Misplaced Pages

#559440

33-767: The orchestra was established in February 1965, with the purpose of serving both the national Radio and Television networks of Spain, as well as the Festivales de España . Its first concert occurred on 27 May 1965, conducted by Igor Markevich , at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid. The orchestra's first concert in Barcelona took place on 8 June 1965. At the beginning of the orchestra's history, Antoni Ros-Marbà and Enrique García Asensio served as co-principal conductors of

66-596: A concert tour in Japan and Russia. A great-great-grandfather, Mykola Markevych , was a Ukrainian historian, ethnographer , composer and poet. A great-grandfather, Andriy Markevitch , was an activist, ethnographer , lawyer, philanthropist, and musician. His maternal grandfather was well-known painter Ivan Pokhitonov (1850 – 1923). His brother Dimitry Markevitch became a noted musicologist and cellist . The Ukrainian Markevitch (also spelled in Polish as Markiewicz) family

99-551: A family of Ukrainian Cossack starshyna who were ennobled in the 18th century. His great-grandfather Andrey Markevitch was a Secretary of State at the time of Alexander II of Russia , Actual Privy Councilor in St. Petersburg and co-founder of the Russian Musical Society . Igor was the son of pianist Boris Markevitch and Zoia Pokhitonova (daughter of painter Ivan Pokhitonov). The family moved to Paris in 1914 when he

132-644: A naturalized Italian and French citizen in 1947 and 1982 respectively. He was commissioned in 1929 for a piano concerto by impresario Serge Diaghilev of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Markevitch settled in Italy during World War II. After the war, he moved to Switzerland. He had an international conducting career from there. He was married twice and had three sons and two daughters. He was born in Kiev , Kiev Governorate , Russian Empire (today Kyiv, Ukraine ) to

165-490: A piano concerto from him. In addition, Diaghilev invited him to collaborate on a ballet with Boris Kochno , a dancer and librettist. In a letter to the London Times, Diaghilev hailed Markevitch as the composer who would put an end to 'a scandalous period of music ... of cynical-sentimental simplicity'. The ballet project came to an end with Diaghilev's death on 19 August 1929, but Markevitch's compositions were accepted by

198-577: A score by Sergei Prokofiev , the last great ballet of the Diaghilev era. At the death of Diaghilev in 1929, Lifar at the age of 24 was invited by Jacques Rouché to take over the directorship of the Paris Opéra Ballet , which had fallen into decline in the late 19th century. Lifar gave the company a new strength and purpose, initiating the rebirth of ballet in France, and began to create

231-503: A score by French composer Henri Sauguet and based on an Aesop fable, which featured Lifar's famous entrance in a 'chariot' formed by his male companions; Ode by Léonide Massine and Apollon Musagète (1928) with a score by Stravinsky depicting the birth of the Greek God Apollo and his encounter with the three muses, Calliope , Polyhymnia , and Terpsichore ; and Le Fils prodigue ( The Prodigal Son ) (1929), with

264-549: A son Vaslav Markevitch (20 January 1937 – 12 January 2024 ) before they divorced. Secondly, Markevitch married in Lausanne on 22 July 1947 Donna Topazia Caetani (1921 – 1990), the only child of Don Michelangelo Caetani dei Duchi di Sermoneta and his wife, the former Cora Antinori. Cora Caetani ran the boutique of Jansen, the Paris decorating firm. Their son, Oleg Caetani (b. 1956), became chief conductor and artistic director of

297-537: Is believed to have influenced the latter's own Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion . Markevitch continued composing as war approached, but in October 1941, not long after completing his last original work, the Variations, Fugue and Envoi on a Theme of Handel for piano, he fell seriously ill. After recovering, he decided to give up composition and focus exclusively on conducting. His last compositional projects were

330-427: Is believed to have originated 300 years ago from a common paternal ancestor and his wife. Their ethnicity is disputed as Polish, Ukrainian , or Serbian , as the patronymic name is widespread among central European peoples. In Budapest on 20 April 1936 Markevitch married Kyra Nijinsky (19 June 1914 – 1 September 1998), daughter of the great ballet dancer Vaslav Nijinsky and his wife Romola de Pulszky . they had

363-452: Is officially shown as 1904 (as on a 2004 Ukrainian stamp commemorating his centenary). He became the pupil of Bronislava Nijinska in her ballet studio «School of Movement» in Kyiv , 1920. In 1921 he left Kyiv, at that time occupied by Russian troops, and was noticed by Sergei Diaghilev , who sent him to Turin in order to improve his technique with Enrico Cecchetti . He made his debut at

