OBITUARIES

LEV EVGRAFOV

Russian cellist and pedagogue Lev Evgrafov died on 31 May aged 86. Born in 1934 he originally studied at the Gnessin State Musical College before graduating from the Moscow Conservatory, where he was in the class of Mstislav Rostropovich.

Beginning in 1963 he toured extensively in the Soviet Union and abroad, including Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Finland, Switzerland and the US. His playing was noted for the uniqueness of his interpretations, virtuoso skill and subtle sense of style.

For many years, Evgrafov’s recital partner was his mother, Lydia Evgrafova.

He also collaborated with pianist Maria Yudina and conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky. He recorded ten LPs on the Russian label Melodiya.

Evgrafov taught at the Moscow State Institute of Music, the Moscow Conservatory, the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music and the Gnessin State Musical College. His students included Alexander Rudin and Ivan Monighetti. In 1993 and 1994, he was the organiser and artistic director of two international music festivals in Nikulino, in which musicians from Russia, the US, Germany, France, Israel, Switzerland and Japan took part. Towards the end of his career he was named an Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation. He played a Francesco Rugeri cello.

JAMES DURRANT

The violist James Durrant died in Glasgow on 21 May aged 91. During his career he performed w ith the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and Scottish National Orchestra (SNO), and taught and conducted at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD).

Born on 23 November 1929, Durrant began playing the violin aged eight, although there were no musicians in his family. He studied with Cecil White of the BSO, who helped him secure work in the orchestra pit at the Bournemouth Pavilion. A Handel performance by William Primrose convinced him to study the viola instead.

Aged 17 Durrant was called up for national service and placed in the Royal Artillery Band and a regimental orchestra. Afterwards he became a member of the BSO. In 1957 he was appointed principal viola of the SNO and moved to Glasgow. He frequently worked with Scottish Opera and the Scottish Baroque Ensemble. He was headhunted for the London Symphony Orchestra principal’s job, but suffered a burst eardrum on the flight down.

Durrant also began to champion and commission works from Scottish composers, starting with Martyr by Edward McGuire. He was frequently on the radio, often playing a new work, and with the SNO he broadcast works including Hindemith’s Kammermusik no.5, Benjamin’s Romantic Fantasy for violin and viola, and the concertos by Bartók, Hawthorne-Baker and Purser.

In 1964 he began teaching at the RSAMD, where among his pupils were Alistair Beattie, James Sleigh, Scott Dickinson, Duncan Ferguson and Gillianne Haddow. He also worked with the legendary Czech violist Ladislav Černý, dedicatee of Hindemith’s Solo Sonata and many other works. Later in Durrant’s career he started to conduct – continuing to do so until 2003 – and was head of orchestral studies and strings at the Academy from 1989 to 1994.

ALEXEY SELEZNEV

Russian cellist Alexey Seleznev died in May at the age of 66. He was a well-known pedagogue, with more than 40 of his students claiming prizes at international cello competitions.

Born in Moscow in 1955, Seleznev studied at the Moscow Conservatory where his principal tutors were Natalia Shakhovskaya and Lev Ginsburg. For many years Seleznev was the cellist of the Mosconcert String Quartet, with which he toured to Poland, Australia, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Ukraine and Moldova as well as across Russia. He also gave recital performances internationally with his regular partner, pianist Tamara Oganezova. His discography includes recordings of works by Bach, Brahms, Franck, Poulenc, Debussy and Piazzolla.

In 1990 Seleznev joined the teaching staff of the Moscow Conservatory himself, where he was active in both the cello department and that of music theory and history, as well as at the Central Music School, and the Chopin Moscow State College of Music Performance.

Among his students were Narek Hakhnazaryan and Alexander Buzlov.

From 1993 onwards, Seleznev was involved with the ‘New Names’ Charitable Foundation, which aims to provide opportunities for talented young players. He gave annual masterclasses at the foundation’s summer school in Suzdal, founded a cello ensemble for 10- to 18-year-olds, and directed the foundation’s resident quartet.

Seleznev was often seen on competition juries, and was named an Honoured Artist of Russia in 1999.

IOSIF LEVINZON

The Ukrainian cellist a nd pedagogue Iosif Levinzon has died at the age of 86.

For more than four d ecades he taught at the Leningrad Conservatory, which became the St Petersburg Conservatory in 1991.

Born in 1934 in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Levinzon graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory in 1957, after which he became a member of the Taneyev Quartet. The group released a number of recordings, with repertoire based around the works of Shostakovich, Myaskovsky, Tishchenko, Slonimsky, Agafonnikov and Taneyev. In 1978, Levinzon joined the Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra, and joined the Conservatory as a lecturer in 1980. In 1996 he was awarded the title of Honoured Artist of Russia.