Kontski, Antoine de
Kontski, Antoine de
Kontski, Antoine de, famous Polish pianist, brother of Apollinaire Kontski and Charles de Kontski; b. Krakow, Oct. 27, 1817; d. Ivanichi, near Okulova, Russia, Dec. 7, 1899. He studied with John Field in Moscow (1830), then toured widely, and also taught in Paris (1851–53), Berlin (1853–54), St. Petersburg (1854–67), and subsequently in London. He toured the U.S. (1883, 1885), and made a world tour when he was nearly 80 (1896–98). He composed 2 piano concertos and various virtuoso and salon pieces for piano. His picturesque Réveil du lion was enormously successful for many years; it was an epitome of Romantic exuberance to the point of being ludicrous. He also composed the light operas Les Deux Distraits (London, 1872) and Le Sultan de Zanzibar (N.Y., May 8, 1886).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire