Benno Moiseiwitsch
Benno Moiseiwitsch was one of the early 20th century piano virtuosi who dazzled audiences with his technique and elegant expression. Precociously talented, he studied with the legendary Leschetizky in Vienna before joining his family in England and eventually taking British citizenship. He had a somewhat impersonal stage presence, but his playing was brilliant and effortless, passionate and sophisticated. He excelled in the music of the Romantic era but also performed works by his contemporaries Rachmaninov, Poulenc, and Medtner impressively. His recordings, primarily for His Master's Voice, covered the 78-rpm through early stereo eras. Much of it has been re-issued on labels specializing in historical recordings.
Moiseiwitsch was born in 1890 in Odessa. He was precociously talented, evidenced by his winning the Anton Rubinstein Prize when he was nine years old, after having studied with Dmitry Klimov at the Music Academy in Odessa. At the age of 14, he went to Vienna to study with Theodor Leschetizky. Meanwhile, his family emigrated to England, so when he made his debut as a mature artist, it was in Reading in 1908, followed by an appearance in London in 1910. He made his first recording in 1916 for His Master's Voice (later EMI), staying with the label until 1960. His first American appearance was after World War I, in 1919. He achieved an important international concert career, touring extensively throughout Europe, the Americas, East Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Pacific islands. This heavy schedule derailed his plans to open a music school to continue teaching the Leschetizky method to piano students.
Moiseiwitsch, who had adopted the Germanized version of his name while in Vienna, became a British subject in 1937. During the war years, he tirelessly performed for service members and charities, for which he was later rewarded with a CBE appointment. He adopted a similar stage appearance to that of his friend Sergey Rachmaninov and his fellow Odessan Jascha Heifetz: an undemonstrative, reserved, even cold demeanor. Critics found the same qualities in his playing, yet recordings suggest passionate interpretations, particularly of late-Romantic and Russian music. He frequently played Rachmaninov, with the composer often remarking that Moiseiwitsch played his music better than he did. Moiseiwitsch was one of the new champions outside Russia of his friend, composer Nikolay Medtner. Although his repertory centered on the Romantic era (his Baroque and Classical era repertory was almost invariably made up of Romantic transcriptions), he did premiere several pieces by contemporaries, including Francis Poulenc. Moiseiwitsch made his last recordings in 1961 for Decca, which included a recording of music by Schumann, the composer to whom he felt the most sympathy. Moiseiwitsch died just two years later, in 1963, in London. Much of his recorded legacy has been re-issued on labels such as Naxos Historical and APR, among others.
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Moussorgski: Tableaux d'une exposition, Enfantines...
Benno Moiseiwitsch / Evgueni Nesterenko / Nina Dorliac / Sviatoslav Richter / Fritz Reiner
Solo Piano - Released by Les Indispensables de Diapason on 28 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Concertos 1, 2 (1937/48) (Moiseiwitsch, 4)
Keyboard Concertos - Released by Naxos on 15 Dec 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Pianists : Moiseiwitsch, volume 3 (1944-1945)
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Philharmonia Orchestra, Wiener Philharmonic Orchestra, George Weldon
Classical - Released by Naxos on 20 Nov 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Concerto pour piano, Op. 16 - Schumann: Concerto pour piano, Op. 54 (Mono Version)
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1955
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Liszt Legacy
Claudio Arrau, Alicia de Larrocha, Raymond Lewenthal, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Egon Petri
Classical - Released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) on 19 Sep 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grieg: Concerto pour piano, Op. 16 - Rachmaninoff: Rhapsodie sur un thème de Paganini, Op. 43 (Mono Version)
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Otto Ackermann, Philharmonia Orchestra
Miscellaneous - Released by BNF Collection on 1 Jan 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Complete Rachmaninov Recordings (Recorded 1937-1943)
Benno Moiseiwitsch, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Walter Goehr, Basil Cameron
Classical - Released by APR on 1 Jun 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin Recordings, Volume 2
Classical - Released by Naxos on 27 May 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Benno Moiseiwitsch Plays Chopin
Classical - Released by Past Classics on 16 Jan 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jascha Heifetz, violon
Jascha Heifetz, Benno Moiseiwitsch, William Kapell, Arthur Rubinstein
Chamber Music - Released by Naxos on 28 Feb 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rachmaninov: Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2, Paganini Rhapsody
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Sir Malcolm Sargent, Walter Goehr, Basil Cameron, The Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Released by Infinity on 18 May 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Benno Moiseiwitsch plays Rachmaninoff & Chopin
Benno Moiseiwitsch, The Philharmonia Orchestra
Classical - Released by Past Classics on 13 Oct 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Pianists : Moiseiwitsch, volume 9 (1927-1950)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 29 Aug 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin : Œuvres de piano (Moiseiwitsch Edition - Volume 11)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 31 Jul 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Pianists : Moiseiwitsch, volume 7 (1928-1948)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 18 Aug 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les grands pianistes : Moiseiwitsch, volume 10 (Acoustic Recordings 1916-1925)
Classical - Released by Naxos on 21 Nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Chopin Recordings, Volume 3
Classical - Released by Naxos on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
DELIUS: Piano Concerto / RAVEL: Jeux d'eau (Moiseiwitsch, Vol. 6) (1925-1950)
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Philharmonia Orchestra, Constant Lambert
Classical - Released by Naxos on 26 Dec 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Pianists : Moiseiwitsch, volume 1 (1927-1945)
Concertos - Released by Naxos on 17 Jul 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of Chopin, Vol. 8
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Arthur Rubinstein, Alfred Cortot, Wilhelm Backhaus
Classical - Released by ArnebAudio on 24 Jan 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Great Pianists : Moiseiwitsch, volume 5 (1939-1947)
Benno Moiseiwitsch, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra, Constant Lambert, Basil Cameron, Leslie Heward
Classical - Released by Naxos on 14 Jul 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo