Alexander Uninsky
Encyclopedia
Alexander Uninsky was a Russian-American classical pianist.
(then in the Russian Empire
, now in Ukraine
). He initially studied piano there in the conservatory which had been opened in 1913, and whose other graduates included Vladimir Horowitz
and Alexander Brailowsky
.
He subsequently moved to Paris
in 1923, where he studied with Lazare Lévy
. He was awarded the conservatory's first prize for piano. In 1932 he won the second International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition. In fact, Uninsky tied for first place with the blind Hungarian pianist Imre Ungar
, and the judges decided to award victory on the basis of the toss of a coin. Ungar lost.
In 1955, he took up a teaching post at the Toronto Conservatory of Music, where he numbered among his pupils the Canadian composer Bruce Mather
. Mather commemorated his teacher in his 1974 composition In memoriam Alexander Uninsky
Subsequently he taught at the Southern Methodist University
in Dallas, Texas
. His pupils included Jeffrey Swann
, David Morgan, Carmen Alvarez, Boaz Heilman, Henry Doskey, David Golub
and Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak
.
He died in Dallas in 1972, aged 62.
recording company. His Chopin
playing is well represented in his recordings, including the complete Étude
s, recorded in the 1950s, the complete Mazurka
s and Impromptu
s recorded between 1959 and 1971, the Scherzo
s and Waltz
es, as well as the piano concertos. His other recordings included works by Liszt
.
His style is greatly reminiscent of Nikita Magaloff
, who underwent the same influences of pre-revolutionary Russia and post-revolutionary Paris. His playing is unsentimental and elegant, but with a rubato that marks him as coming from an essentially early twentieth century aesthetic. It is not surprising that his clean, sober playing impressed the jury of the second Chopin Competition, which has been founded to combat the mannered, virtuoso tradition of Chopin playing which had marked the late 19th century . An indication of the 'modernness' of Uninsky's playing comes from a comment by Dinu Lipatti
in a review he wrote in 1937 for Libertatea
in which he says "How is it possible that Emil Sauer
must play in the small Salle Érard, despite his glorious past, when a Brailowsky or Uninsky can pack the Salle Pleyel
?"
Life and career
Alexander Uninsky was born in KievKiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
(then in the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, now in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). He initially studied piano there in the conservatory which had been opened in 1913, and whose other graduates included Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Horowitz
Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz was a Russian-American classical virtuoso pianist and minor composer. His technique and use of tone color and the excitement of his playing were legendary. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century.-Life and early...
and Alexander Brailowsky
Alexander Brailowsky
Alexander Brailowsky was a Ukrainian French pianist who specialized in the works of Frédéric Chopin. He was a leading concert pianist in the years between the two World Wars.-Early life:...
.
He subsequently moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1923, where he studied with Lazare Lévy
Lazare Lévy
Lazare Lévy was an influential French pianist, organist, composer and pedgogue. As a virtuoso pianist he toured throughout Europe, in North Africa, Israel, the Soviet Union and Japan...
. He was awarded the conservatory's first prize for piano. In 1932 he won the second International Frédéric Chopin Piano Competition. In fact, Uninsky tied for first place with the blind Hungarian pianist Imre Ungar
Imré Ungár
Imre Ungár was a Hungarian pianist.He was blind since the age of three. While a student under István Thomán at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music he won the Competition for Young Talents, beginning a concert career through Hungary. He took part in the II Fryderyk Chopin Competition, tying with...
, and the judges decided to award victory on the basis of the toss of a coin. Ungar lost.
In 1955, he took up a teaching post at the Toronto Conservatory of Music, where he numbered among his pupils the Canadian composer Bruce Mather
Bruce Mather
Bruce Mather is a Canadian composer, pianist, and writer who is particularly known for his contributions to contemporary classical music. One of the most notable composers of microtonal music, he was awarded the Jules Léger Prize twice, first in 1979 for his Musique pour Champigny and again in...
