Jascha Spivakovsky (18 August 1896 – 23 March 1970) was a virtuoso pianist. He was known for his
tone quality (the secrets of which were handed down to him from Anton
Rubinstein), his "crystal piano playing" technique handed down from Franz Liszt,
and his interpretation of all styles of composition from Baroque to the most
modern.
His teacher, Professor Moritz Maher-Mahr had studied with
both Franz Liszt and Anton Rubinstein, and Spivakovsky’s playing style (as noted
by contemporary critics) bore an uncanny resemblance to that of Hans von Bulow (Liszt’s
first great student) in its "pithiness of interpretation" and to Anton
Rubinstein in its "overwhelming passion" and beautiful "golden" tone. His
position in pianistic history is thus unique in that he was virtually the only
pianist to synthesize the two styles, bringing together two pianistic lines,
emanating from Beethoven through to Liszt on the one hand, and from Mozart
through to Anton Rubinstein on the other.
As a child prodigy, he performed for the royal families
of Europe and was heralded by critics as "the heir of (Anton) Rubinstein" after
giving an entire Schumann recital in Leipzig. At 14 years of age he outclassed
an adult field to win the Bluthner Prize, awarded by three of the greatest
pianists of the time, Ossip Gabrilowitsch, Leopold Godowsky and Ferruccio
Busoni.
After World War I he became recognized as one of the
world’s foremost pianists and appeared as soloist with leading orchestras under
many of the finest conductors. He gave a series of historical concerts of 15
concertos with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Wilhelm Furtwangler,
tracing the development of the concerto from Bach to Brahms. In 1926, legendary
composer and conductor Richard Strauss personally requested that Spivakovsky
perform Strauss’s own Burlesque in D Minor, with the Vienna Philharmonic
Orchestra conducted by Strauss himself. The performance was an outstanding
success and Strauss, audience and critics were delighted.
He formed a duo with his younger brother Tossy
Spivakovsky, a violinist and also a prodigy who became the youngest ever
concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The great scientist Albert
Einstein, himself an amateur violinist, befriended them and regularly attended
their concerts.
His first tour of Australasia in 1922 was a phenomenal
success. The audiences rushed the stage during the performances and refused to
leave the halls until the lights were turned out. He pioneered radio
broadcasting of music in Australia.
In 1930, he and Tossy formed the Spivakovsky-Kurtz
Trio with the addition of 'cellist Edmund Kurtz, which became highly
regarded for its ensemble and solo playing through the flawless musicianship of
its members. After World War 2, Spivakovsky gave his first performances in the
United States, Canada and India, as well as return performances in Britain,
Europe, Iceland, Scandinavia, Australasia, Israel and Africa. His debut at
Carnegie Hall in 1948 was a triumph and the New York Times gave a
glowing review, highlighting his "command of tone that borders on the remarkable".
In 1952, he was chosen to perform as soloist at a concert
celebrating the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth ll and gave the first Australian
performance of Benjamin Britten’s Concerto in D Major. He also gave many first
Australian performances of new works, including Ernst Bloch’s monumental
Concerto Symphonique, which he learned from the manuscript. In his later years
he forged new pathways, combining expression and intellectuality, to the
appreciation of audiences and critics alike.
When Jascha was preparing to record the Ludwig van
Beethoven violin sonatas with his brother Tossy, his death intervened. Since
then he has become less well known than other keyboard virtuosos of his era,
because he made virtually no commercial recordings.