The death has been communicated of Victor Pikayzen, soloist of the state-owned Moscow Philharmonia agency from 1957 and professor at the Conservatoire. He was 90.
Spotted by David Oistrakh in Kyiv at age 11, he became Oistrakh’s private pupil and protege during his teenage years.
From my monthly essay in the new issue…
Our attention has been drawn to this incident…
A social media activist has circulated a video…
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A very brilliant violinist. R.I.P
A fine artist. Strangely enough, sometime about 1989(?), i met an exiled Russian piano tuner who had been married to Tatiana Pikayzen, pianist, Viktor’s daughter but at that time there was no possibility to hear any of his performances. Exactly one week ago i visited an old friend, enthusiast for Russian music and biographer of Medtner and Rachmaninoff; he was re-listening to lots of Miaskovsky, i mentioned the Violin Concerto and he brought out a recording by Viktor Pikayzen…… I recounted the piano tuner’s story…..
Today, 10th July, i read his RIP in Slipped Disc; immediately i phone my friend, who’s not connected to internet, to relate this news, hoping i hadn’t interrupted his meal…. “Not at all, you’ve interrupted the slow movement of Miaskovsky, played by …Viktor Pikayzen!”
Incidentally, these Great Russian Violinists: David Oistrakh (born Odesa) and his pupil, Pikayzen (born Kiyv)….! Not to mention Milstein, Elman….etc!
If you hang around used record stores that sell domestic vinyl, your best bet at finding a Victor Pikayzen recording in the US is probably his Wieniawski No 1/Dvořák Concerto coupling on Melodiya/Angel SR-40185
Paul: yes, they were all born in the former Russian Empire, and that includes Heifetz. And Kogan (from Dnipro, then Dnepropetrovsk) was born in Soviet Russia.
Thank you for posting this video!
RIP!
and born in Kiev!
He was my teacher at the Central Music School at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (in 2001-2006), and I was his first student when he returned to Moscow after teaching in Turkey. Brilliant musician. Deep condolences to Irina Vladimirovna, Tatiana and Igor.
I would say he was quite a bit more than a “Moscow Philharmonic” soloist and Oistrakh protege. 1st prize winner of Paganini competition, as well as top winner in Tchaikovsky, Long-Thibaud, Queen Elizabeth, Kubelik, Victor Pikayzen was known to every Soviet musician and performed throughout the world. While best known as an interpreter of Bach and Paganini (he was the second one to play the entire set in concert after Leonid Kogan and performed the complete 24 Caprices in one concert a record 78 times), his recordings of the Dvorak, Wieniawski #1, Mendelssohn, Bach, Mozart and especially Beethoven are something else. Khachaturian and Boris Tchaikovsky dedicated their works to him; not nearly as well-known in the West as he could have been but one of the great Titans of 20th century violinists…