Famed pianist turns 95
OrchestrasThe celebrated Soviet-Jewish pianist Bella Davidovich has a round birthday today. She was born in Baku, Azaerbaijan, om July 16, 1928.
Bella shared first prize at the 1949 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, receiving vast acclaim in the Soviet Union but seldom venturing abroad. Her marriage to Julian Sitkovetsky ended with his tragic early death in 1958.
Twenty years later, she migrated to the US, enjoying a late recording career and a teaching position at Juilliard.
Bella, you’re still absolutely “beautiful” at 95 and your talent is as fresh and youthfully dynamic as ever!
Mazeltov!
She was a horror as a teacher. As mean as mean could be.
Also, Serge Baudo turns 96 today.
And happy birthday, Monsieur Baudo.
Wonderfully elegant and tasteful performance of the Chopin waltz. I’ll have to look into the boxed set of her recordings recently released on the Eloquence label.
“Soviet-Jewish” is some kind of novel nomenclature? What is Kissin? Soviet-Jewish-Russian-Jewish-Israeli-Jewish-Czech…?
During the Soviet-era, passports for internal and foreign travel identified people by their ethnicity. “Jewish” was one of the identifiers.
I know that only too well as I had one of those. I was questioning the need for such designations outside of the Soviet/Russian dictatorial/antisemitic universe.
Bella is an amazing pianist and a wonderful person. Best wishes!
Don’t think 95 is a ’round birthday’.
Wonderful pianist; happy birthday!