Alexander Goldenweiser (composer)

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Borisovich and the family name is Goldenweiser.

Alexander Borisovich Goldenweiser^[a] 10 March [O.S. 26 February] 1875 – 26 November 1961)^[1][2] was a Russian and Soviet pianist, teacher and composer.

Alexander Goldenweiser
Александр Гольденвейзер
Born	10 March [O.S. 26 February] 1875 Kishinev, Bessarabia, Russian Empire
Died	November 26, 1961(1961-11-26) (aged 86) Nikolina Gora [ru], Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Occupations	Pianist teacher composer

Goldenweiser was born in Kishinev, Bessarabia, Russia.^[1] In 1889, he was admitted to the Moscow Conservatory in the class of Alexander Siloti (also Ziloti). He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1895 in the piano class of Pavel Pabst (previously with A.I.Siloti), winning the Gold Medal for Piano, in 1897 – in the composition class of Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. He also studied composition with Anton Arensky and counterpoint with Sergei Taneyev (1892–1893).

He joined the faculty of the Conservatory shortly afterward, where he worked as the dean, and during his tenure there, his pupils included Grigory Ginzburg, Lazar Berman, Samuil Feinberg, Rosa Tamarkina, Dmitry Kabalevsky, Galina Eguiazarova, Nikolai Kapustin, Alexander Braginsky, Sulamita Aronovsky, Tatiana Nikolayeva, Dmitry Paperno, Nodar Gabunia [ka], Oxana Yablonskaya, Nelly Akopian-Tamarina, Dmitri Bashkirov, Dmitry Blagoy [ru], and many others.^[3] See: List of music students by teacher: G to J#Alexander Goldenweiser.

Rachmaninoff's Second Suite, Op. 17, was dedicated to him as well as Medtner's Lyric Fragments, Op. 23.

He was a close friend of Leo Tolstoy.^[4][5] He published memories of his relationship with Tolstoy in his book Vblizi Tolstogo.^[6]

He made a number of renowned recordings as a pianist, including four recordings on piano roll for the Welte-Mignon reproducing piano in 1910.^[7] He died in 1961, in Moscow Oblast.

Honours and awards

• People's Artist of the RSFSR (1931)
• Stalin Prize, first class (1947)
• Two Orders of Lenin (including 9 March 1945)
• Order of the Red Banner of Labour, three times (27 April 1937, 29 April 1950, 9 March 1955)
• People's Artist of the USSR (1946)

Selective discography

as composer and pianist

• Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 31. Leonid Kogan, violin. Mstislav Rostropovich, cello. Composer, piano. Melodiya D-9123-4 (LP); released 1961^[8]

as composer

• Contrapuntal Sketches, Op. 12. Sonata Fantasia', Op. 37. 'Skazka, Op. 39. Jonathan Powell, piano. Toccata TOCC 044, CD, released 2009. The Contrapuntal Sketches were written in the 1930s. With this work Goldenweiser can perhaps stake claim as being the first Russian composer to write a set of polyphonic pieces in each of the major and minor keys, all of which appear on this recording.^[9]

as pianist

• Russian Piano School, Vol 1: Alexander Goldenweiser. Music by Tchaikovsky, Arensky, Borodin, Rachmaninoff (also with G. Ginsburg), Medtner, Goldenweiser – original recordings 1946–1955 by Melodiya. NoNoise transfers distributed BMG 74321 25173 2
• Russian Piano School. Rachmaninoff: Suites for Two Pianos nos. 1 & 2; Six Morceaux pour piano duet. Talents of Russia. RCD 16260
• Grieg: Lyric pieces, opp. 12, 43, 47, 65. Melodiya. MEL CD 10 02118
• Medtner: Sonata in E minor for Violin and Piano, op. 57 (with David Oistrakh, violin). Melodiya.
• Catoire: Violin Sonatas nos. 1 & 2 (with David Oistrakh, violin). Melodiya.

References

• The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians London: Macmillan, 1980
• Archive of Alexander Goldenweiser Papers at the International Institute of Social History
• Herbert Aptheker: The Fraud of Soviet Anti-Semitism New York, N.Y.: New Era Books, 1962. Online Version

Notes

1. • Russian: Александр Борисович Гольденвейзер, romanized: Aleksandr Borisovich Goldenveyzer
   • Anglicized: Alexander Borisovich Goldenweiser