Oleksandr Brailovsky (16 February 1896, Kyiv - 26 May 1976, New York) was a Ukrainian pianist who specialised in the works of Frédéric Chopin. He reached the height of his fame between the two world wars.
Biography.
Brailovsky was born in Kyiv (some sources, however, consider him a Pole). In 1907 he began to study music. His father, the owner of a small music shop in Podil, gave the boy his first piano lessons, soon realised that his son was indeed extremely talented, and in 1911 took him to Vienna to the famous Leszetizky. The boy studied with him for three years, and when the World War broke out, the family moved to neutral Switzerland; later in 1926, he would take up residence in France. Brailovsky took French citizenship. His new teacher was Ferruccio Busoni, who completed the "polishing" of his talent.
In 1919, Brailovsky made his debut in Paris and caused such a sensation with his virtuosity that contracts literally poured in from all sides. One of the invitations, however, was unusual: it came from Queen Elizabeth of Belgium, a passionate music lover and amateur violinist, with whom he has often played since then.
His first recordings were made in Berlin from 1928 to 1934 (78 discs). In 1938, he recorded in London for HMV. Later discs were recorded at RCA Victor, and the most recent ones - in the 1960s - at CBS. In addition to his favourite Chopin, Brailovsky also included Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saëns, Liszt, Debussy and others in his repertoire.
It took only a few years for the artist to gain international fame. In 1924, in Paris, Brailovsky played the first-ever concert exclusively of Chopin's works, using a piano belonging to the composer for part of his solo performances. He went on to give concerts all over the world, visiting New York in 1938, then Paris, Brussels, Zurich, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and Montevideo. He became the first European pianist to "discover" South America, as no one had ever played there before him. Once, in Buenos Aires alone, he gave 17 concerts in two months! In many provincial towns in Argentina and Brazil, special trains were introduced to take people to and from Brailovsky's concerts.
In 1960, he decided to repeat his concerts in Brussels and Paris.
Brailovsky's triumphs were associated primarily with the names of Chopin and Liszt. His love for them was instilled in him by Leszeticki, and he carried it with him throughout his life.
In 1961, when the grey-haired artist toured the USSR for the first time, Muscovites and Leningraders were able to see that these words were true and try to solve the "Brailovsky riddle". The artist appeared before them in excellent professional form and in his signature repertoire: he played Bach's Chaconne Busoni, Scarlatti's sonatas, Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words, Prokofiev's Third Symphony, Liszt's Sonata in B minor and, of course, many works by Chopin, and with the orchestra - concertos by Mozart (A major), Chopin (E minor) and Rachmaninoff (C minor). The audience appreciated the artist's great professional skill, the "strength" of his playing, its sometimes brilliance and charm, and his undeniable sincerity. All of this made the meeting with Brailovsky a memorable event in his musical life.
Subsequently, he almost stopped performing in front of the public and recording. His last recordings - Chopin's First Concerto and Liszt's Dance of Death - made in the early 60s, confirm that the pianist did not lose his inherent qualities until the end of his professional career.
Alexander Brailovsky died in New York at the age of 80 from pneumonia.
