AUTHORITATIVE | CURATED | First 500 words Free

• Personalities
• Classical
• Contemporary Classical
• Instrumentalist

1927–2007 Russian cellist Rostropovich studied at the Moscow Conservatory, where he was appointed professor in 1956, the year of his London and New York debuts. Composers who wrote works for him include Shostakovich and Britten. He left the USSR in 1974. As well as accompanying his wife, the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, on the piano, he frequently ...

• Personalities
• Classical
• Composer
• Modern Era

1913–76 English composer The finest English composer of his generation, Britten reacted against the folksong-derived pastoralism of his elder compatriots, finding inspiration in Purcell and influences as various as Mahler and Stravinsky. The international success of his opera Peter Grimes (1945) brought financial security, but he continued to appear as a pianist, accompanying his partner and outstanding ...

• Personalities
• Classical
• Composer
• Contemporary Classical

(Al-fred Shnit’-ke) 1934–98 Russian composer The most striking aspect of Schnittke’s music is its combination of a multitude of styles. His Symphony No. 1 (1972) contains quotations from many composers – from Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–93). The Concerti grossi parody Baroque styles with a degree of wit. Unlike other exponents of collage style, Schnittke retains a ...

• Personalities
• Classical
• Composer
• Contemporary Classical

(On-re’ Dü-te-yö’) 1916–2013 French composer Despite success as a young composer, Dutilleux disowned almost his entire oeuvre before the Piano Sonata (1946–48). He followed a very different path from his compatriot Boulez, and his two symphonies (1950–51 and 1955–59) exhibit strong links with the traditional Germanic form. Variation was a key feature of Dutilleux’s music, but he tended ...

• Personalities
• Classical
• Contemporary Classical
• Instrumentalist

1915–97 Soviet pianist Self-taught as a pianist, Richter gave his first recital in 1934. After studying at the Moscow Conservatory, he toured the USSR in 1940. He gave the first performances of Prokofiev’s Sixth, Seventh and Ninth Sonatas. His fame had already spread to the West by the time he made his first appearance there in 1960. His ...

• Personalities
• Classical
• Contemporary Classical
• Instrumentalist

b. 1941 Argentinian pianist After her success at the 1965 Warsaw International Chopin competition, Argerich’s career involved regular appearances with such conductors as Abbado and Rostropovich (who, as a cellist, also partnered her in duo repertoire). Though her recordings, especially of Chopin, Ravel and Prokofiev, continue to be held in high esteem, she now ...