SECTION 10

#1732787122560

396-609: The Ballets Russes in 1923, where he became the principal dancer in 1925. Lifar was considered the successor to Nijinsky in the Ballets Russes. He was cast at the age of 21 opposite Tamara Karsavina in Nijinska's Roméo et Juliette (1926, score by Constant Lambert ); Karsavina was twice his age. He originated leading roles in three Balanchine ballets for the Ballets Russes, including La Chatte (1927), with

429-575: The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra in Australia. They also had two daughters together: Allegra (b. 1950) and Natalia (Nathalie, b. 1951), and another son, Timour Markevitch (1960–1962). Serge Lifar Serge Lifar ( Ukrainian : Сергій Михайлович Лифар , Serhіy Mуkhailovуch Lуfar ) (15 April [ O.S. 2 April] 1905  – 15 December 1986) was a Ukrainian dancer, choreographer, and one of

462-421: The 17th century, the time and location of the duel were not disclosed to the public. The duel was conducted in front of 50 newspaper photographers and ended with the two combatants in tears and embraces in what The New York Times wrote "what may well have been the most delicate encounter in the history of French dueling," with the sole injury being a cut on Lifar's right forearm in the seventh minute. In 1977

495-794: The 1950s, conducted the Spanish RTVE Orchestra in 1965, the London Symphony Orchestra in 1966 and was also permanent conductor of the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra . In 1970, after ignoring his own compositions for nearly 30 years, Markevitch began to conduct his own music frequently, triggering its slow revival. His last concert was in Kiev, his birthplace. He died suddenly from a heart attack in Antibes on 7 March 1983, after

528-462: The 2024-2025 season. This article about a Spanish band or other musical ensemble is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Igor Markevich Igor Borisovich Markevitch ( Russian : Игорь Борисович Маркевич , Igor Borisovich Markevich , Ukrainian : Ігор Борисович Маркевич , Ihor Borysovych Markevych ; 27 July 1912 – 7 March 1983) was a Ukrainian composer and conductor who studied and worked in Paris and became

561-533: The 72-year-old impresario George de Cuevas in a duel in France. The duel was precipitated by an argument over changes to Black and White ( Suite en blanc ), a ballet by Lifar that was being presented by the Cuevas ballet company. Lifar had his face slapped in public after insisting that he retained the rights to Black and White . Lifar sent his seconds to Cuevas who refused to extend an apology and chose to duel with swords. As duels had been "technically outlawed" in

594-625: The Paris Opéra Ballet devoted a full evening to his choreography. He died in Lausanne , Switzerland, on 15 December 1986, aged 81, and was buried in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Russian Cemetery . Editions Sauret published his memoirs, titled Les Mémoires d'Icare , posthumously in 1993. The title references one of his greatest roles in the ballet Icare . "The story of the ballet is based on

627-492: The ancient Greek myth of Icarus , whose father Daedalus builds him a pair of artificial wings. Disobeying his father's orders, Icarus flies too close to the sun, which melts the wax in his wings and causes him to plunge to his death." The Serge Lifar Foundation was set up on 23 August 1989 by Lifar's companion, Countess Lillan Ahlefeldt-Laurvig . In 2012, jewels from the Countess' estate were auctioned at Sotheby's , with

660-422: The basic principles of ballet—specifically the five positions of the feet —denied mobility for the dancer. He codified two additional positions, known as the sixth and seventh positions, with the feet turned in, not out like the first five positions. The sixth and seventh positions were not Lifar's inventions, but revivals of positions that already existed in the eighteenth century, when there were ten positions of

693-592: The company of dancers. He undoubtedly influenced Yvette Chauviré , Janine Charrat , and Roland Petit . In 1958, Lifar was forced into retirement due to a strained relationship with the Opera management. A famous photograph was taken of Lifar leaving the Palais Garnier , after being forced to resign, looking somber and clasping the wings from the costume of Icarus that the character puts on in order to fly. On 30 March 1958, at age 52, Lifar faced off against

SECTION 20

#1732787122560

726-502: The feet in classical ballet; and their use is limited to Lifar's choreographies. During his three decades as director of the Paris Opéra Ballet, Lifar led the company through the turbulent times of World War II and the German occupation of France. Lifar was a collaborationist under the occupation. Lifar's postwar trial resulted in his condemnation as a collaborator and his suspension from the national stage. During his absence, Balanchine

