Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky (Sergei Aleksandrovich Koussevitzky) , 1874-1951, Russian-American conductor, studied in Moscow. He began his career as a double bass player. In 1908 he made his debut as a conductor in Berlin. In 1910 he and his wife, Natalie, formed an orchestra that Koussevitzky conducted until 1918. In 1917 he was made conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra in Petrograd. Leaving Soviet Russia (1920), he stayed mainly in Paris until coming to the United States in 1924, becoming a citizen in 1941. He was conductor (1924-49) of the Boston Symphony Orchestra , and also directed (from 1936) the Berkshire Symphonic Festivals, today known as the Berkshire Festival . A champion of new music and the first important maestro to emphasize modern American music, he created (1942) the Koussevitzky Foundation to commission and perform new works by American composers.
Bibliography: See biographies by M. Smith (1947) and A. Lourié (1931, repr. 1969); study by H. Leichtentritt (1946).
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Koussevitzky, Serge (Alexandrovich)
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music
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1996
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| © The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music 1996, originally published by Oxford University Press 1996. (Hide copyright information)
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Koussevitzky, Serge (Alexandrovich) [ Sergey Kussevitzsky] ( b Vishny Volochek, 1874; d Boston, Mass., 1951). Russ.-born conductor and double-bass player (Amer. cit. 1941). Joined Bolshoy Th. orch., becoming prin. db. 1901–5. Recognized as db. virtuoso, making public début Moscow 1901. Début outside Russ., Berlin 1903. Début as cond., Berlin PO 1908. Db. soloist début, London, 1907, cond. 1908. With first wife, Natalie, founded pub. firm 1909, profits going to Russ. composers. Founded and cond. Koussevitzky SO 1910–18, and championed mus. of Scriabin. Dir., State SO, Petrograd, 1917–20, dir., Grand Opera of Moscow 1918. Left Russia for Paris, founding orch. and conducting Concerts Koussevitzky 1921–8. Cond., Boston SO 1924–49, giving many f.ps. of mus. by Amer. composers. Especial champion of Sibelius. Est. Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, Mass., in 1940 with Copland as ass. dir. Koussevitzky taught cond. there. Through Koussevitzky Mus. Foundation, founded 1943 in memory of wife, commissioned many works, incl. Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra and Britten's Peter Grimes. Second wife Olga (1901–78), whom he married in 1947, was very active on behalf of foundation. Koussevitzky composed conc. for db. and other pieces for the instr.
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