Mischa Levitzki
Mischa Levitzki (born May 25, 1898 in Kremenchuk (Ukraine), † January 2, 1941 in Avon-by-the-Sea / New Jersey ) was an American pianist.
The son of Russian-Jewish immigrants with American citizenship was born in 1898 during a visit to his home country by his parents, who lived in New York . He received violin lessons at the age of three and piano lessons at the age of six and became a student of Aleksander Michałowski in Warsaw at the age of seven . The following year he made his debut as a pianist at a concert in Antwerp.
In 1908 the family returned to New York, and Frank Damrosch took him on to the Institute of Musical Art (later Juilliard School of Music ), where he was Sigismond Stojowski's piano student until 1911 . He then studied with Ernst von Dohnányi at the Berlin University of Music until 1915 . After a concert tour through Germany, Austria, Hungary and Norway, he made his debut in 1916 in New York's Aeolian Hall .
As a result, he became one of the most respected concert pianists in the USA. Between 1916 and 1930 he made 12 concert tours in more than one hundred American cities. In 1921 he performed in Australia and New Zealand, and in 1925 in East Asia. In 1927 he made his debut with the London Symphony Orchestra under Thomas Beecham in London's Queen's Hall . He then performed regularly in London until 1933.
In addition to his solo activities, Levitzki was also a respected chamber musician. So he led u. a. with the Musical Art Quartet on a Brahms program in the Town Hall of New York. He also composed some piano pieces. His first recordings were made in 1924, most of them were recorded between 1927 and 1933 on His Master's Voice . His last recording was made in 1938 at RCA Victor . In January 1941, Levitzki died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his home in Avon-by-the-Sea. From 2002 Naxos published a complete edition of his recordings.
Levitzki's brother Marks Levine (1890–1971) was director of the National Concert and Artists Corporation , his brother Lewis L. Lorwin became known as an economist and his sister Bertha Levitzki (later Sandra Levitzki) as a pianist and harpist.
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- Naxos - Mischa Levitzki
- Naxos - LEVITZKI, Mischa: Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 (1924-1928)
- New York Public Library - Mischa Levitzki papers, 1898-1957
- Discography at Allmusic
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Levitzki, Misha |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 25, 1898 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Kremenchuk |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 2, 1941 |
| Place of death | Avon-by-the-Sea , New Jersey |