. Mather commemorated his teacher in his 1974 composition In memoriam Alexander Uninsky
Subsequently he taught at the Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
in Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. His pupils included Jeffrey Swann
Jeffrey Swann
Jeffrey Swann is a renowned classical pianist.Swann was born in Arizona but moved to Dallas, Texas, as a young child. He began piano studies at the age of four. While attending St. Mark's School of Texas, he studied for seven years with Alexander Uninsky at Southern Methodist University in...
, David Morgan, Carmen Alvarez, Boaz Heilman, Henry Doskey, David Golub
David Golub
David Golub, pianist and conductor, was born March 22, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois, USA and died of lung cancer on October 16, 2000 in Milan, Italy.- Biography :Golub moved with his family to Dallas, Texas when he was five years old...
and Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak
Dubravka Tomšic Srebotnjak
Dubravka Tomšič Srebotnjak is a Slovenian pianist and music teacher.Her substantial talent as a pianist was made obvious while receiving private instruction at a young age, so it was only natural that she continue her education in the field, first at the Music high school in Ljubljana and later at...
.
He died in Dallas in 1972, aged 62.
Recorded legacy and reputation
Uninsky was quickly signed up in the early 1950s by the newly formed PhilipsPhilips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
recording company. His Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
playing is well represented in his recordings, including the complete Étude
Étude
An étude , is an instrumental musical composition, most commonly of considerable difficulty, usually designed to provide practice material for perfecting a particular technical skill. The tradition of writing études emerged in the early 19th century with the rapidly growing popularity of the piano...
s, recorded in the 1950s, the complete Mazurka
Mazurka
The mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...
s and Impromptu
Impromptu
An impromptu is a free-form musical composition with the character of an ex tempore improvisation as if prompted by the spirit of the moment, usually for a solo instrument, such as piano...
s recorded between 1959 and 1971, the Scherzo
Scherzo
A scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
s and Waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
es, as well as the piano concertos. His other recordings included works by Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
.
His style is greatly reminiscent of Nikita Magaloff
Nikita Magaloff
Nikita Magaloff was a Georgian-Russian pianist.He was born in Saint Petersburg to a Georgian noble family named Maghalashvili. Magaloff and his family left Russia in 1918 for Finland and then Paris, where he studied with Isidor Philipp, chair of the piano department at the Paris Conservatory...
, who underwent the same influences of pre-revolutionary Russia and post-revolutionary Paris. His playing is unsentimental and elegant, but with a rubato that marks him as coming from an essentially early twentieth century aesthetic. It is not surprising that his clean, sober playing impressed the jury of the second Chopin Competition, which has been founded to combat the mannered, virtuoso tradition of Chopin playing which had marked the late 19th century . An indication of the 'modernness' of Uninsky's playing comes from a comment by Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti
Dinu Lipatti was a Romanian classical pianist and composer whose career was cut short by his death from Hodgkin's disease at age 33. He was elected posthumously to the Romanian Academy.-Biography:...
in a review he wrote in 1937 for Libertatea
Libertatea
Libertatea is a Romanian tabloid newspaper published in Bucharest. Libertatea was the first newspaper that appeared after Romanian Revolution, the first edition was in 22 December 1989 at midday, first newspaper announcing the people the fact the president dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu fled the...
in which he says "How is it possible that Emil Sauer
Emil von Sauer
Emil Georg Conrad von Sauer was a notable German composer, pianist, score editor, and music teacher. He was a pupil of Franz Liszt and one of the most distinguished pianists of his generation...
must play in the small Salle Érard, despite his glorious past, when a Brailowsky or Uninsky can pack the Salle Pleyel
Salle Pleyel
The Salle Pleyel is a concert hall in Paris, France. The resident ensembles are the Orchestre de Paris and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.-History and Design:...
?"
Recordings
- Fr. Chopin: Polonaises (Nos. 1-6), Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
LP -LC 3623 - Fr. Chopin: Etüden, PhilipsPhilipsKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
LP Nr. A 00405 L undated
External links
- Archive photo of Uninsky
- Spanish concert programme from 1942 with photo and brief biography which was used as one of the sources for this entry.