Goldstein Mikhail

Goldstein, Mikhail, Russian violinist, musicologist, teacher, and composer; b. Odessa, Nov. 8, 1917; d. Hamburg, Sept. 7, 1989. While still an infant, he took violin lessons with Stoliarsky in Odessa, where he made his debut at 5; at 13, he became a pupil of Yampolsky (violin) at the Moscow Cons., where he also studied with Miaskovsky (composition) and Saradzhev (conducting). After marrying a German woman, the Soviet authorities discriminated against him. In witty retaliation, he claimed to have found a sym. written in 1810 by one Ovsianiko-Kulikovsky The sym. was hailed as a major find. When Goldstein admitted that it was actu-ally a work of his own, he was denounced as an imposter attempting to appropriate a Russian treasure. With his career in eclipse, he went to East Berlin in 1967. After teaching violin in Jerusalem (1967-69), he became a prof, at the Hamburg Hochschule für Musik in 1969. He also was active as a concert artist. Goldstein pursued legitimate research in Russian and German musical biography of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Works

ORCH 4 syms. (1934, 1936, 1944, 1945); 2 violin concertos (1936, 1939); Piano Concerto (1940); Niccolo Paganini, symphonic poem (1963); Ukrainian Rhapsody (1965); Kinderszenen (1966); Hamburger Konzert for Chamber Orch. (1975). CHAMBER: 3 string quartets (1932,1940,1975); Piano Trio (1933); 4 violin sonatas (1935, 1940, 1950, 1975); Ukrainian Suite for Violin and Piano (1952); Duo for Violin and Double Bass (1979); Quartet for 4 Violas (1982).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire