# Felix Blumenfeld



## Joachim Raff (Jan 31, 2020)

Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld (Russian: Фе́ликс Миха́йлович Блуменфе́льд; 19 April 1863 [O.S. 7 April] - 21 January 1931) was a Russian composer, conductor, pianist, and teacher.

He was born in Kovalevka, Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire (today - part of Kropyvnytskyi, Ukraine), the son of Mikhail Frantsevich Blumenfeld and the Polish Marie Szymanowska, 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 Modest Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov.

From 1918 to 1922, he was the director of the Music-drama school of Mykola Lysenko in 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, Maria Yudina and Maria Grinberg. 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 Pyotr Ilyich 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 and first cousin, once removed of Karol Szymanowski (Felix and Karol's father, Stanislaw Szymanowski, were cousins).


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## Joachim Raff (Jan 31, 2020)

Not prolific by any means but has merits. I recommend you listen to his symphony. My favourite recording is on the Dutton label: 
Symphony in C minor, Op. 39 'À la mémoire des chers défunts'

Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Martin Yates

Catalogue No: CDLX7298
https://lh6.ggpht.com/sejVXrtEWlzTp...7LEo8iclAW4_To9Yy4ey8K2GL4=s512-c-e100-rwu-v1


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Blumenfeld is an excellent composer, very _intense _manner of expression. His piano exudes drama, unrelenting force. It's definitely related to his operatic tastes. I want to make a note on that bio you posted.



> 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.


Blumenfeld was apparently a hardcore advocate of Wagner in his time. The Russians took a while to warm up to Wagner, but once they did, he had an enormous impact on their music. Blumenfeld Symphony in C minor has some pretty blatant quotes of Tristan, as blatant as some of Bruckner's wagner quotes.

Again, Blumenfeld quotes Tristan in one of his preludes. He must have _really_ had a thing for that opera, way more than other russians. Makes sense though, considering in order to conduct an opera, you have to basically memorize it, and what a feat to memorize Tristan!

I recommend hearing all of Blumenfeld's piano music, and giving this whole opus a spin. But the _tristanesque _prelude no. 19 is at the timestamp 39:39 below:


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## Batmat (May 18, 2020)

HI everybody!
I hope you like my video playing blumenfeld etude for the left hand


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