Grzegorz Fitelberg
Grzegorz Fitelberg | |
|---|---|
 Grzegorz Fitelberg in 1930s | |
| Born | 18 October 1879 |
| Died | 10 June 1953(aged 73) Katowice,Poland |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Occupation | Conductor |
Grzegorz Fitelberg(18 October 1879 – 10 June 1953) was a Polish conductor, violinist and composer. He was a member of theYoung Polandgroup, together with artists such asKarol Szymanowski,Ludomir RóżyckiandMieczysław Karłowicz.
Life and career
[edit]Fitelberg was born into a Jewish family (father Hozjasz Fitelberg, mother Matylda Pintzof, sister Leja Wacholder, 1881–1941, were all murdered inthe Holocaust),[1][2][3]inDaugavpils,Russian Empire(nowLatvia). Between 1906 and 1907, he performed several times at theBerlin Philharmonic.In 1908 he conducted in theWarsaw Opera,and between 1912 and 1913 in theVienna State Opera.During thefirst warhe collaborated withBallets Russes;he conducted the first performance ofIgor Stravinsky'sMavraat theOpéra GarnierinParis.From 1921 to 1934 he was the chief conductor of theWarsaw Philharmonic Orchestra,where he extensively promoted new music. In 1935 he organized thePolish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.[4]
Between 1940 and 1941, he conducted at theTeatro ColóninBuenos Aires.Throughout his career, he performed in various locations worldwide includingParis,Monte Carlo,Brussels,Vienna,Dresden,Leipzig,Moscow,Bristol,London,The Hague,Buenos Aires,New York,MontrealandToronto.He took his remaining World War II exile years in the United States.[4]
He returned to Europe in 1946. In 1947, he succeededWitold Rowickiin leading thePolish National Radio Symphony Orchestra,based inKatowicein the Silesian region. He also performed with his orchestra inWarsaw,Wrocław,Krakówand inCzechoslovakia(1948),RomaniaandHungary(1950). He remained director of the orchestra until his death. in the 1950–1951 academic year he was a professor at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice.[citation needed]
He died inKatowice,Polandin June 1953. His body buried in the Avenue of the Meritorious at the Military Cemetery Powązki.[4][5]
Personal life
[edit]His son was the Polish-American composerJerzy Fitelberg,who predeceased him. His second wife,Halina Schmolz,was a ballet dancer who died in 1939, from wounds suffered during the bombing of thePoniatowski Bridge.Their home, Willa Fitelberga, has been restored.[6]
Legacy
[edit]One of Fitelberg's students,Karol Stryja,founded theGrzegorz Fitelberg International Competition for Conductorsin 1979. The competition is one of the most important music competitions in Poland, and it takes place in theSilesian Philharmonic.
Music (selection)
[edit]Orchestral Works
[edit]- Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 13 (1902-1903)
- Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 16 (1904)
- Song of the Falcon(Pieśń o sokole), Symphonic Poem, Op. 18, after Maxim Gorky (1905)
- Overture No. 1, Op. 14 (1905)
- Overture No. 2, Op. 17 (1906)
- Symphony No. 2 in A major, Op. 20 (1907)
- Protesilaus and Laodamia,Symphonic Poem, Op. 24 (1908)
- Polish Rhapsody,Op. 25 (1913),
- Rhapsody No. 2 (1914)
- From the Depths of the Sea(W głębi morza), Symphonic Poem, Op. 26 (1914).
Chamber music
[edit]- Sonata for violin and piano in A minor, Op. 2 (1894, the work received the I.J.Paderewski Prize in 1898)
- Romances sans paroles,2 pieces Op. 11 for violin and piano: in D major (1892) and A major (1900)
- Piano trio in F minor, Op. 10 (1901)
- Sonata No. 2 for violin and piano in F major, Op. 12 (1901)
Awards
[edit]- Order of the Banner of Work(Poland, 1950)[7]
- Commander's Cross of theOrder of Polonia Restituta(Poland, 1947)[8]
- Knight's Cross ofLegion of Honour(France)[9]
- Commander's Cross of theOrder of the Phoenix(Greece, 1938)[10]
- GoldenCross of Merit(Poland, 1932)
- Officer's Cross of theOrder of Polonia Restituta(Poland, 1927)[11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^"JewishGen.org".Archived fromthe originalon 2019-04-02.Retrieved2017-06-24.
- ^TROCHIMCZYK, MAJA (2005)."Reviewed work: Grzegorz Fitelberg—Korespondencja. Korespondencja Grzegorza Fitelberga z lat 1941-1953 [Grzegorz Fitelberg—Correspondence. Correspondence of Grzegorz Fitelberg from the Years 1941-1953)], Leon Markiewicz, Adam Labus, Sylwia Polek".The Polish Review.50(2): 232–237.JSTOR25779543– via JSTOR.
- ^"Warszawa | Wirtualny Sztetl".sztetl.org.pl.
- ^abc"Grzegorz Fitelberg".Retrieved27 April2020.
- ^Juliusz Jerzy Malczewski: Cmentarz komunalny (dawny wojskowy) na Powązkach. Warszawa: Krajowa Agencja Wydawnicza, 1975, p. 11.
- ^Willa Fitelberga,Polska Niezwykla. Accessed 27 May 2024.
- ^"M.P. 1950 nr 75 poz. 864".Retrieved27 April2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^"M.P. 1947 nr 143 poz. 877".Retrieved27 April2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Grzegorz Fitelberg".Retrieved27 April2020.
- ^"Gazeta Lwowska".Retrieved27 April2020.
- ^"Gazeta Lwowska".Retrieved27 April2020.
External links
[edit]
- Polish classical composers
- Polish male classical composers
- Polish conductors (music)
- Polish male conductors (music)
- Polish classical violinists
- Polish male classical violinists
- Polish music educators
- Chopin University of Music alumni
- 19th-century Polish Jews
- Musicians from Daugavpils
- 1879 births
- 1953 deaths
- 20th-century classical composers
- 20th-century conductors (music)
- 20th-century classical violinists
- 20th-century male musicians