Serge Koussevitzky

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Biography

Conductor Serge Koussevitsky was born in Vyshni Volochek, Russia, on July 26, 1874. As a child he studied music in Moscow, mainly the double bass, and it wasn't long before he was considered a virtuoso on the instrument; while still a teenager he gave concerts not only in Russia but in Germany and England. In addition to studying music, he also studied conducting. He made his debut as a conductor in Berlin in 1908. The next year he organized his own orchestra in Moscow and later that year started a music publishing company, which eventually published works by 'Sergei Prokofiev' , a series of outdoor concerts by the Boston Symphony. Starting in 1938 the concerts were held in Tanglewood, an estate in Lenox, Massachusetts. In 1940 he founded the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, a summer school where promising musical students would work with and be taught by prominent musicians. He died in Boston on June 4, 1951.

  • Primary profession
  • Actor·soundtrack
  • Country
  • Russia
  • Nationality
  • Russian
  • Gender
  • Male
  • Birth date
  • 26 July 1874
  • Place of birth
  • Vyshny Volochyok
  • Death date
  • 1951-06-04
  • Death age
  • 77
  • Place of death
  • Boston
  • Knows language
  • Russian language
  • Member of
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Music

Movies

Books

Trivia

It was Koussevitsky who commissioned French composer Maurice Ravel , in 1922, to orchestrate Modest Mussorgsky s piano work "Pictures At An Exhibition". Koussevitzky made the first recording of the Ravel orchestration of "Pictures" with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The Ravel-orchestrated "Pictures at an Exhibition" became the single most famous orchestral version of a work originally composed for a solo instrument, and the fame of his version has surpassed several other orchestrations of it, including Leopold Stokowski s. After Koussevitzkys death, it was recorded by practically every famous conductor and orchestra, and has become a standard work in the repertoire of symphony orchestras all over the world.

With the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Koussevitzsky made the first recording of Aaron Copland s "Appalachian Spring", in 1945.

With the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he premiered the "Appalachian Spring" suite for full orchestra (as opposed to the complete ballet, which is scored for just thirteen instruments). The premiere of the suite took place in May, 1945.

Among his pupils was Leonard Bernstein , who has credited Koussevitzky with having the greatest influence on him as a conductor.

Koussevitzsky also premiered Aaron Copland s "El Saln Mexico".

He founded the Tanglewood Music Festival, which is still held to this day.

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