759-421: The first of many ballets for that company. These were immediately successful, such as Les Créatures de Prométhée (1929), a personal version of Le Spectre de la rose (1931); and L'Après-midi d'un faune (1935); Icare (1935), with costumes and decor by Picasso ; Istar (1941); and Suite en Blanc (1943), which he qualified as Neoclassical ballet . As part of his effort to revitalize dance, Lifar thought

792-578: The greatest male ballet dancers of the 20th century. Lifar was also a choreographer, director, writer, theoretician about dance, and collector. As ballet master of the Paris Opera from 1930 to 1944, and from 1947 to 1958, he devoted himself to the restoration of the technical level of the Paris Opera Ballet , returning it to its place as one of the best companies in the world. Lifar was born in Kyiv , Russian Empire. His year of birth

825-400: The independence of choreography. Some of views include: We cannot, should not, dance everything. Ballet must remain closely linked to dance itself: ballet cannot be the illustration of any other art. Ballet should not borrow its rhythmic shape from music. Ballet can freely exist without musical accompaniment. When a ballet is closely linked to its score, the rhythmic base must be dictated by

858-665: The legend of the fall of Icarus , which Markevitch recorded in 1938 conducting the Belgian National Orchestra, was especially radical, introducing quarter-tones in both woodwinds and strings. (In 1943 he revised the work under the title Icare , eliminating the quarter tones and simplifying the rhythms and orchestration.) Béla Bartók once described Markevitch as "...the most striking personality in contemporary music..." and claimed him as an influence on his own creative work. An independent version of L'envol d'Icare for two pianos and percussion, which Bartók heard,

891-458: The orchestra, from 1965 to 1967. Ros-Marbà stood down from his post in 1967. In 1968, Odón Alonso subsequently became co-principal conductor alongside Enrique García Asensio. Both conductors remained in the posts until 1984. The orchestra's current principal conductor is Christoph König , as of the 2023-2024 season. In March 2024, the orchestra announced the appointment of Thomas Dausgaard as its next principal guest conductor, effective with

924-749: The proceeds going to the foundation. In the summer of 1994 the First Lifar International Ballet Contest was held on the stage of the National Ukraine Opera . The Sixth Lifar International Ballet Competition was held in April 2006 and the seventh in Donetsk in March–April 2011. In 1935 Lifar published his confessio fidei ("confession of faith") titled Le manifesto du chorégraphe , proposing laws about

957-465: The publisher Schott . He produced at least one major work per year during the 1930s. He was rated among the leading contemporary composers of the time, even to the extent of being hailed as "the second Igor", after Igor Stravinsky . Markevitch collaborated on the ballet score Rébus with Leonid Massine in 1931; and L'envol d'Icare in 1932 with Serge Lifar . Neither was staged, but both scores were performed in concert. L'envol d'Icare , based on

990-541: The revision of L'envol d'Icare and arrangements of other composers' music. His version of J. S. Bach 's Musikalisches Opfer (Musical Offering) is especially notable. He had débuted as a conductor at age 18 with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra . After presiding at the Dutch premiere of Rébus , Markevitch had studied conducting with Pierre Monteux and Hermann Scherchen . As a conductor, he

1023-513: Was hired to replace him. Returning to his former position, Lifar's presence was vehemently opposed by the Opera stagehands with the result that he was not allowed to appear on stage nor to consult with technical staff directly on any productions. Nevertheless, he brought the Paris Opéra Ballet to America and performed to full houses at the New York City Center despite protests. Audiences were enthusiastic and had great admiration for

RTVE Symphony Orchestra - Misplaced Pages Continue

1056-660: Was much admired for his interpretations of the French, Russian and Austro-German repertory, and of twentieth-century music in general. He settled in Italy, and during the Second World War was active in the partisan movement . He married and settled in Switzerland in 1947 following the war. He pursued his conducting career worldwide. He became permanent conductor of the Orchestre Lamoureux in Paris in

1089-539: Was two years old. They moved again to Switzerland in 1916 during World War I because of his father's failing health (he later died of tuberculosis). The French pianist Alfred Cortot recognized the boy's talent. He advised him at age 14 in 1926 to go to Paris for training in both composition and piano at the École Normale , where he studied piano under Cortot and composition under Nadia Boulanger . Markevitch gained important recognition in 1929 when choreographer-impresario Serge Diaghilev discovered him and commissioned

#559440