Yuri Boukoff (; May 1, 1923 – January 8, 2006) was a Bulgarian-French

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. He was born in

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and died in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

Hauts-de-Seine Hauts-de-Seine (; ) is a department in the Île-de-France region of France. It covers Paris's western inner suburbs. It is bordered by Paris, Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne to the east, Val-d'Oise to the north, Yvelines to the west and ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. In 1956, he was the first European pianist to tour

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. In 1964, he became a naturalized French citizen. He pursued studies with

Yves Nat Yves Philippe Avit Nat (29 December 1890 – 31 August 1956) was a French pianist and composer. Biography Nat was born in Béziers and showed an early aptitude for both piano and composition. By the age of seven he was allowed to improvise each ...

at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris and won the first prize in 1946. He was taught by

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...

Edwin Fischer Edwin Fischer (6 October 1886 – 24 January 1960) was a Swiss classical pianist and conductor. He is regarded as one of the great interpreters of J.S. Bach and Mozart in the twentieth century. Biography Fischer was born in Basel and studied m ...

, and

Marguerite Long Marguerite Marie-Charlotte Long (13 November 1874 – 13 February 1966) was a French pianist, pedagogue, lecturer, and an ambassador of French music. Life Early life: 1874–1900 Marguerite Long was born to Pierre Long and Anne Marie Antoin ...

. He won many prizes at international competitions, including Geneva in 1947, Long-Thibaud in 1949, and Diemer in 1951. He won eighth prize at the

Queen Elisabeth Competition The Queen Elisabeth Competition (, ) is an international competition for career-starting musicians held in City of Brussels, Brussels. The competition is named after Elisabeth of Bavaria, Queen of Belgium, Queen Elisabeth of Belgium (1876–1 ...

in 1952. His

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

was "Rubinstein of Bulgaria"''88 notes pour piano solo'',

Jean-Pierre Thiollet Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist. He is also affiliated with the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, a European trade union. Career Thiollet attended a school in Châtelleraul ...

, Neva Ed., 2015, p.316.

Partial discography

* n.d. Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat, "Emperor", op. 73 by Beethoven, with Pierre Dervaux and L'Orchestre des Concerts Colonnes ( World Record Club TP239 mono, also STP 239 stereo * 1953 piano pieces by Balakirev, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin and Khachaturian (Philips, A76700R) * 1955 Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2 and poetic Capriccios no. 2 and 3 by Liszt (Philips A76706R) * 1960 Sonatas "Appassionnata", "Pathetic" and "Moonlight" by Beethoven (GO3059L Philips) * 1960 Piano Concertos no. 1 in E Flat & no. 2 In A by Liszt (Philips, SABL 159 also 835 031 AY) * 1962 Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat, "Emperor", op. 73 by Beethoven with Georges Prêtre (CC 507 B 13 061)
1956-57
Piano sonatas 1-4 by Prokofiev CLP 1812 (reviewed in 'Gramophone', January 1965) (reissued b

in 2012)

Piano sonatas 5-7 by Prokofiev CLP 1827 (reviewed in 'Gramophone', March 1965) (reissued b

in 2012)

Piano sonatas 8 and 9 by Prokofiev CLP 1835 (reviewed in 'Gramophone', March 1965) (reissued b

in 2012) * 1976 Sonata in A major for violin and piano by César Franck and Sonata for Violin and Piano no. 2 op. 77 Ravel, recorded with the young violinist Nell Gotkovsky (RCA Red Seal FRL10120) * 1970 Concerto no. 2 for piano and orchestra by Tchaikovsky with the Conservatory Orchestra under the direction of Romansky * 1980 Symphonic Studies op. 13 and Fantaisie op. 17 Schumann (MET2599.015) * 1970s Bach, including the Italian Concerto BWV 971, the Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue BWV 903, Prelude and Fugue BWV 894, Sonata and Partita BWV 1004 and the famous figured chorale: Jesu, joy remains from Cantata BWV 147 (MET2599.005) * 1980s Sonatas for Piano, Violin, Cello by Richard Strauss (Adda Records) * "Anthology of Russian music" (Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky) (Adda Records)

Family

Widow Evelyne (singer and novelist), son George Boukoff (philosopher by training, pianist and clarinetist), Yana Boukoff (singer, mezzo-soprano)

References

External links

1923 births 2006 deaths Musicians from Sofia Bulgarian classical pianists 20th-century French male classical pianists 20th-century French classical pianists Conservatoire de Paris alumni Bulgarian emigrants to France {{Bulgaria-musician-stub