October 30, 2017.An old picture.Last week, as we were looking for a good photograph of Emil Gilels, we came across this picture.It was taken during the May 1 celebrations in 1940; in it are six young musicians, all of great talent, aged 17 to 27.Young, happy, Jewish (those were the last pre-Antisemitic days of the Soviet Union), they are standing in a crowd on the Manezh Square, just outside of the Kremlin (behind them is Moscow University), smiling.1940 was the year between two catastrophes, that of the Great Terror of 1937-38 and the war with Germany, which would invade the Soviet Union in a year.But in the meantime, they were living a rather privileged life: they made the young Soviet state proud, and the state responded with honors and good apartments.Who are they?Let’s start on the left and moveright.On the left is the youngest of them all, Busya (Boris) Goldshtein at 17.A violinist and a child prodigy, he was in in Odessa, and studied with Pyotr Stolyarsky.When Jascha Heifetz visited the Soviet Union in 1934, he met with many young violinists and singled Busya out.In 1935, at age 12 and a half, he won the fourth prize at the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Warsaw (Ginette Neveu was first, David Oystrakh came in second).Two years later, still not even 15, he received the fourth prize at the first Ysaye Competition in Brussels.During the war, being a student of the Moscow Conservatory, he, as many other musicians performed at the front line.This prevented him from timely passing the exam on a very important subject, “Brief History of the Communist Party.”So, despite his fame and honors, he was expelled from the Conservatory, which for all purposes was the end of his career.Goldstein emigrated to Germany in 1972 but never regained the status he held while a teenager.
Next to him stands the pianist Yakov Flier, at 27 the eldest.Flier was born on October 21st, 1912, in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, a town outside of Moscow famous for its textile production but not its culture.Not at all a wunderkind, his talent developed slowly.After attending the Central music school, he was accepted at the Conservatory and studied there with one of the best professors, Konstantin Igumnov.He reached his full potential only by the end of his studies, but once at the top, he remained at the top as long as he could play.
Starting 1935, he embarked on a series of concerts across the Soviet Union.In 1936 he won a piano competition in Vienna, ahead of his friend Emil Gilels, who took the second prize.Gilels would have his revenge two years later in Brussles, where he won the Ysaye while Flier was “only” the third.As early as in 1945 Flier noticed problems with his right hand; it was getting worse and by 1949 Flier could no longer play.He was absent from the concert scene for 10 years but returned in 1959 after a successful surgery and rehabilitation.While his earlier playing was romantic, sometimes too much so, it became deeper and more introspective.In 1960s and the 70s he toured in Europe and the US and became one of the most sought-after professors of the Moscow Conservatory.
Next to Flier, a step behind, stands the 18-year-old Rosa Tamarkina, fresh from a triumph at the Chopin competition.Why is she standing next to Flier, and not to Emil Gilels, whose wife she would become later that year?Is she still infatuated with Flier, as was rumored in Moscow?Why didn’t she marry him, one wonders – her marriage to Gilels was not very happy and brief, as, tragically, was her life.We’ll have to wait till next week to conclude our story about this remarkable group.
Old picture, 2017
October 30, 2017. An old picture. Last week, as we were looking for a good photograph of Emil Gilels, we came across this picture. It was taken during the May 1 celebrations in 1940; in it are six young musicians, all of great talent, aged 17 to 27. Young, happy, Jewish (those were the last pre-Antisemitic days of the Soviet Union), they are
standing in a crowd on the Manezh Square, just outside of the Kremlin (behind them is Moscow University), smiling. 1940 was the year between two catastrophes, that of the Great Terror of 1937-38 and the war with Germany, which would invade the Soviet Union in a year. But in the meantime, they were living a rather privileged life: they made the young Soviet state proud, and the state responded with honors and good apartments. Who are they? Let’s start on the left and moveright. On the left is the youngest of them all, Busya (Boris) Goldshtein at 17. A violinist and a child prodigy, he was in in Odessa, and studied with Pyotr Stolyarsky. When Jascha Heifetz visited the Soviet Union in 1934, he met with many young violinists and singled Busya out. In 1935, at age 12 and a half, he won the fourth prize at the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Warsaw (Ginette Neveu was first, David Oystrakh came in second). Two years later, still not even 15, he received the fourth prize at the first Ysaye Competition in Brussels. During the war, being a student of the Moscow Conservatory, he, as many other musicians performed at the front line. This prevented him from timely passing the exam on a very important subject, “Brief History of the Communist Party.” So, despite his fame and honors, he was expelled from the Conservatory, which for all purposes was the end of his career. Goldstein emigrated to Germany in 1972 but never regained the status he held while a teenager.
Next to him stands the pianist Yakov Flier, at 27 the eldest. Flier was born on October 21st, 1912, in Orekhovo-Zuyevo, a town outside of Moscow famous for its textile production but not its culture. Not at all a wunderkind, his talent developed slowly. After attending the Central music school, he was accepted at the Conservatory and studied there with one of the best professors, Konstantin Igumnov. He reached his full potential only by the end of his studies, but once at the top, he remained at the top as long as he could play.
Starting 1935, he embarked on a series of concerts across the Soviet Union. In 1936 he won a piano competition in Vienna, ahead of his friend Emil Gilels, who took the second prize. Gilels would have his revenge two years later in Brussles, where he won the Ysaye while Flier was “only” the third. As early as in 1945 Flier noticed problems with his right hand; it was getting worse and by 1949 Flier could no longer play. He was absent from the concert scene for 10 years but returned in 1959 after a successful surgery and rehabilitation. While his earlier playing was romantic, sometimes too much so, it became deeper and more introspective. In 1960s and the 70s he toured in Europe and the US and became one of the most sought-after professors of the Moscow Conservatory.
Next to Flier, a step behind, stands the 18-year-old Rosa Tamarkina, fresh from a triumph at the Chopin competition. Why is she standing next to Flier, and not to Emil Gilels, whose wife she would become later that year? Is she still infatuated with Flier, as was rumored in Moscow? Why didn’t she marry him, one wonders – her marriage to Gilels was not very happy and brief, as, tragically, was her life. We’ll have to wait till next week to conclude our story about this remarkable group.