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Vladimir Ashkenazy: Nothing by Halves
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10138 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
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8 / 1986 |
4,113 Words |
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Pauline Longfellow and Daniel Burgart
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Vladimir Ashkenazy is one of the finest pianists this century has produced, and he has in the past decade become a formidable conductor as well. Born in the Soviet Union, but having lived in the West since 1963, he is a man who has not only devoted his life to music, but has also searched for absolute values upon which to base his life - values distinct from the vastly different but nonetheless often compromised standards of both Soviet and Western society. His life and his insights, as well as his superlative music-making, are a continuing source of soul-searching and inspiration.
Ashkenazy was born on July 6, 1937, in the city of Gorki, about 250 miles east of Moscow on the river Volga. His father David was of Jewish lineage, but did not retain his forefathers' faith or traditions. Ashkenazy's mother, Evstolia, was of pure Russian descent. The infant Vladimir was baptized into the Russian Orthodox Church, and he says he still feels close to Orthodox Christian ideas, at least in principle.
Ashkenazy's father was a variety-show pianist of astonishing improvisational ability and versatility. Because he was almost constantly away on tour, it was Ashkenazy's mother who brought him up and oversaw his education. The family moved to Moscow, where at the age of six Ashkenazy began studying the piano. He showed extraordinary talent, and when he was eight, after a rigorous examination before a panel of professors, he was accepted into the Central Music School, which acts as a kind of junior school for the Moscow Conservatoire.
Ashkenazy's teacher at the Central Music School was Anaida Sumbatian, and she had a profound influence on his musical
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