Isay Aleksandrovich Dobrovein (born Itskhok Zorakhovich Barabeychik; February 15, 1891, Nizhny Novgorod — December 9, 1953, Oslo) was a Russian pianist, conductor, and composer who gained international recognition primarily as an interpreter of Russian classical music. A native of Nizhny Novgorod, he spent most of his creative career abroad, leading some of the largest orchestras and opera houses in Europe and America.[1][2]
Nizhny Novgorod Roots
Dobrovein was born in Nizhny Novgorod into a musical Jewish family. His father, Aleksandr (Zorakh) Osipovich Barabeychik (died 1911), played trombone and percussion in the orchestra of the Nizhny Novgorod theater; his mother's surname was Dobrovel. The musician was adopted by his grandfather, Israel Leybovich Dobrovel, whose altered surname became his stage name.[3] Dobrovein became a pianist early: his first public performances took place when he was only five years old.[1]
Education and Early Career
On the recommendation of the pianist D. Shor, Dobrovein and his older brother were admitted to the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied from 1901 to 1911 under Konstantin Igumnov (piano) and Sergey Taneyev (composition).[2] In 1911–1912 he refined his skills in Vienna under Leopold Godowsky.[1] In 1916 he married Maria Alfredovna Ruperti, a student in the medical department of the Higher Women's Courses.[3]
In 1917–1921, Dobrowen taught at the Moscow Philharmonic School as a professor of piano. His conducting debut took place in 1919. In 1921–1922 he conducted at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.[1] During this period Dobrowen performed as part of a piano trio with Misha Mishakov and Grigory Piatigorsky, and was friends with Maxim Gorky and Fridtjof Nansen.[3] A widely known episode is the concert program, including Beethoven's "Appassionata" sonata, that the musician performed for Vladimir Lenin at the apartment of Ekaterina Peshkova (Gorky's former wife); Gorky later described this episode in his essay "Vladimir Ilyich Lenin."[2]
International Career
In 1923 Dobrowen left Russia and settled in Germany. That same year he conducted the German premiere of Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov" at the Dresden State Opera, a production that brought him wide recognition across Europe.[1] In 1924 he became principal conductor of the Grosse Volksoper in Berlin and director of the Dresden Philharmonic concerts.[1]
Subsequently Dobrowen directed the Budapest Opera (1927–1928), the State Opera in Sofia (1927–1928), the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (1928–1931), and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (1931–1934); in 1930 he was principal conductor of the "Museumskonzerte" in Frankfurt am Main.[1][3] In 1929 he took Norwegian citizenship.[3] During the German occupation of Norway he moved to Sweden, where in 1941–1945 he headed the Royal Opera in Stockholm; at the same time he led the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra until 1953.[2][3]
From 1948, Dobrowen worked extensively at La Scala in Milan at the invitation of Arturo Toscanini. Over several seasons he conducted "Boris Godunov," "Khovanshchina," "Prince Igor," "Kitezh," "The Firebird," and "Scheherazade" there. The 1948–1949 season was dubbed the "Russian" season.[2] Dobrowen was one of the first conductors of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra: he worked with the ensemble in its first season in 1937 and subsequently performed with it regularly.[2] Among his recordings, a notable one is "Boris Godunov" with the Paris Opera company and the Bulgarian bass Boris Christoff.[2]
Creative Legacy
As a composer, Dobrowen worked in the spirit of the Romantics and Alexander Scriabin. His works include the opera "One Thousand and One Nights" (1922), concertos and sonatas for piano, sonatas for violin, piano pieces (including poems, ballads, and dances), romances, and theatrical music. A number of pieces carry pronounced Jewish intonations, notably "Jewish Melody" for violin and piano.[2][1]
The musician's brother, Lev (Leonid) Aleksandrovich Barabeychik (1889–1975), was a pianist and teacher, a professor at the State Music College; from 1921 to 1960 he was a soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre orchestra.[2][3]
Sources
- belcanto.ru — Isay Aleksandrovich Dobrowen
- eleven.co.il — Dobrowen Isay — ORT Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia
- ru.instr.scorser.com — 7 Pieces, Op.13 PDF free sheet music