Igor Markevitch
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Igor Markevitch (Ukrainian: Ігор Маркевич) (August 9, 1912 – March 7, 1983) was a Ukrainian composer and conductor.
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[edit] Biography
Born in Kiev, Markevitch moved with his family to Switzerland in 1914. Alfred Cortot discovered his musical ability and took him to Paris in 1926 for training as a composer and pianist, where he would study under Nadia Boulanger. He gained recognition in 1929 with the performance of his Concerto Grosso in Paris. Béla Bartók once described Markevitch as "...the most striking personality in contemporary music..." and cited him as an influence on his own composing.[1] During the 1930's he received increased acclaim for his compositions and started being hailed as "the second Igor"—the first Igor being Igor Stravinsky. He continued composing as war approached but not long after completing a new orchestral work in October 1941 he fell seriously ill. After recovering, he decided to give up composition and focus exclusively on conducting.
Markevitch made his debut as a conductor at age 18 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. As a conductor, Markevitch was well-respected for his interpretations of the French and Russian repertory and of twentieth-century music. He settled in Italy and became an Italian citizen. During the Second World War he was active with the partisan movement. He relocated again, to London in 1953, and then to Switzerland. Beginning in 1965 he worked for the Spanish RTVE Orchestra. He died suddenly in Antibes on March 7, 1983.
[edit] Family
His brother Dimitry Markevitch was a notable musicologist and cellist.
Markevitch's first wife was Kyra Nijinska, a daughter of the ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky. They had one son, Vaslav, before divorcing.
His second wife was Donna Topazia Caetani, the only child of Don Michelangelo Caetani dei Duchi di Sermoneta and his wife, the former Nobile Cora Maria Antinori, who ran the boutique of the Paris decorating firm Jansen. Their son is the conductor Oleg Caetani, who is presently chief conductor and artistic director of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
After his wife's death, he became the companion of Carlotta Garriga.
[edit] Work
[edit] Compositions
- Partita (1931) for piano and small orchestra
- L'Envol d'Icare (1932) Ballet for orchestra
- Le Paradis Perdu (1934-35) Oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra
- Lorenzo il Magnifico (1940) for soprano and orchestra
[edit] Theory
- Historical, analytical and practical studies of Beethoven symphonies (Die Sinfonien von Ludwig van Beethoven: historische, analytische und praktische Studien; published by Edition Peters, Leipzig, 1982) - popular literature for conductors, although disputed.
[edit] References
- ^ Igor Markevitch Biography. Naxos Records. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Jean Martinon |
Principal Conductors, Orchestre Lamoureux 1957–1961 |
Succeeded by Jean-Baptiste Mari |
| Preceded by Louis Frémaux |
Music Directors, Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra 1967–1972 |
Succeeded by Lovro von Matačić |
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