Witold Maliszewski


Witold Maliszewski was a Polish composer, founder of Odessa Conservatory, and a professor of Warsaw Conservatory.

Biography

Maliszewski was born in Mohyliv-Podilskyi, Russian Empire. He graduated from Saint Petersburg Conservatory, in the class of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He was a member of Belyayev circle. In 1913 he became a founder and the first director of the Odessa Conservatory, which gave the world a number of outstanding musicians, such as David Oistrakh, Emil Gilels and Yakov Zak.
After the Russian revolution, because of the imminent threat of Bolshevik persecution, Maliszewski immigrated to Poland in 1921. In 1925–1927 he was teaching at the Chopin Music School and was the Director of the Warsaw Music Society. In 1927 he served as Chairman of the First International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition. From 1931 to 1934 Maliszewski was the Director of the Music Department at the Polish Ministry of Education. From 1931 to 1939 he was a Professor at the Warsaw Conservatory. He died in Zalesie near Warsaw.
Maliszewski's style was largely shaped by Russian musical traditions. His symphonies belong to the non-programmatic type, and only the Fourth symphony in D Major op. 21 contain elements of Polish dances.
In Soviet Union Maliszewski's name was prohibited, and in 1950 the conservatory which he founded in Odessa was given name of Antonina Nezhdanova, who had no links with the institution.
His students include Witold Lutosławski, Mykola Vilinsky, Shimon Shteynberg, Boleslaw Woytowicz, Feliks Roderyk Łabuński, Feliks Rybicki.

Selected works

;Stage
;Orchestral
;Concertante
;Chamber music
;Piano
;Choral

Archive recordings