Wassily Sapellnikoff
Wassily Sapellnikoff | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Vasily Lvovich Sapelnikov |
| Born | 2 November 1867 Odessa |
| Died | 17 March 1941 (aged 73) |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist |
| Instrument(s) | Piano |
| Labels | Vocalion Records, Decca Records |
Wassily Sapellnikoff (Russian: Василий Львович Сапельников; tr. Vasily Lvovich Sapelnikov)[1] (2 November [O.S. 21 October] 1867 – 17 March 1941), was a Ukrainian-born Russian[2][3][4][5] pianist.
Biography
Sapellnikoff was born in
He toured with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Germany, France and England. At his debut in Hamburg in 1888, he played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor with the composer conducting. This concert was a great success and a catalyst for his budding career as a concert pianist in Western Europe. He was the first to play this concerto in England. He was the dedicatee of a piano piece by Tchaikovsky.
Tchaikovsky wrote about him affectionately in his letters to his brother Modest, in terms such as:
Since the time of Kotek I have never loved anyone so warmly as him.[6]
Because they spent so much time together on these tours, it is often asserted that he and Tchaikovsky were lovers. However, Alexander Poznansky, in Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man, writes: "As in the case of Brandukov, it seems likely that an erotic element was present in Tchaikovsky's friendship with Sapelnikov and that he recognised it as such. Both men were quite young and good-looking. Almost certainly, however, their relations remained chaste."[6]
Sapellnikoff first appeared in England in 1889 playing the Tchaikovsky concerto at a Royal Philharmonic Society concert, under the composer's baton. He became a favourite at Philharmonic concerts, and created a furore in 1892 by his performance of Franz Liszt's E-flat Concerto, accepting a second engagement for the same season. In 1902 he delivered the first performance in England of Sergei Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto. In December 1912 he gave Frédéric Chopin's E minor Concerto, under Percy Pitt: in January 1914 the Rachmaninoff again, under Willem Mengelberg: in November 1914 the Liszt A major Concerto, under Thomas Beecham, a performance repeated in January 1915; and the Second Suite by Rachmaninoff (for two pianofortes) with Simeon Rumschisky in December 1915. He performed the Rachmaninoff concerto again for the RPO with Landon Ronald in January 1923.[7]
In England he amazed
Between 1897 and 1899 he was a professor at the Moscow Conservatory, where his students included Nikolai Medtner.[9] On 1 December 1905 Sapellnikoff recorded 12 pieces for the
Notes and references
- ^ While Vasily (Lvovich) Sapelnikov would be a truer romanisation of his name, he chose the form "Wassily Sapellnikoff" for his appearances in the West
- ^ "Vasily_Sapelnikov". tchaikovsky-research.net.
- ^ "Sapellnikov, Vasily". encyclopedia.com.
- ^ Vodarsky-Shiraeff, Alexandria (1969), Russian composers and musicians; a biographical dictionary, Greenwood Press, p. 115
- ^ Blair, Linda W. (1989). "THE YALE COLLECTION OF HISTORICAL SOUND RECORDINGS" (PDF). ARSC Journal. 20 (2): 172. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ a b Alexander Poznansky, Tchaikovsky: The Quest for the Inner Man, p. 484
- ^ R. Elkin, Royal Philharmonic (Rider & Co, London 1946), 84, 98, 138, 140-42, 151.
- ^ Harold C. Schonberg, The Great Pianists, p. 324-325
- ^ Tchaikovsky Research
- ^ Charles David Smith & Richard James Howe, The Welte-Mignon its Music and Musicians, p. 459-460
- ^ See Naxos Sapellnikov page.
Sources
- Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 5th edition, reprinted 1966
- [1]
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
