "Ballade".
Playing style
Moiseiwitsch was particularly known for his interpretations of the late Romantic repertoire, especially the works of Sergei Rachmaninoff. 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 starting in the 78RPM 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 and the Barcarolle, Ballade No. 4 and Nocturne, Op. 62 of Frédéric Chopin. In 1950 critic and musicologist Irving Kolodin 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 praised Moiseiwitsch's formidable technique and free approach to the music, adding that such freedom was "always tempered by impeccable musicality."
Discography
There is currently no comprehensive reissue of Moiseiwitsch's entire discography, but much of his recorded output is available on CD. Although there are duplicates of recordings across the labels, they differ in sound quality because of the different restoration techniques employed by the companies.
BEETHOVEN/BRAHMS/FRANCK: Violin Sonatas — 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
Benno Moiseiwitsch plays SAINT-SAENS Concerto 2 / GRIEG Concerto / LISZT Hungarian Fantasia
Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Beethoven Volume 1
Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Beethoven Volume 2
Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Chopin Volume 1
Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Chopin Volume 2
Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Tchaikovsky
Releases by Pearl
Benno Moiseiwitsch – The Complete Acoustic Recordings
Benno Moiseiwitsch Vol 1 – Brahms, Mendelssohn, et al.
Moiseiwitsch In Recital
Releases by Testament
Benno Moiseiwitsch Plays Schumann & Brahms
Chopin, Schumann, Weber, Medtner, et al. / Benno Moiseiwitsch
Delius: Concertos for Violin and Piano, Legende, etc.
Moiseiwitsch – Schumann, Grieg: Piano Concertos
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
Other releases
Moisewitsch In Recital – Chopin, Stravinsky, Liszt
Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2, Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5
Benno Moiseiwitsch
Benno Moiseiwitsch — 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.
Filmography
Georges Cziffra — 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, Prelude in B minor Op.32 and speaks about a conversation he had with Rachmaninov.