Felix Blumenfeld

Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld Russian Феликс Михайлович Блуменфельд 19 April 1863 O.S. 7 April – 21 January 1931 Was A Russian Composer Conductor And Pianist. He Was Born In Kovalevka Kherson Ukraine And Studied Composition At The St. Petersburg Conservatory Under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov And Piano Under Fedor Stein Between 1881 And 1885. He Then Taught Piano There Himself From 1885 Until 1918 Whilst Also Serving As Conductor Of The Mariinsky Theatre Until 1911. This Theatre Saw The Premieres Of The Operas Composed By His Teacher And Mentor Rimsky-Korsakov And He Was Also The Conductor At The Russian Premiere Of Wagner's Opera Tristan Und Isolde. In 1908 He Conducted The Paris Premiere Of Mussorgsky's Opera Boris Godunov From 1918 To 1922 He Was The Director Of The Conservatory Of Kiev Where Amongst Others Vladimir Horowitz Was A Pupil In His Masterclasses. He Returned To The Moscow Conservatory In 1922 Teaching There Until His Death. Other Famous Pupils Of His Include Simon Barere And Maria Yudina. He Died In Moscow. As A Pianist He Played Many Of The Compositions Of His Russian Contemporaries. His Compositions Which Showed The Influence Of Frédéric Chopin And Peter Tchaikovsky Include A Symphony Pieces For Solo Piano An Allegro De Concert For Piano And Orchestra And Lieder. His Virtuoso Pieces For Piano In Particular Are Enjoying Something Of A Renaissance In Recent Years. He Was The Uncle Of Heinrich Neuhaus. read less