Fabulous Performers: VICTOR MERZHANOV Plays – Beethoven’s Sonata no. 10 in G Major, op. 14, no. 2

VICTOR MERZHANOV, piano

Ludwig van Beethoven. Piano Sonata no. 10 in G Major, op. 14, no. 2
1. Allegro 
2. Andante variations 06:21
3. Scherzo: Allegro assai 11:09
Recorded in 1954.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 The Piano Sonata No. 10 in G major, Op. 14, No. 2, composed in 1798–1799, is an early-period work by Ludwig van Beethoven, dedicated to Baroness Josefa von Braun. A typical performance lasts 15 minutes. While it is not as well known as some of the more original sonatas of Beethoven’s youth, such as the ‘Pathetique’ or ‘Moonlight’ sonatas, Tovey^[1] described it as an ‘exquisite little work.’

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

 

Victor Merzhanov
Victor Merzhanov at Moscow Conservatory (2010)
Background information
Birth name	Victor Karpovich Merzhanov
Born	August 15, 1919 Tambov, Russia
Died	December 20, 2012 (aged 93) Moscow, Russia
Genres	Classical
Occupations	Pianist, Pedagogue
Instruments	Piano

Victor Karpovich Merzhanov (Russian: Ви́ктор Ка́рпович Мержа́нов) (August 15, 1919 – December 20, 2012) was a Russian pianist

Merzhanov was born in Tambov and studied at Tambov Musical College with Solomon Starikov and Alexander Poltoratsky. Between 1936-1941 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory in the classes ofSamuil Feinberg (piano) and Alexander Goedicke (organ), graduating with distinction.

 

He achieved international recognition as a pianist in 1945 when he won the first prize (shared withSviatoslav Richter) at the Third All-Soviet-Union Piano Competition. In 1949, he was placed tenth at theInternational Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. Merzhanov became a Moscow Philharmony soloist in 1946.

 

Merzhanov was a Professor at the Moscow Conservatory from 1947 until his death. Among his students are prize-winners of international competitions: Vladimir Bunin, Oleg Volkov, Igor Girfanov, Yuri Didenko, Mikhail Olenev, Hideyo Harada, Nazzareno Carusi, Tatiana Shebanova, Ruslan Sviridov, Irina Khovanskaya, Anna Yarovaya, Anahit Nersesyan, Elena Ulyanova and many others. His name is inscribed on the Moscow Conservatory’s marble wall along with those of Alexander Scriabin andSergei Rachmaninoff. He was also a professor at the Tambov Rachmaninov Institute.

 

During his 60-year stage career, Merzhanov gave more than 2,000 recitals and concerts in Russia, Europe, the United States, China, and other countries, with such conductors as Lorin Maazel, Kurt Sanderling, Kirill Kondrashin, Nikolai Anosov, Aleksandr Gauk, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Yuri Temirkanov and Yevgeny Svetlanov.

 

His recordings (on major labels in the United States, Italy, Japan and the USSR) show his repertoire, including works from the Baroque period to contemporary music, from works by Bach and Beethoven to those by Prokofiev and Shostakovich.