Benno Moiseiwitsch - biography
Benno Moiseiwitsch, an English pianist of Russian birth, was born on 22 February 1890 in Odessa, and died on 9 April 1963 in London. At the age of six he commenced his musical education at the conservatory in Odessa in the piano class under Dmitry Klimov, the principal of the Odessa music school and a symphonic orchestra conductor. At the age of nine he won the Rubinstein Prize. After a short time at the Guildhall School of Music in London, from 1904 to 1908 he was taught by Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna, where he changed the spelling of his family name into the German one. In 1908 he moved to England, where in 1937 he became a naturalized British citizen. In 1908 he made his debut in Reading, and in 1909 in London. Beginning in 1919 he toured across Europe, both Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and in the Far East – India, China and Japan. His brilliant playing was praised for musicality, original temperament, both strong and singing tone, lyrical phrasing and excellent technique - including his famous double octaves. His repertoire was predominated by works by Beethoven (sonatas), Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff, who was a great admirer of Moiseiwitsch's interpretations. Moiseiwitsch was also a keen exponent of works by P. Tchaikovsky, S. Prokofiev, N. Medtner, F. Delius and F. Poulenc. During World War II he gave numerous concerts to troops and charities. His recorded output is plentiful and his earliest acoustic records with Chopin's music – Berceuse op. 57, Waltz in D flat major op. 64 No. 1, Waltz in G flat major op. 70 No. 1, Impromptu in F sharp major op. 36, Mazurka in A minor No. 51, Nocturne in E minor Op. 72 No. 1 - were made between 1910 and 1925 by Gramophone and Victor.
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