Davidovich, Bella (1928—)

Soviet pianist, widely recorded, who often performed chamber music with her son Dmitry Sitkovetsky. Born in Baku, Azerbaijani, in the Soviet Socialist Republic, on July 16, 1928; studied with Konstantin Igumnov (1873–1948) at the Moscow Conservatory as well as with Yakov Flier (1912–1978); immigrated to the United States in 1978; children: Dmitry Sitkovetsky.

Bella Davidovich studied with Konstantin Igumnov at the Moscow Conservatory as well as with Yakov Flier and shared first prize with Halina Czerny-Stefanska at the 1949 Chopin Competition in Warsaw. Her first appearance in Western countries was with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra in 1966. She enjoyed a successful career in the Soviet Union, particularly as a Chopin specialist, before emigrating to the United States in 1978, where she continued to reap critical praise. David Dubal wrote that her "pianistic diction is immaculate, each phrase being well tailored and finely calibrated." Some critics detected in her playing a poetic strain sometimes lacking elements of rapture or humor. Her recordings of the four Chopin Ballades, several Beethoven sonatas, and the Saint-Saëns G minor Concerto received positive reviews. She showed great sympathy for the piano music of Scriabin, and her treatment of his Second Sonata elicited some of her best playing. She often performed chamber music with her son, the gifted violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky.

sources:

"Davidovich, Bella," Current Biography Yearbook 1989. NY: H.W. Wilson, 1989, pp. 129–133.

Dubal, David. The Art of the Piano. NY: Summit Books, 1989.

Gruen, John. "A Different Kind of Family Affair," in The New York Times. March 16, 1986, section 2, p. 21.

John Haag , Athens, Georgia