OBITUARIES

ALEXANDER BUZLOV

The Russian i nternational solo c ellist Alexander B uzlov died of a stroke on 8 November aged 37. Born in Moscow in 1983, he completed his studies at the Moscow Conservatoire in 2006, receiving instruction at masterclasses from cellists including Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniil Shafran, Natalia Shakhovskaya, Boris Talalay, Eberhard Finke and Bernard Greenhouse. He won prizes at the Young Concert Artists competitions in Leipzig (2000) and New York (2001) and the ‘New Names’ All-Russian Open Competition (Moscow, 2000). He took second prize at the 2005 ARD International Cello Competition in Munich, the 2007 International Tchaikovsky Competition, and the 2008 Geneva International Cello Competition. In 2010 he was awarded the Grand Prix and audience prize at the Emanuel Feuermann Cello Competition in Berlin. Buzlov made his debut at Carnegie Hall in 2005, and worked with conductors including Valery Gergiev, Yuri Bashmet, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Karel Mark Chichon, Paavo Järvi, Yakov Kreizberg, Stanislav Kochanovsky, Thomas Sanderling, Leonard Slatkin, Vladimir Spivakov, Yuri Temirkanov and Christoph Poppen.

Buzlov is survived by his wife, the Brussels-based violinist Alissa Margulis, who he married in 2017, and by their three-year-old daughter, Amalia.

VICTOR DANCHENKO

The respected v iolin professor V ictor Danchenko h as died aged 83. B orn in the Soviet Union in 1927 he made his solo debut aged 16 with the USSR State Symphony Orchestra. He later graduated from the Moscow Conservatoire, where he studied with David Oistrakh.

In 1977 Danchenko emigrated to Canada, and taught in Toronto and Baltimore, where his sister Vera joined the piano faculty. He was a professor at the Curtis Institute of Music and taught internationally at summer festivals. Until his death he taught at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School in Toronto. He also served on the juries of many international competitions and taught masterclasses around the world. Among his former students are Martin Beaver, Soovin Kim, Nicolas Kendall, Timothy Fain, Ryu Goto and Misha Simonyan.

According to former student Igor Yuzefovich: ‘We have lost a man who embodied musical excellence, discipline, devotion and attention to detail, both in the musical and personal sense. He taught us the love for the instrument and the music, and worked tirelessly to instil that in us, his musical children.’

ENZO PORTA

The violinist, teacher a nd writer Enzo Porta h as died in Bologna a ged 89. Known f or his academic r igour, the Milanborn violinist devoted much of his life to playing and researching contemporary music, and leaves behind a sizeable body of academic literature.

After studying in Italy with Franco Tufari, Franco Gulli and Alice Pashkus, Porta established a career as a concert violinist, performing in venues including London’s Wigmore Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Deutsche Akademie Berlin, and Munich’s Neue Musik among many others.

Alongside this, he maintained his passion for academic research and teaching, holding positions at the Civic School of Music in Milan, and at the conservatoires of Trento, Parma and Bologna. His particular area of interest was 20th-century music, and, over the course of his career, he collaborated with many contemporary composers, including Giacinto Scelsi, Armando Gentilucci, Franco Donatoni and Adriano Guarnieri, giving several world premieres of their music. He published numerous books, among them Fundamental Movements of Bow Technique (2007) and The Violin in History (2000). He also translated Simon Fischer’s books into Italian.

Commenting on Porta’s death, Miguel Simarro, professor at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, said, ‘I was glad to meet Professor Enzo Porta a few times in Bologna. I enjoyed his lessons, and his detailed explanations about his lessons with Alice Pashkus during the 1950s. I will never forget his advice.’

PATMORE LEWIS

US violinist Patmore L ewis has died aged 6 9. The musician, who p layed for New York’s M etropolitan Opera, w as also a composer, whose works were seen as bringing the energy of pop to classical music.

Growing up in Saint Thomas, the Virgin Islands, Lewis originally learnt to play the piano and organ before switching to the cello and violin. Although interested in physics and astronomy he decided, with encouragement from his peers, to make a career as a violinist, playing in Latin music groups at night clubs, and teaching the violin in his home town. Later he joined a group called Da Capo, which bridged the gap between classical music and hip-hop.

Lewis also forged a reputation as a classical musician, playing with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra of New York City from 1977 and making his Carnegie Hall recital debut in November 1992. He performed as a soloist and chamber musician in the US and countries in Europe including France, the UK and Switzerland, playing live on NPR radio broadcasts, with singer Jessye Norman, and with Henry Threadgill’s Jazz Windstring Ensemble. His albums included the Rillito River Project (2008), which sought to draw attention to the environment through pop, and From the Soul (1997).

On hearing of Lewis’s death Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Metropolitan Opera, released a statement saying, ‘Another sad and huge loss in our Met Orchestra family. RIP dear Patmore Lewis. I will never forget your smile, your kindness, your warmth, your dedication.’