Maria Israelovna Greenberg (b. 6 September 1908, Odesa - d. 14 July 1978, Tallinn) was a Soviet pianist and teacher of Ukrainian origin. Maria Greenberg's performance level was extremely high, but for a number of reasons this pianist usually remained in the shadows. Outside of the USSR, the pianist was highly appreciated in professional and amateur circles (Holland, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and the GDR).
At present, there is a revival of interest in Maria Greenberg's heritage, both in Ukraine and abroad (Russian Federation, Japan, Israel, America, Europe).
Biography
Odesa.
Maria Greenberg was born in Odesa into an intelligent Jewish family. Her father was a Jewish scholar and Hebrew teacher. Her mother, Fania Danilovna Noskina, gave private piano lessons. The family lived more than modestly; the piano for 10-year-old Musa Greenberg was bought by Odesa patrons. Until the age of 18, Maria took piano lessons from the famous Odesa teacher David Aisberg. She also took harmony lessons with a prominent teacher, professor of the Odesa Conservatory, composer Mykola Vilinskyi. She also took lessons from Professor Bertha Reingbald.
Studying in Moscow, first marriage
Maria Greenberg entered the Moscow Conservatoire in the class of Professor Felix Blumenfeld, where she was noticed by Heinrich Neuhaus at the entrance exams. After Blumenfeld's death, she continued her studies with his assistant Vladimir Belov and Konstantin Igumnov. In 1933, she took part in the First All-Union Piano Competition. She was particularly noted by the critic Grigory Kogan. In 1935, Maria Greenberg won second place at the Second All-Union Piano Competition. For some time, she was married to the singer Petro Kyrychek, and performed as his accompanist.
Second marriage, repressions
In 1937, her second husband Stanislav Stande and her father were arrested as "enemies of the people" and executed. The young pianist, who was one of the most promising Soviet pianists, was fired from all state institutions and found a job only as an accompanist for an amateur choreographic group. However, at that time, for the sake of a piece of bread, Maria Izrailovna sometimes took part in concerts illegally, playing the timpani. Later, she was allowed to perform as a soloist again. Moreover, due to the outstanding level of Greenberg's performance, her performances were a great success and the pianist was again welcomed in concert halls in Moscow, Leningrad, Riga, Tallinn, Voronezh, Tbilisi, Baku and other cities of the Soviet Union.
50s and 60s
After the death of Joseph Stalin, when Maria Greenberg turned 50, the authorities did not object to her performances abroad. In total, Greenberg performed 14 tours - 12 in Eastern European countries and 2 in Holland, where she became a favourite of the public. Critics have compared her playing to the art of Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein and Clara Haskil, and not without reason. Maria Greenberg was awarded the title of Honoured Artist of the RSFSR only at the age of 55. When she turned 62, she became a professor at the Gnessin Institute.
Recent years.
In 1968, Melodiya released a 13-disc album of all 32 Beethoven sonatas (33D-023459-84). The recording was made in the Great Hall of the Moscow State Conservatoire on a Stelnway grand piano in 1964-1967 (sound engineer Valentin Skoblo). A stereo version was released in 1975 (C10-05573-98). Thus, Maria Greenberg was the first Soviet pianist to present the complete cycle of Beethoven's piano sonatas to the public. The album received an enthusiastic response from Dmitri Shostakovich. The Soviet music press remained silent about this titanic work. The pianist did not live three months to hear the first review, and in 1978, in the Soviet magazine Music, critic Yudenich called the recording "a true feat of art". Numerous arrangements by the pianist were also ignored and unpublished. Of particular value are the arrangements for two pianos and a solo version of Schubert's Fantasia in F-moll.
Concert activity
For many years, Greenberg also performed in a piano duet with her daughter Nika Zabavnikova.
Pedagogical and methodological activity. Private practice
Greenberg began teaching in her youth, in Odesa. Life was not easy, so teaching became almost the main stable source of income for Musa for many years, almost until her death. Relationships with private students often developed into human friendships for many years. A striking example of this is Naum Starkman. Greenberg had been "taking care" of the pianist since the death of Konstantin Igumnov. The free lessons lasted for decades.
In the course of her private pedagogy, Maria Israelovna significantly raised the performance and artistic level of young pianists, who later achieved great success on the concert stage. They received foreign tours and the best domestic halls for performances. It was the bitterness of her unclaimed status and constant financial worries that led Greenberg to give up her lessons with the already famous Dmitri Bashkirov. Greenberg's close friend Levinson insisted on taking lessons. The reason was Bashkirov's failure to record Beethoven's sonatas.
In 1960, Elena Fabianovna Gnesina invited Maria Greenberg to teach at the institute she founded.
Among Maria's students we can find Michael Bischoffberger, Sergei Dorensky, Rudolf Kerer, Anna Klass, Bruno Lucca, Dmitry Paperno, Alexei Skavronsky, Rimma Skorokhodova, Vissarion Slonim, Zelm Tamarkin, Naum Starkman and Regina Shamvili.
Surroundings, friends, and statements
Maria Greenberg had a great sense of humour. For example, in 1967, during the Arab-Israeli conflict, when the Soviet authorities referred to Israel as the "Israeli aggressors", the pianist introduced herself as "Maria Aggressorovna".
"Beethoven taught me courage, composure... He taught me to stay within the strict limits of expression, without losing any softness, subtlety, or richness of feeling."
"A performer in music can do whatever he wants if it is logical and tasteful."
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The fate of the heritage
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The vast majority of Greenberg's recordings have been licensed and published in Japan by Denon and Triton (digitisation of studio magnetic tapes). In Italy, an attempt was also made to release Greenberg's recordings unlicensed by Arlecchino (digitised vinyl). In Russia, the Melodiya company released 32 Beethoven sonatas on CD. Of particular note is the work of Vista Vera, which releases all of the pianist's surviving recordings, including her methodological works. The releases are distinguished by a good research and restoration level.
Numerous arrangements by the pianist have not been released. There is evidence that many of them survived in the archive of the pianist Professor Yulia Turkina.
Descendants
Daughter: Nina Stanislavivna Zabavnikova, died in 2005.
Son-in-law: Nikolai Nikolayevich Zabavnikov, teacher, professor, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR, second violinist of the Beethoven Quartet (1965-1990).
Grandson: Stanislav Nikolayevich Zabavnikov (b. 1961), pianist, died 30 May 2007.
