View source for Felix Blumenfeld

{{Short description|Russian composer, conductor, pianist, and teacher}}
{{Infobox person
|name=Felix Blumenfeld
|image=Feliks Blumenfeld.jpg
|caption=Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld
|birth_date={{birth date|1863|4|7|df=yes}}
|birth_place=[[Elizavetgrad]], [[Russian Empire]]
|death_date={{death date and age|1931|1|21|1863|4|7|df=yes}}
|death_place=[[Moscow]], [[Soviet Union]]
|children= 
|occupation=[[Pianist]], [[composer]], [[Conducting|conductor]]
|spouse=
|parents={{ubl|Michael Frantz Blumenfeld|Maria Szymanowska}}
|signature=
}}
'''Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld''' ({{langx|ru|Фе́ликс Миха́йлович Блуменфе́льд}}; {{OldStyleDateDY|19 April|1863|7 April}} &ndash; 21 January 1931) was a [[Russian Empire|Russian]] and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[composer]] and [[conducting|conductor]] of the Imperial Opera [[St-Petersburg]], [[pianist]], and teacher.

He was born in Elisavetgrad, which was in 2016 renamed to [[Kropyvnytskyi]] (in present-day [[Ukraine]]), [[Kherson Governorate]], [[Russian Empire]], the son of Mikhail Frantsevich Blumenfeld, of [[Austrian Jewish]] origin, and Maria [[Korwin-Szymanowski Family|Szymanowska]]. Blumenfeld studied with Gustav Neuhaus, married to his older sister. Then he studied composition at the [[Saint Petersburg Conservatory|St. Petersburg Conservatory]] under [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov]] and piano under Fedor Stein between 1881 and 1885. He then taught piano there himself from 1885 until 1918, whilst also serving as conductor of the [[Mariinsky Theatre]] until 1911.

The Mariinsky saw the premieres of the operas composed by his [[Mentorship|mentor]] Rimsky-Korsakov. He was also the conductor at the Russian premiere of [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]]'s [[opera]] ''[[Tristan und Isolde]]''.

In 1908, he conducted the [[Paris]] premiere of [[Modest Mussorgsky]]'s opera ''[[Boris Godunov (opera)|Boris Godunov]]''.

From 1918 to 1922, he was the director of the [[National University of Theatre, Film and TV in Kiev|Music-drama school of Mykola Lysenko]] in [[Kiev]], where, amongst others, [[Vladimir Horowitz]] was a pupil in his masterclasses. He returned to the [[Moscow Conservatory]] in 1922, teaching there until his death. Other famous pupils of his include [[Simon Barere]], [[Maria Yudina]], [[Nathan Perelman]], [[Anatole Kitain]] and [[Maria Grinberg]].  He died in [[Moscow]].

As a pianist, he played many of the compositions of his Russian contemporaries. His own compositions, which showed the influence of [[Frédéric Chopin]] and [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]], include a [[symphony]], numerous pieces for solo piano, an ''Allegro de Concert'' for piano and orchestra, and [[lieder]]. His virtuoso pieces for piano in particular have enjoyed something of a renaissance in recent years{{Citation needed|reason=this sort of claim is anecdotal and requires evidence|date=May 2020}}.

He was the uncle of [[Heinrich Neuhaus]] and first cousin, once removed of [[Karol Szymanowski]] (Felix's mother and Karol's father, Stanisław Szymanowski, were cousins).<ref>{{cite book|title = Karol Szymanowski: His Life and Work|last = Wightman|first = Alistair|publisher = Routledge|date = 2017|isbn = 978-1351561365}}</ref>

==Compositions==
{{See also|List of compositions by Felix Blumenfeld}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{IMSLP|id=Blumenfeld%2C_Felix|cname=Felix Blumenfeld}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blumenfeld, Felix}}
[[Category:Russian people of Austrian-Jewish descent|Austrian-Jew]]
[[Category:People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent]]
[[Category:1863 births]]
[[Category:1931 deaths]]
[[Category:Male classical pianists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Kropyvnytskyi]]
[[Category:Composers from the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Romantic composers]]
[[Category:Composers for piano]]
[[Category:Piano educators]]
[[Category:19th-century classical composers]]
[[Category:19th-century classical pianists]]
[[Category:20th-century classical composers]]
[[Category:20th-century classical pianists]]
[[Category:19th-century conductors (music)]]
[[Category:Russian classical pianists]]
[[Category:Conductors (music) from the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:Jewish classical pianists]]
[[Category:Jewish Ukrainian musicians]]
[[Category:Soviet male classical composers]]
[[Category:Soviet opera composers]]
[[Category:Ukrainian classical pianists]]
[[Category:Academic staff of Moscow Conservatory]]
[[Category:Russian male classical composers]]