Resources, Reviews and Links
LEV OBORIN by Sofia Hentova. English translation by Margarita Glebov. Published in the USSR in 1964, this book describes the career of one of the most significant Soviet pianists who was the teacher of Ashkenazy, Voskresensky and many others. The book, written by a former pupil of Oborin, also provides much detail about pianistic training at the Gnesin School in Moscow and about the interpretation of Chopin's music by various Soviet pianists including Flier, Gilels, Ginzburg and others. The book is available here to download in the Microsoft Word format. Click on the file you want and it will begin downloading automatically.
- Chapters 1-3
- Chapters 4-5
- Chapters 6-8
- Chapters 9-11
- Appendix
- Translator's Note
- Chapters 1-3
- A brief biography of Soviet pianist ISAAC MIKHNOVSKY (1914-1978). Belonging to the same generation as Richter and Gilels but much less widely known, Mikhnovsky - a pupil of Oborin and Igumnov - was a formidable interpreter of Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt and other composers. Mikhnovsky also wrote numerous piano transcriptions and paraphrases that are now being published in Russia.
- THE JOYCE HATTO SCANDAL. The now-infamous series of some 100 Hatto CDs, produced by Ms. Hatto's husband William Barrington-Coupe on the Concert Artist label, was discovered to consist almost entirely of other pianists' recordings. Research in progress by pianophile Farhan Malik has conclusively identified the actual pianists whose work was issued under Hatto's name on over half of these CDs. Audio WAV-file evidence may be viewed at: http://www.farhanmalik.com/hatto/main.html
- The Vladimir Horowitz Website, now maintained by collector/enthusiast Bernie Horowitz (no relation), contains detailed, up-to-date information about Horowitz's commercial and non-commercial recordings as well as comprehensive data on his concert programs and various aspects of his career.
- Russian composer-pianist Nicolas Medtner is the subject of an excellent website containing an exhaustive catalog of his works, a thorough discography, publication information, and much else.
- A detailed, penetrating article by Mark Arnest called "Why Couldn't They Play With Their Hands Together?" It explores the practice of pianists trained in the 19th century to play certain passages with de-synchronization of the hands (usually the left before the right).
- A remarkable, previously-unpublished 7000-word letter from LEOPOLD GODOWSKY to his wife, dated April 21, 1901. This is one of the most extraordinary letters from a great pianist of the past that has survived. It gives us rare glimpses of Godowsky in his personal and professional life at the height of his fame. (Microsoft Word file)
- A large collection of materials related to the pianist VLADIMIR DE PACHMANN (1848-1933) is available at http://users.bigpond.net.au/nettheim/pachmann/pachindx.htm. Included are many published articles and a thorough discography and rollography.
- The 2002 book by Mark Mitchell, Vladimir de Pachmann: A Piano Virtuoso's Life and Art (Indiana University Press) was found to contain extensive sections lifted without acknowledgment or permission from an unpublished Pachmann biography by Edward Blickstein. Under the threat of legal action, IU Press withdrew the book in 2006 and sent Blickstein a letter of apology. Transcripts of the correspondence with Indiana University, plus documented evidence against Mitchell, may be found at www.intlpianoarchives.com
- A review by IPAM Curator Donald Manildi of "The Pianist's Craft: Mastering the Works of Great Composers," edited by Richard Paul Anderson (Scarecrow Press, 2012).
- A review by IPAM Curator Donald Manildi of Moriz Rosenthal in Word and Music by Allan Evans and Mark Mitchell (Indiana University Press, 2006).
- A review by IPAM Curator Donald Manildi of Maurice Hinson's A Pianist's Dictionary (Indiana University Press, 2004)
- A review by IPAM Curator Donald Manildi of David Dubal's The Art of the Piano (Amadeus Press, third edition, 2004).
