Vladimir Feltsman

Vladimir Oskarovich Feltsman (; born 8 January 1952) is a Russian-American classical pianist particularly noted for his devotion to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Frédéric Chopin.

Background

Vladimir Oskarovich Feltsman was born on January 8, 1952, in Moscow. His father, the composer Oscar Feltsman, was known in the Soviet Union for popular songs and musical comedies. He studied at the Moscow Tchaikovsky, Moscow, and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) Conservatories. In 1971, he won the Grand Prix at the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris, followed by tours in the former Soviet Union, Europe, and Japan, thus beginning his adult career. Feltsman has turned to performances on the fortepiano; he has notably performed all of Mozart's piano sonatas on a fortepiano, as well as Beethoven's Emperor Concerto and Mozart's Concerto K595, No. 27. As his contribution to the Mozart anniversary year, he commissioned the keyboard builder Paul McNulty to construct a fortepiano modeled after an Anton Walter instrument from Mozart's time.

Personal

He married a woman named Anna in 1977, and they had a son, Daniel, circa 1983. He was allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union after his marriage, though his wife was not allowed to accompany him, held as a de facto hostage so he would return.

In 1995, Feltsman became a U.S. citizen.

He lives in upstate New York with his Korean wife, Haewon.

Works

Feltsman's discography includes six albums of clavier works of J.S. Bach, recordings of Beethoven's complete Rondos and Variations and the last five piano sonatas, solo piano works of Franz Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Olivier Messiaen, and Valentyn Sylvestrov, as well as concerti by Bach, Frédéric Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov, and Sergei Prokofiev.

Awards

1962: Debut, Moscow State Philharmonic 1967: First Prize, Concertina International Competition (Prague) 1971: Grand Prix, Marguerite Long Competition (Paris)